Is TurboTax Max audit protection worth it for basic itemized deductions? Worth the cost?

The audit protection is generally unnecessary for someone with your straightforward tax situation. The IRS primarily targets returns with unusual deductions, very high incomes, or self-employment income with lots of business expenses. With basic itemized deductions like mortgage interest, medical expenses, and standard charitable contributions, your audit risk is already quite low. These are common deductions that the IRS sees millions of times each year, and they usually have third-party documentation (like 1098 forms from your mortgage company). The protection is essentially insurance against something unlikely to happen for your tax profile. Most people with simple itemized deductions never need the service. If you keep good records of your deductions and can document everything you've claimed, you're already well-protected without paying extra.

I used to worry about audits too until I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) last year when I was dealing with some messy tax documents. It's basically an AI tax assistant that analyzes your documents and identifies potential audit flags before you file. I found it super helpful because it looked through all my deductions and showed me which ones might trigger IRS attention. For standard itemized deductions like yours, it confirmed I was in a very low-risk category. The nice thing is it explains WHY certain deductions might raise flags and helps you understand what documentation you should keep. Way more educational than just paying for "protection" after the fact.

Ok I need to follow up about taxr.ai - I was skeptical in my earlier comment but decided to try it before filing my final return. I'm actually impressed! I uploaded my documents including some itemized deductions I was nervous about (had some large medical expenses last year) and it gave me a complete breakdown of my audit risk factors. Turns out my return was very low risk overall but it flagged one charitable donation that was missing proper documentation. Would have completely missed that on my own. Definitely feel more confident filing now without paying for TurboTax's audit protection. The analysis was way more detailed than I expected.

I've been through two IRS audits in the past and let me tell you, getting someone on the phone at the IRS to resolve issues was an absolute nightmare. Waited on hold for hours and kept getting disconnected. Finally found a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Instead of paying for audit protection, I'd rather have this in my back pocket if I ever need to talk to the IRS. Actually helpful rather than just "insurance" that you probably won't use. For simple itemized deductions, you're honestly at low risk anyway.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After getting a weird letter from the IRS about a math error on my return, I was desperate to talk to someone. Remembering this thread, I tried Claimyr as a last resort. It actually worked exactly as described. Their system held my place in line and called me when an agent was available - took about 45 minutes total but I didn't have to sit there listening to hold music. Spoke to a real IRS person who explained the issue was actually their mistake. Would have taken me days of trying otherwise. For the original question about TurboTax audit protection - probably not worth it for basic itemized deductions, but having a way to actually reach the IRS if needed is way more valuable in my experience.

Former tax preparer here. The audit protection is really just a marketing tool for extra revenue. For typical itemized deductions (mortgage interest, charity, medical), your audit risk is minimal. Better approach: keep good records, take pictures of donation receipts, and save medical bills. That's free and actually more useful if questions come up. The protection doesn't prevent audits - it just gives some help if one happens.

Has anyone noticed that TurboTax keeps raising the price of this audit protection every year??? It was like $30 when I first saw it and now it's way more. Seems so predatory especially when they push it with scary messaging about audits.

I appreciate everyone's insights here! As someone who's been dealing with basic itemized deductions for years, this discussion really confirms what I suspected - the audit protection is probably overkill for my situation. The suggestions about keeping good records and taking photos of receipts are spot on. I've actually started scanning everything into a folder on my computer right after I get receipts, which makes tax time so much easier. One thing that struck me from reading through all the comments is how the real value seems to be in understanding your actual audit risk rather than just buying insurance against it. The tools people mentioned for risk assessment and the service for actually reaching the IRS if needed sound way more practical than paying TurboTax extra money for something I'll probably never use. Think I'm going to skip the audit protection this year and put that money toward better record-keeping instead. Thanks everyone!

Smart move skipping the audit protection! I've been filing with basic itemized deductions for over a decade and have never been audited. The IRS is really looking for bigger fish - people with complex business structures, unusually high deductions relative to income, or missing income. Your mortgage interest, charitable donations, and medical expenses are all backed up by third-party documentation (1098 forms, receipts, medical bills), which is exactly what you'd need to provide if questioned anyway. The "protection" doesn't change your actual tax liability or prevent issues - it just gives you someone to call if problems arise. I'd echo what others said about good record-keeping being your best protection. I keep a simple tax folder throughout the year and toss everything in there as I get it. Takes 5 minutes and costs nothing, versus paying TurboTax's inflated fees for peace of mind you probably don't need.