Code 176: estimated tax penalty.
From IRS Document 6209, the IRS's processing codes manual.
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Document 6209 says
Debit. Used on individual (IMF) accounts.
Estimated Tax Penalty
The full Document 6209 entry, as printed
Debit (NPJ) I/B Estimated Tax Penalty Generated Transaction Computer-generated assessment of 990C, 1040, 1041, 990T, 990PF and 1120 Estimated Tax Penalty for failure to make adequate ES payments.
After code 176
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Crowd figures, not IRS data. They describe what happened to others, not a promise.
Questions people ask
What does code 176 mean on my IRS transcript?
Document 6209 calls it "Estimated Tax Penalty".
Sources
Checked against these sources on October 30, 2026.