These penalties will not apply if you can show that the failures were due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.
In addition, there is no penalty for failure to include all the required information, or for including incorrect information, on a de minimis number of information returns if you correct the errors by August 1 of the year the returns are due. (To be considered de minimis, the number of returns cannot exceed the greater of 10 or 1/2 of 1% of the total number of returns you are required to file for the year.)
Information courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service.
