Today's Articles 4. Your total income Your reported income plays a fairly big role in determining your audit risk. Filing separately Couples who file their taxes separately are at a higher risk. Not that it's unusual, but combine this with large itemized deductions and maybe even a couple of duplicated deductions, and you're looking at a red flag. If so, then you are part of a segment of the population who, according to the IRS, have a greater propensity to underreport their income.
Some people like to transfer money from an interest bearing account to a checking account.
That can look like twice the income than it actually is. Be wary of unusually large or unexplained deposits. Make sure that you have documentation to prove that the funds are good, clean and of non-criminal origin. Wrong social security numbers Make sure that your identifying information is correct and consistent on all your forms. If you look like you don't want to be identified, the IRS will be extra nosy about your particular cover-up.