The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) occasionally runs audits on tax payers to make sure that they are processing all of their revenue and taxes properly. This can be a stressful process to go through, and can be avoided by completing a thorough and computer-processed tax return.
The blog will act as a brief overview into how to attempt to avoid an audit, and if audited, how best to comply with an audit from the IRS.
Create a computer-processed tax return
Doing your tax return on a computer can lower the amount of errors made and makes everything look more neat and clean. There are also many file programs that can help you to create a compliant tax return.
Don’t make yourself stand out to auditors
Avoid anything that might make you stand out as an “audit magnet”. Filing an income tax with Schedule C, for example, will make you stand out fro the rest as potential audit material.
Make sure that you have receipts or other proof for large deductions
Back up as many claims as you can. This is absolutely essential for large claims in the form of cancelled checks, natural disaster claims or repair receipts.
If you do get chosen to be audited, keep calm. However, only 25 percent of those who are audited managed to get away with not paying additional taxes, so it is important to be fully prepared and do your research. Take your time, be consistent and know that it is legitimate to appeal against the IRS when necessary.
Source: Findlaw, “What to do if the IRS Audits you,” accessed Aug. 04, 2017
