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Audit Letters From the IRS

By: Rich Chappo..

Picking up the mail each day should not be hazardous to your health. That being said, there are a few letters you can receive which can raise your blood pressure. Getting one from the IRS that does not contain forms is surely the stuff of the end of the world.

The first thing you will notice about the letter is it is thin. This should worry you. If it contained forms it would be thick. As you open it, you see at first glance that it is not a form letter. This one has your name and social security number on it.

An IRS notice. It sounds fairly bland, but this is the stuff of heart attacks. Why? The innocuous sounding IRS notice is issued for one purpose. It is notifying you the agency thinks there is something dubious about your taxes. You might want to put 911 on speed dial.

Importantly, this one page letter is not always the precursor to doom. In very rare circumstances, it can contain good news. I once received one. After recovering from an anxiety attack, I actually read the letter and learned I was due just under twenty bucks.

The bad news is you are probably being audited if you receive this letter. Go ahead, cry. Let it out. Once you are done, actually read the full letter. The audit may not be the torturous event you are imagining. In fact, it rarely is.

For the majority of people, the indication you are being audited is not the foreshadowing of a rough time you might expect. Instead, you stand a good chance of receiving what is called a correspondence audit. Yep, you get to deal with everything by letter.

With a correspondence audit, the nature of the dispute will be identified in the letter. The agency will often indicate it doesn’t buy one of your deductions. It will also suggest a revised amount due on your taxes. In short, the problem and solution is provided.

At this point, you have a couple of choices. You can agree to the change by usually doing nothing. Alternatively, you can contest it by sending in a letter indicating as much and why you disagree. Finally, you can get on the phone and argue about it.

If you accept the proposed changes, the audit is over as long as you take any required action such as sending in more money. If you want to fight the agency, you can. Understand, however, you might be opening yourself up to a full audit.

The IRS issues millions of notices to taxpayers each year. A huge percentage are resolved without blowing up into a bigger audit. If yours does, make sure to get professional help. Tax attorneys offer the best prospect of getting the IRS to back off.

Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com

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