Prevent an IRS Audit, 10 Strategies

1. Avoid Fluctuations In Income

The IRS has a pretty good idea how much you live on; if they notice a drastic change in your income, they will most likely suspect that something was not reported. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, avoid fluctuations in income.

2. Report All Income

The IRS has access to quite a bit of information; it is probably not the best idea to omit reporting some income. If they discover unreported interest, dividends or miscellaneous income, you may not be heading down the nicest path. Keep in mind that the IRS receives the same 1099s that you are receiving too. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, report all income.

3. Abnormally Low Income

If your income is substantially lower than other individuals in your profession, the IRS may become suspicious. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, do not report income lower than received.

4. High Income

If you have an income over $100,000, you may want to be extra cautious. IRS audits are five times more likely to occur if you are in this income bracket.

5. Don’t Round Numbers

Good record keeping will draw less attention from the IRS. When numbers are rounded the IRS will suspect that errors could have occurred. For instance, reporting $1,978 dollars on meal expenses rather than $3,000 demonstrates that you are organized and precise. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, don’t round numbers.

6. Watch Your Number of Charitable Contributions

Charity is important, but be aware that a red flag may arise if you have made a lot of contributions. Make sure to hold onto your receipts, particularly, if you are donating five times as much as the average person in your income bracket. So, to prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, watch your number of charitable contributions.

7. File a Complete and Organized Return

When the prepared return is sloppy or missing information, the IRS will be more likely to target you. With technology today, returns are checked by a computer, but if a computer can’t read the return, then an IRS agent will have to. This is where filing electronically comes in quite nicely. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, file a complete and organized return.

8. Be Careful with Deductions

The IRS knows the average percent of deductions for your income bracket. You are entitled to the deductions that you have, but if they are more than the averages, you may draw the attention of the IRS. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, be careful with deductions.

9. Consistent Information on State and Federal Returns

If you are giving the IRS different information on the returns that you are submitting, they may suspect that you are trying to hide something from them. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, report consistent information on State and Federal returns.

10. Do not Participate in Tax Scams

You should avoid participating in these transactions as they will only raise more red flags in your direction. So, to help prevent or avoid an IRS Audit, do not participate in tax scams.

However, the best way to prevent or avoid an IRS audit is to use a professional firm with experience preparing complicated tax returns for high net-worth individuals. Greenstein Rogoff Olsen & Co. LLP, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is such a certified public accounting firm. It is also a trusted advisor to many of Silicon Valley’s most successful entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists. See www.GROCO.comfor more information.

We hope you found this article about “Prevent an IRS Audit, 10 Strategies” helpful.  If you have questions or need expert tax or family office advice that’s refreshingly objective (we never sell investments), please contact us or visit our Family office page  or our website at www.GROCO.com.  Unfortunately, we no longer give advice to other tax professionals gratis.

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Alan Olsen, is the Host of the American Dreams Show and the Managing Partner of GROCO.com.  GROCO is a premier family office and tax advisory firm located in the San Francisco Bay area serving clients all over the world.

Alan L. Olsen, CPA, Wikipedia Bio

GROCO.com is a proud sponsor of The American Dreams Show.

The American Dreams show was the brainchild of Alan Olsen, CPA, MBA. It was originally created to fill a specific need; often inexperienced entrepreneurs lacked basic information about raising capital and how to successfully start a business.

Alan sincerely wanted to respond to the many requests from aspiring entrepreneurs asking for the information and introductions they needed. But he had to find a way to help in which his venture capital clients and friends would not mind.

The American Dreams show became the solution, first as a radio show and now with YouTube videos as well. Always respectful of interview guest’s time, he’s able to give access to individuals information and inspiration previously inaccessible to the first-time entrepreneurs who need it most.

They can listen to venture capitalists and successful business people explain first-hand, how they got to where they are, how to start a company, how to overcome challenges, how they see the future evolving, opportunities, work-life balance and so much more..

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