3. Respond, but don’t go crazy with your response. The IRS will ask you for particular information. Send your agent only the information she requests. After all, you don’t want to pique her curiosity, do you? The IRS is only entitled to documents and answers that it asks for. Prove your case by sending copies of statements and letters that back up your position. Don’t send anything else, and whatever you do, don’t send your original documents. Most IRS offices look like a paper tornado blew through them. There is simply no reason to let the only copy of your life-saving receipt blow into a government recycle bin.

4. Get organized. Find every shred of evidence related to your return under audit. The IRS may ask you for additional information after it processes your initial response, and you’ll score points with your auditor if you can provide everything she needs in a timely manner. Organizing your documents also allows you to see what’s missing. This will give you a chance to ask for copies from your bank, your doctor, or your favorite charity before the auditor asks for them from you.

5. Get up close and personal with the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. You are entitled to representation in your audit. This means that you can hire a lawyer or an accountant to argue your case. If your audit is in person, you are also entitled to make an audio recording of the meeting or to take someone with you to observe it. In addition, the IRS is required to conduct the audit in a place where you will feel comfortable and at a time that is convenient for you. Finally, if you don’t like the result, you can ask to speak with your auditor’s manager. How’s that for customer service?

6. Be polite. Tax collectors’ unpopularity is literally biblical in scope, and IRS agents take more abuse than most public servants. As a result, yours might not be in a good mood. Treating your auditor with respect might make a huge impact on how your case is processed, even if it doesn’t affect the end result. Consider asking about your auditor’s day or what her job is like. And if she’s rude in return, bite your tongue; you can always speak to her supervisor later.

7. Last, but not least, if the audit doesn’t go your way, you can appeal the result. The IRS will send you a letter with a 30-day deadline for administrative appeal. If you respond, you’ll have a meeting with a second IRS agent who is higher on the food chain than your original auditor. This new agent will have the authority to reach a compromise settlement with you, which means that you might be able to lower your bill even if you can’t entirely eliminate it. Alternatively, you could ask the IRS to join you in mediation. Finally, if all else fails, you can file a complaint in court. But follow our tips, and chances are good that you’ll never have to.

Be sure to check out the complete archive of Daily Deductions.

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