IRS requesting additional documents for 2025 tax filing - What should I do?

This is what's called a "correspondence audit" - it's not a full-blown in-person audit, but the IRS is questioning specific parts of your return. It's actually pretty common, especially for self-employment deductions and itemized deductions above certain thresholds. Don't panic! You should respond with documentation that supports the specific expenses they're questioning. You don't need to send everything, just what relates to the items mentioned in the letter. For business expenses, gather invoices, receipts, bank statements, credit card statements, and any contracts or agreements that show these were legitimate business expenses. For medical expenses, collect medical bills, insurance statements showing what wasn't covered, and payment receipts. If you're missing some receipts, don't worry too much. Bank or credit card statements showing payments to relevant vendors can sometimes work as substitute documentation. You can also include a brief explanation for any missing documentation.

I went through something similar last year with business expense documentation requests. After spending HOURS trying to organize everything myself, I ended up using https://taxr.ai and it literally saved me. Their system helped me analyze which documents I needed to respond to the IRS and even generated a response letter explaining my deductions with proper documentation. The coolest part was that I uploaded my messy receipts and bank statements, and their system automatically categorized everything and flagged which expenses matched what the IRS was questioning. It made responding to the IRS request so much more straightforward than trying to figure it out myself.

Just wanted to update after trying out taxr.ai from the suggestion above. It was actually super helpful! I was worried about my messy record keeping but it analyzed my bank statements and helped me identify which transactions matched the business expenses the IRS was questioning. The system even flagged some deductions that might raise red flags and suggested additional documentation I should include for those specific items. The response letter it generated looked professional but not like I hired an expensive accountant (which might trigger more scrutiny). Just submitted everything to the IRS last week, but I feel way more confident about my response than I would have trying to figure this out myself. Will update once I hear back from them!

When I got an IRS documentation request last year, the worst part wasn't even gathering the documents - it was trying to call the IRS with questions about exactly what they needed. Spent literally days trying to get through on their phone lines. Finally found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they basically hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an actual agent is on the line. Saved me hours of "your call is important to us" hell. Getting clarification directly from the IRS agent about exactly what documentation they needed made a huge difference in resolving my case quickly.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I tried that Claimyr service after posting my skeptical comment. Got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 90 minutes (while I was doing other things), which is INSANE considering I tried calling them myself for 2 days straight before that. The agent actually clarified exactly what documentation I needed for my case - turns out I was overthinking it and they only needed support for 3 specific deductions, not my entire return like I feared. Saved me tons of time preparing my response and probably saved me money too since I was only focusing on what they actually needed. Sometimes my skepticism gets in the way of finding good solutions. Just wanted to share my experience in case anyone else is in the same boat with IRS document requests.

One important thing no one mentioned - MAKE COPIES of everything you send to the IRS! Don't send originals. And use certified mail with return receipt so you have proof they received your documents by the deadline. I learned this the hard way when they claimed they never received my documentation package last year, but thankfully I had the tracking info and receipt to prove it was delivered.

Husband and I went through this in 2023. Pro tip: if they're asking for business expense docs, separate everything by category (office supplies, travel, equipment, etc) and include a spreadsheet that totals each category to match what you reported. Makes it super clear where each number on your return came from. Also don't miss the deadline! They can be strict about those 30 days. If you need more time, call and ask for an extension BEFORE the deadline passes. Most agents will give you 2-4 more weeks if you ask politely.