IRS Audit Triggers: Six Red Flags

Kiplinger
Audit letter from IRS
Cassandra Hubbart, DailyFinance

By Joy Taylor

Ever wonder why some tax returns are scrutinized by the Internal Revenue Service while most are ignored? The IRS audits only slightly more than 1 percent of all individual tax returns annually. The agency doesn't have enough personnel and resources to examine each and every tax return filed during a year. And its resources are shrinking ... the number of enforcement staff dropped nearly 6 percent last year, partly due to budget cuts. So the odds are pretty low that your return will be picked for review. And, of course, the only reason filers should worry about an audit is if they are fudging on their taxes.

Here are six red flags that could increase your chances of drawing some unwanted attention:

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