IRS audit

Now that tax season is under way it is time to consider audit proofing your tax return. Small steps you take today can save you time, money and headaches later. 

First, the good news. Audit rates have been falling the past decade by a substantial amount. For 2018, the IRS audited .45% of individual returns, down from .59% in 2017. IRS funding cuts between 2011 and 2017 cost the IRS 27% of its enforcement staff (an 18% decline in tax examiners and a 40% reduction in revenue officers), according to the Government Accountability Office. 

The reduction in IRS enforcement efforts does not mean the IRS doesn’t have the authority to aggressively deal with tax scofflaws. The IRS still carries a big stick and focuses on certain problem areas. Taxpayers claiming the earned income credit faced an audit rate in excess of 1% in 2018, compared to the overall audit rate of individual tax returns the same year.

The IRS has audited tax returns the last several years at a historically low rate. Individuals faced a 0.84% audit rate in 2015; millionaires, 9.55%; Schedule C sole proprietor taxpayers, 4%; partnerships, 0.51%; and S corporations, 0.40%. (Source: The Kiplinger Tax Letter: Vol. 91, No. 4) None of this makes a difference if your number comes up. Over the years I developed methods to reduce risk of audit. My clients are audited at a fraction of the national rates due to the steps applied to all tax returns leaving my office.

IRS audits are expensive even if you did nothing wrong. Hiring an accountant to navigate the audit process is time consuming regardless of guilt. Unlike criminal law, in tax matter you are guilty until you prove yourself innocent. The burden of proof is on you to provide proof of income and deductions should the government come knocking. Below are several tips to reduce your risk of getting an unfriendly letter from Revenue.