How to Prevent Tax Audits
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
by Terry Mitchell
http://commenterry.blogs.com
Being audited can be a very stressful, not to mention financially hazardous, experience. While many people will go their entire lives without being audited for taxes, not everyone is that lucky. There are, however, some ways to help prevent the tax man from checking up on you. It`s impossible to guarantee that you won`t be visited by the IRS, but at the very least, you can avoid some of the red flags that we know for sure catch their attention.
Keeping Good Records
It`s very important to maintain records so you can prove that what you`ve entered on your tax return is true. In the case of an audit, all the paperwork will be very useful, too. In addition, maintaining the papers and forms that you`ve collected over the year will help you file accurate tax returns, which is another good way to avoid being audited since discrepancies can alert the IRS that something fishy is going on.
File Returns Correctly
Even minor mistakes in math can make the IRS pay attention and if the issue is more than just a little, it`s likely that they`ll want to check up on you and make sure there`s no good reason behind the error, apart from poor math skills. This is something that can easily be remedied by having someone else take a quick look over the return or getting a tax accountant to do your returns for you.
Make sure you also file under the correct area, especially if you are earning money from a side business. While it`s tempting to round down or alter the records just a bit to avoid moving into the next tax bracket, it just isn`t worth the hassle of being audited and the potential fees that could come out of an audit. You`ll be better off in the long run just sticking to the facts and not making attempts to hide anything.
Other tips to help avoid a tax visit:
Use exact numbers, rather than rounded ones. For example, $2,000 might look better, but $1994.23 will be less likely to draw attention to you.
Include explanations if there is something that might be confusing on the return. This can be attached to the paperwork with a clip and will help clear up any concerns.
Keep logs of business travel, including people you met with, where you went, where you stayed and ate, etc. These might seem like a lot of details, but they could come in handy later.
Basically, if you aren`t hiding anything, you`ll present a low profile to the IRS and chances are you won`t be chosen for an audit. However, should it happen, you`ll also be prepared to prove that you`ve been honest.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Thanks for the good advice! Enjoyed reading this piece and glad that lately we "get to" do a short form.... MarijoHi Marijo, thanks reading and commenting. I'm glad you liked it.
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