Audits (examination)
The opening letter of an audit by mail: the IRS has selected specific items on your return for examination and is asking for the documents that support them.
Don't sit on it
The opening letter of an audit by mail: the IRS has selected specific items on your return for examination and is asking for the documents that support them.
Why you got it: Returns are selected by formula, by mismatch with third-party data, or by related examinations. Selection is not an accusation; most mail audits close with no change or a small one when documents are complete.
Not a bill, not a penalty, and not a conclusion. An audit letter is a request for evidence — how it ends depends largely on the paper you send back.
Your first move: Note the response date, list exactly what's being examined (only those items), and assemble copies that prove each one. Nothing more, nothing less.
Every clock runs from this date — not from the day the letter reached you.
Organized, indexed to their list, copies only.
What you have now, and a dated note for the rest — examiners note cooperation.
Examiners can often say exactly which document closes an item.
Mail/fax to the address on the letter; certified mail or the upload tool where offered; keep the full packet.
Audit letters are a top scam costume. Verify yours: the IRS audit shows in your account, and examiners never demand payment.
The examiner decides on the record they have — which is to say, against you — and issues an examination report (Letter 525) proposing the tax, starting the 30-day Appeals clock.
Where this sits on the ladder: This letter stands on its own track — see the collection ladder for the enforcement road.
One payment. No subscription. Yours to keep — every notice, every letter, every script.