In fact, the fine was actually what we paid (minimum tax + missed deadline + interest).
“Normal fine”: We just didn't expect you to be able to incorporate a company and if you miss the tax payment deadline, you will receive a fine 100 times higher than the cost of incorporating the company, no matter what.
But of course, I don't recommend our way. Don't do it. It was wrong. Pay your taxes. Fill out all the required documents.
Here’s a detailed writeup I prepared a while back about exactly how to resolve this if you want to DIY it. (This is one of the very few filings I actually recommend you DIY.)
https://pilot.com/blog/how-to-file-your-delaware-franchise-t...
But seriously, any AI tool could have explained exactly what was going on and what to do. I'm not even sure how he got to "$1500" since it's $400 + $200 late fee + 1.5% monthly interest. Maybe he missed 2 years?
> "Hey, the federal portal says we owe $60,000 in penalties for not filing a tax return."
That doesn't sound like they're asking you to pay tax on your $0 income business. It sounds like you need to pay a fine for not filing a tax return.
What's a "normal" fine anyway? The point of having a fine being a large sum of money is to create incentive so you to do the thing they want you doing, which you didn't do.