14 IRS Audit Red Flags

Kiplinger reports:

Ever wonder why some tax returns are eyeballed by the Internal Revenue Service while most are ignored? Short on personnel and funding, the IRS audited only slightly less than 1% (0.96%) of all individual tax returns in 2013. And we expect the 2014 audit rate to fall even lower as the agency’s resources continue to shrink and even more employees are reassigned to work identity theft cases. 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.

That said, your chances of being audited or otherwise hearing from the IRS increase depending upon various factors, including your income level, the types of deductions or losses claimed, the business in which you're engaged and whether you own foreign assets. Math errors may draw IRS inquiry, but they'll rarely lead to a full-blown exam. Although there's no sure way to avoid an IRS audit, these 14 red flags could increase your chances of unwanted attention from the IRS.

You'll want to read the list.