You can ask for a waiver of penalties, but not principal and interest, with a letter that explains why this is the first and only time this will happen and how you were not intentionally breaking the tax code. Sometimes this works :-), although of course the IRS doesn't need to accept your reasoning or show you grace.
Of course it helps in these situations if you have already paid everything you owe, you don't have other problems, and you are a poor, humble soul just trying to be a good citizen 🙂 (and you can write a clear, but not lengthy, letter explaining your unusual situation.
