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Nobody wants to face an IRS tax audit, but even if you do everything according to the rules, you could be subject to one. The good news is that the IRS audited only 0.6 percent of returns filed, according to the 2016 Internal Revenue Service Data Book. Additionally, fewer than a third of those are conducted as a field audit, meaning they take place in your home, at your business or in an accountant’s office.
In any case, it’s good to have a tax audit defense in place before the audit takes place. Pay attention and do what you can to minimize your chances of being audited.
8 Reasons You Could Get Audited
When the IRS notifies you of a tax audit, it means it will examine your tax return more closely and request additional documents related to it. The IRS uses a combination of factors to decide which tax returns to audit, said Michael Raanan, MBA, EA, owner of Landmark Tax Group and former IRS agent. “Many of these can be avoided on behalf of the taxpayer, while others are unavoidable,” Raanan said. Here are some major reasons you could be subject to an IRS audit:
1. You Have a High Income
The more you earn, the more the IRS is interested in you. For example, for 2015 tax year’s filed returns, the IRS audited only 0.41 percent of those who made between $50,000 and $75,000 and 0.52 percent for those who made between $75,000 and $100,000.
For people who made $500,000 to $1 million, the percentage of those audited rises to 2.06 percent. For incomes of $1 million to $5 million, the percentage more than doubles to 4.60 percent. If you earned between $5 million and $10 million the odds increase to 10.46 percent, and if you made $10 million or more the odds jump to 18.79 percent.
You might think a little error wouldn’t draw attention, but you’d be mistaken. “Mathematical errors are one of the most common mistakes on IRS returns, whether the return is filed on paper or electronically,” said Raanan. In 2016, taxpayers were notified regarding 2.1 million math errors made on 1.6 million tax returns, according to the IRS.
3. You Failed to Report Taxable Income
Make sure you get proof of income from all third parties who paid you during the year. When you have more than one employer — or client, if you’re an independent contractor — each must provide you with your income and deductions information. It’s crucial that you report all your income on your tax return. In 2016, the IRS audited 3.25 percent of returns that reported no taxable income.
“Filers who don’t report all of their taxable income are more likely to face an audit,” said Andrew Oswalt, CPA and tax analyst for the tax preparation software company TaxAct. “The IRS gets copies of W-2s and 1099s. If there is a discrepancy between what the filer reports and what the IRS sees on his forms, the agency will take a closer look.”
4. You Claim Too Many Business Expenses
If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner the IRS likely has you in its crosshairs. The IRS pays extra attention to those who file Schedule Cs because self-employed filers tend to claim too many deductions and often don’t disclose their full income, said Raanan. For example, 2.2 percent of individual returns with business income and $100,000 to $200,000 of income were audited, compared with just 0.6 percent of returns overall.
Be careful if you claim your car as a business expense. “If you depreciate your car using Form 4562 you’ll be asked how much of its use was tied to business,” said Oswalt. “Most people use their cars for at least some personal things. If you tell the IRS you used your vehicle 100 percent of the time for business, it’s a red flag.”
Many business owners work from home instead of spending money on an office, which might enable them to deduct expenses like depreciation and utilities — or, under the simplified method, a flat rate per square foot. To qualify, you must use your home office regularly and exclusively for business — and it must be the principal place of your business. Claiming your home as an office could trigger an issue with the IRS.
“The business-use-of-home deduction is a pretty common red flag for IRS agents,” said Oswalt. “If you want to take this deduction, make sure you use your designated home space only for business.”
6. Your Charitable Deductions Are Too High
The IRS encourages people to donate things like money, clothes, food and even old automobiles to charities by offering a tax deduction for donations. Although your deduction is legally capped at up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income, excessive donation amounts could draw the IRS’s attention.
“For example, claiming that you made more than $10,000 in donations to various charities with an income of $40,000 might be a red flag,” said Raanan. Make sure you’re honest about your charitable giving and follow the tax laws and you likely won’t have a problem.
Eligible workers with low to moderate incomes can take the earned-income tax credit. If you’re qualified to take it, be careful when you figure out the numbers. In 2016, 9.7 percent of math errors on individual tax returns were attributed to the EITC deduction, according to the IRS.
Taking the EITC might be an IRS audit trigger for other reasons, too. “The IRS has announced that those who claim the earned-income tax credit are more likely to be the subject of a tax audit, as there has been an increase in the number of frivolous claims,” said Raanan.
8. You Don’t Report Your Gambling Winnings
Gambling income includes winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse races and casinos. You must report all income you receive from gambling on your income tax return, even if you don’t receive a Form W-2G documenting your winnings.
“Failure to report even recreational earnings from gambling can catch the attention of the IRS,” said Raanan. “Only professional gamblers can deduct the cost of meals, lodging and other such expenses.”
How to Prevent a Tax Audit
You can take steps to reduce your chances of being audited. “It pays to have someone review and double-check your facts and figures before submitting your tax return to the IRS,” said Raanan. “You don’t want a slight oversight like an incorrect Social Security number or a misplaced decimal to prompt an audit.”
You’ll fare much better during an audit if you’re well-organized. “The key for every taxpayer is to keep good, detailed financial records,” said Oswalt. “A good rule of thumb is to keep all tax-related documents for three years from the date a return is filed.”
You could owe additional taxes and tax audit penalties if the audit turns up errors. Getting audited doesn’t always spell disaster, but you might need tax audit help. In 2016, almost $1 billion was returned to audited individuals as additional refunds, according to the IRS.
