{"id":2215,"date":"2022-06-30T14:13:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T14:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/?p=2215"},"modified":"2026-05-01T02:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T02:14:18","slug":"4-signs-you-may-be-audited-by-the-irs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/4-signs-you-may-be-audited-by-the-irs\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Signs You May Be Audited by the IRS"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- mish-intro-v1 --><p><strong>I&#8217;m Darrin Mish. Tampa tax attorney, 32 years in, more than $100 million in IRS debt resolved.<\/strong> What follows isn&#8217;t theory &#8211; it&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve actually watched work.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>While the risk of being audited by the IRS is fairly low, it is vital for every taxpayer to know how to identify potential audit threats. The IRS conducts audits to determine if the financial information provided is accurate and is following tax laws. An audit may also try to determine if the tax amount reported is, in fact, correct. To help you determine when you might be at risk of a tax audit, our team at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/tax-relief\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"16\">Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A.<\/a>&nbsp;has put together four warning signs that you might be at risk of an IRS audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#1: Your Reported a High Income<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The more income you report, the more likely you are to be audited. Research shows that only one percent of all taxpayers are audited every year. However, 27% of those earning $10 million or more are audited. If you reported a high income, you are more likely to be audited by the IRS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#2: You Claimed Too Many Deductions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Taxpayers who claim too many deductions are more likely to get audited by the IRS &#8211; especially if they are self-employed. It isn&#8217;t uncommon for small business owners to take advantage of deductions to cut down on expenses. However, getting carried away can give the IRS a red flag &#8211; causing them to take a closer look at your tax returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#3: You Made a Mistake in Your Tax Returns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, even minor mistakes in your tax return can result in a tax audit. In fact, a significant number of people are audited because of mundane math errors. If the IRS discovers that your numbers don&#8217;t match and don&#8217;t add up correctly, they will reach out to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you turn in those taxes, double-check your numbers.#4: You Make Significant Charitable Donations<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people might be surprised to learn that a large number of charitable donations can also trigger an IRS audit. The IRS does allow taxpayers to deduct a portion of charitable contributions on federal tax returns. However, the IRS might become suspicious of a large number of charitable donations. To avoid troubles with the IRS, you should keep records of your receipts from organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you are being audited by the IRS, it is vital that you have strong legal representation. Contact&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/contact-us\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"50\">Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A.<\/a>&nbsp;today at&nbsp;<a href=\"tel:8132297100\" data-type=\"tel\" data-id=\"tel:8132297100\">(813) 229-7100<\/a>&nbsp;to schedule a consultation!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"How long does an IRS audit take?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Most audits resolve within 3 to 18 months. Correspondence audits (handled by mail) are the fastest. Office audits and field audits with multiple issues take longer. The complexity of the case affects the timeline.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What triggers an IRS audit?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Common triggers include unusually high deductions relative to income, missing 1099 income (which can trigger a CP2000 first), large business losses claimed multiple years in a row, cash-intensive businesses, and statistical outliers based on the IRS DIF score.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Should I represent myself in an IRS audit?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Most taxpayers should not. The IRS examiner is trained and experienced. Anything you say can be used against you. Having a tax attorney file a Form 2848 means the IRS communicates with the representative instead of you.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Can I appeal an IRS audit decision?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Yes. If the audit results in a proposed assessment you disagree with, you can request a manager conference, then go to the IRS Office of Appeals, then file a Tax Court petition within 90 days of receiving a Notice of Deficiency.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What is the IRS audit statute of limitations?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Generally three years from the date you filed your return, six years if you understated income by more than 25 percent, and unlimited if there was fraud or you never filed.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What is the difference between an audit and a CP2000?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"A CP2000 is a computer-generated proposed adjustment based on third-party data mismatches. An audit is a formal IRS examination with broader scope. CP2000s are usually fixable with a simple response. Audits are more involved and can open additional issues.\"\n      }\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"related-resources\" style=\"margin:2em 0;padding:1.25em 1.5em;border-left:4px solid #2c5282;background:#f7fafc;\">\n  <h2 style=\"margin-top:0;\">Related Resources<\/h2>\n  <ul style=\"margin-bottom:0;\">\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/irs-audits\">IRS Audit Defense Services<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/what-triggers-most-irs-audits-in-2026-9-red-flags-to-know\">What Triggers Most IRS Audits<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/worried-about-an-irs-audit-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-your-legal-options\">Worried About an IRS Audit?<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/about-us\">About Darrin T. Mish<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/contact-us\">Schedule a Free Consultation<\/a><\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the risk of being audited by the IRS is fairly low, it is vital for every taxpayer to know how to identify potential audit threats. The IRS conducts audits to determine if the financial information provided is accurate and is following tax laws. An audit may also try to determine if the tax amount [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tax-audits","category-taxes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2215"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5760,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2215\/revisions\/5760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}