What Are the Odds the IRS Will Audit Your Tax Return?

“Tax audits are in the news more than usual, perhaps because Donald Trump said that he can’t release his tax returns to the public while he is being audited by the IRS.

But now that he has been elected President, the odds of his tax return being audited just went up (way up). Why? Because if you are living in the White House, your odds are 100%. The President (and the Vice-President) have their tax returns audited every year, as required by Section 4.2.1.11 of the Internal Revenue Manual.

The Internal Revenue Manual spells out strict rules under which these returns are audited. They require expeditious processing, and unusual security precautions. For example, the returns “should be kept in an orange folder at all times.”

Those audits, it adds, must be completed at the Baltimore Technical Services office of the IRS. They must be kept out of view of other IRS employees and locked “in a secure drawer or cabinet when the examiner is away from the work area.” Given the size of Donald Trump’s tax return, these rules could be a problem . . .

But, assuming you’re not aiming to run the free world, what are your odds of being audited?

Student Activity To answer this question, have your students download and explore the IRS Data Book which provides a great deal of information about tax returns filed, taxes collected, refunds issued, examinations, enforcement actions, and information about the IRS (and its budget).

Section 2 of the Data Book deals with IRS examinations (audits). In addition to providing information about returns selected for audit, it also provides information about the types of audit (correspondence and field) and whether additional taxes were assessed (or refunds provided).”