On behalf of Silver Tax Group posted in IRS Tax Audits on Wednesday, April 11, 2018.
While there have been less IRS tax audits since 2010, there are still a large number of things that can trigger an audit. In 2017, there was still over a million tax audits.
An audit does not by itself mean you are guilty of wrongdoing. However, an audit does increase the likelihood that you could face severe tax penalties or even criminal charges.
What leads to a tax audit?
It is possible to reduce your chances of an audit by avoiding certain actions. The sorts of activities that will trigger an audit include:
- Inaccurate reporting or the failure to report income
- A high amount of charitable deductions, hobby losses
- Reporting the wrong Social Security Number
- Not following IRS guidelines concerning deductions for home office expenses
- Unusually large mean or entertainment expenses
However, the IRS will also more likely audit a certain type of individual. This can include those who earn more than $200,000. The IRS will also be on the lookout for significant changes in income, and will pay attention to salaries of principals in S Corporations if that salary is unusually low. And the IRS tends to audit businesses that mainly deal in cash transactions.
When deducting alimony, the IRS will pay attention to whether reporting is consistent. This is relatively easy for IRS officials to detect since those making such deductions need to also report the Social Security number for those receiving the alimony payments.
Some taxpayers will report expenses in round-dollar amounts rather than to the nearest dollar. For example, a taxpayer may try to suggest all of the expenses are either $50 or $100. The IRS will be suspicious of such reporting.
Facing an tax audit
Again, there are no guarantees that you will avoid an audit, even if you are reporting income and expenses accurately. When it comes to questions concerning an audit, it is best to address such items to attorneys who have experience dealing with the IRS concerning audit matters.
There are strategies attorneys can use to protect Michigan taxpayers from assessment of penalties during the audit process.
