WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government tax agency said on Wednesday it would not impose penalties on many taxpayers who had too little federal income tax withheld from their pay last year, or who paid less than their estimated tax liabilities.

In a concession that follows a sweeping U.S. tax overhaul enacted in late 2017, the Internal Revenue Service lowered its threshold for waiving the penalty to help taxpayers affected by tax law changes ushered in by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Tax penalties will be waived generally for taxpayers who have paid at least 85 percent of their total liability through withholding, quarterly estimated tax payments or a combination of the two, the IRS said. The threshold is usually 90 percent.

The IRS released updated federal tax withholding tables early in 2018 to reflect adjustments in the tax law. But tax authorities later acknowledged that the tables did not fully factor in some changes including exemptions for dependents and reduced itemized deductions.

IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig stated "…We urge people to check their withholding again this year to make sure they are having the right amount of tax withheld for 2019…"