When you have serious tax issues, you need someone who knows tax law

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING AN IRS TAX AUDIT

What to Expect During an IRS Tax Audit

When you receive a notice that your tax return is being audited, it will generally cause some anxiety. Even if you think you did your taxes correctly, it’s impossible to know with certainty that the IRS won’t find something wrong with your return.

The audit process can be challenging. However, if you know what to expect, you can prepare yourself and get through the process as painlessly as possible.

Why Audits Happen

First, you should understand that just because you were selected for IRS audit, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with your return. The IRS selects returns for audits for several reasons:

  • If you have a high income, you are more likely to be audited.
  • If you have unusually large deductions, it can increase your audit risk.
  • Some returns are selected for audit by IRS computer programs.

These computer programs analyze your return to estimate the likelihood you have committed an error. If your return has a high potential for error, you may be selected for an IRS examination, even if you filed your taxes properly.

Types of Audits

The IRS does audits by correspondence, at IRS offices, or in the field. Correspondence audits are most common and typically relate to one or a few questionable items on your return.

During the audit process, the IRS is going to ask you for information. They may ask you to produce documents to support your income, deductions, or credits claimed on your return.

At the end of the audit, the IRS examiner will issue a report that determines whether you owe additional tax.

Audit Defense Help

You can have a tax attorney communicate with the IRS examiner on your behalf. This is the best option for most taxpayers because you don’t want to risk saying or doing the wrong thing during the process.

For example, you may be audited because of some large business expense deductions. However, if you disclose information during the audit that indicates other issues—such as unreported income—the examiner has the ability to scrutinize the rest of your tax return. You could even end up being accused of tax fraud if you intentionally broke any tax laws.

If you don’t agree with the IRS examiner’s report, you have the option to appeal your case.

Before you communicate with an IRS examiner, contact a tax audit defense attorney to discuss your case.

Out tax attorneys handle audit defense for individual and business taxpayers. Call The Gartzman Law Firm at (770) 939-7710 now to schedule your consultation.

Archives