This is why I spend the $200/year to have a CPA do my taxes.
I was audited last year for 2009 & 2010. I thought it was mostly because my wife’s business runs at a loss. Maybe it was because of my political contributions, Tea Party membership, etc.
However, with the exception of creating a log to justify the mileage we wrote off, my CPA handled the rest. We did not even step into the IRS office. IMHO, going to an audit with the IRS without representation of a CPA is like going into court without a lawyer.
Fortunately for me, the one person I contacted at the IRS was very helpful and told me exactly what to do to alleviate the situation. The main problem I had was the sword of Damocles hanging over my head if they didn’t agree with my assertion. By the time I got a response it would have been too late to go to tax court because of their processing time, I would just owe the amount they asserted plus penalties and interest from the initial date of their claim.
I never set foot in an IRS office, just snail mail correspondence.
I’ve been considering getting hooked up with a CPA, problem is, most people guard their info when it comes to good CPAs - it’s like they think they have personal ownership in them and wouldn’t dare let you in on their secret lest you somehow spoil the well. Even my brother is like this...
My younger brother ran for Congress last year in the Tea Party, and made a respectable showing in the Primary, but the Republican incumbent had 51% of the vote to my brother’s 42%, so his campaign stopped there.
I was then audited that same year. I didn’t attribute it to his politics, but this year I received a notice dated 22Dec2014, to contact their office within 10 days for an audit and to provide them with copies of my 2014 returns.
Strikes me as a little strange to demand your tax return before the tax year has completed.