Am I about to be audited by the IRS for my 2024 taxes?
I'm freaking out right now. Yesterday I got this weird letter from the IRS with a bunch of questions about my 2024 tax return. It's not officially saying I'm being audited, but they're asking for receipts and documentation for some of my business expenses and charitable donations. I'm self-employed and made about $72,000 last year, and I claimed around $17,500 in business expenses. Most of it was for my home office, travel to meet clients, and some new equipment. I also donated about $4,200 to various charities throughout the year. Is this the start of an audit? What happens next? Do I need to hire a tax attorney? I've never been through this before and I'm really nervous about what this means. Has anyone else received something like this and can tell me what to expect?
18 comments


Fatima Al-Farsi
This sounds like what's called a "correspondence audit" - it's the most common type of IRS audit and typically just involves the IRS requesting more documentation for specific items on your return. It's not the dreaded in-person audit many people fear. First, don't panic. The IRS sends these types of letters to millions of taxpayers each year. They're essentially just asking you to verify certain deductions or credits you claimed. For the business expenses, you'll need to provide receipts, invoices, or bank statements showing these were legitimate business expenses. For charitable contributions over $250, you should have acknowledgment letters from the organizations. Gather all your documentation and respond by their deadline (usually 30 days). Make copies of everything you send - never send originals. Be organized and include a clear explanation of each document. If you need more time, call the number on the letter and request an extension.
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Dylan Wright
•Do you think they target self-employed people more often? I've been self-employed for 3 years and I'm terrified of getting one of these letters. Also, can they ask for documentation from previous years if they start looking into your current return?
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Self-employed individuals do face higher audit rates because there's more room for error or questionable deductions when you're reporting your own business expenses. The IRS knows that's where many reporting discrepancies occur. The IRS generally has 3 years from the filing date to audit your return, but this can extend to 6 years in some cases. During an audit of one tax year, they typically focus on the issues specified in the letter, but if they find significant problems, they could expand to previous or subsequent years. That's why keeping organized records for at least 7 years is always recommended.
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Sofia Torres
I went through something similar last year that had me stressed for weeks until I found https://taxr.ai which literally saved me thousands. It's this AI tool that analyzes IRS notices and helps you understand exactly what they're asking for and why. I uploaded my letter and it broke down exactly what documentation I needed to provide for each expense they were questioning. The best part was it helped me organize my response with all the right documentation. It even identified a few mistakes in my original filing that I was able to correct before the IRS found them. Ended up with just a small adjustment instead of what could've been a much bigger headache.
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GalacticGuardian
•Did you need to provide any personal info to the site? I'm always nervous about sharing my tax docs with random websites. How does it actually work?
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Sounds kinda like a scam tbh. How is some website supposed to know what the IRS is specifically looking for in YOUR case? Did you have to pay for this service?
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Sofia Torres
•You upload your IRS notice and any supporting documents you have. It uses secure encryption, and you can blur out personal details if you're concerned. It analyzes the document using AI trained on thousands of IRS notices to identify exactly what they're requesting. It's definitely not a scam. It doesn't claim to know what the IRS is thinking, but it does recognize patterns in audit notices and helps interpret what documentation you need based on the specific language in your letter. It saved me from having to pay an accountant $350/hour to tell me the same thing. The site has different pricing options depending on what you need, but it was way cheaper than hiring a professional for my situation.
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Dmitry Smirnov
I have to admit I was wrong about taxr.ai. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself when I got a CP2000 notice about unreported income. The analysis was surprisingly detailed - it explained exactly what the IRS was asking about and gave me a step-by-step plan for responding. The best feature was the document organizer that helped me put together all my evidence in the exact format the IRS wanted. I was able to prove that I actually HAD reported the income they claimed was missing, just under a different category. Without the guidance from taxr.ai, I probably would've just paid the $2,300 they said I owed. Ended up owing nothing after I sent in my response!
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Ava Rodriguez
If you're getting nowhere with the IRS after sending your documentation, try https://claimyr.com - it's the only service that actually got me through to a real human at the IRS after weeks of calling and waiting on hold. I was in a similar situation with a potential audit, and I needed clarification on some documentation they were requesting. I tried calling the IRS directly for two weeks straight - either couldn't get through or would wait on hold for hours only to get disconnected. Used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. The agent was able to explain exactly what they needed and even gave me an extension on my deadline. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c
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Miguel Diaz
•How does this even work? The IRS phone system is completely broken. I don't understand how some service can get you through when millions of people can't get through normally.
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Zainab Ahmed
•This sounds like complete BS. If it were possible to "skip the line" at the IRS, everyone would be doing it. I bet they just keep calling over and over like anyone could do themselves. Waste of money probably.
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Ava Rodriguez
•It works by using an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. Once they reach an agent, you get a call connecting you directly. It's basically doing the frustrating part for you. I was skeptical too, but it's not about "skipping the line" - you're still in the same queue as everyone else. The difference is their system can wait on hold for hours so you don't have to. When I tried calling myself, I couldn't stay on hold for 3+ hours during my workday. With Claimyr, I just went about my day and got a call when an agent was available. Worth every penny during tax season when call volumes are insane.
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Zainab Ahmed
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I tried Claimyr after posting that skeptical comment, and it actually worked. After failing to reach the IRS for nearly a month about my audit letter, I was desperate and figured I'd give it a shot. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 40 minutes (way faster than I expected during filing season). The agent confirmed that my situation wasn't actually a full audit - just a review of specific deductions. She gave me the exact information I needed to send in and even noted on my account that I had called for clarification, which apparently helps show you're being responsive. Just got confirmation last week that my documentation was accepted and my case is closed with no changes to my return. That 40-minute call saved me weeks of stress!
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Connor Gallagher
Quick tip from someone who's been through 2 audits: Start a dedicated email folder for all tax-related expenses the moment you spend the money. Take pics of receipts immediately and email them to yourself with a descriptive subject line. I use categories like "Office Supplies 2025" or "Client Meeting March 2025." Also, for any home office deduction, take date-stamped photos of your workspace. The IRS questioned my home office in 2023, and having photos with metadata showing it was exclusively a workspace saved me. For charitable donations, always get those acknowledgment letters and keep them organized by year.
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AstroAlpha
•Do you think it's better to use tax software or hire an accountant if you're self-employed? I've been using TurboTax but wondering if that makes me more likely to be audited?
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Connor Gallagher
•Tax software is fine for simpler self-employment situations, but once you're making over $50K or have multiple income streams, an accountant often pays for themselves. They catch deductions you might miss and know how to properly categorize expenses to avoid red flags. Using TurboTax doesn't increase audit risk if you're inputting everything correctly. However, a good accountant provides audit protection and will represent you if questions arise. The real audit triggers are unusual deductions, round numbers (like claiming exactly $1,000 for supplies), or reporting business losses for multiple years. Whatever system you use, documentation is your best protection!
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Yara Khoury
The IRS audit process isn't as scary as most people think. I got audited in 2023 and it was basically just paperwork. My advice: don't claim expenses you can't document and be super precise with everything you report.
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Keisha Taylor
•What's the maximum home office percentage that's considered "safe" from triggering an audit? I've been using 18% but thinking of going higher since I'm actually using more space now.
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