What are my rights if I’m audited by the IRS?
• You can have an Enrolled Agent, CPA or another person who is “admitted to practice before the IRS” represent you. • You also can tape record the meeting, but you have to notify the IRS 10 days in advance of the IRS tax audit. • You have appeal rights in IRS tax collections, such as tax liens, tax levies and property seizures. • You can seek hardship relief from the IRS if a property seizure would create a significant hardship. • The IRS can waive tax penalties if you show you acted in good faith on the incorrect advice of an IRS worker. • You can give your Enrolled Agent (EA), CPA or attorney, a power of attorney for the IRS tax audit; therefore, you can be absent during the actual IRS tax audit, provided you don’t receive a summons from the IRS. This can give your representative more time to respond to tax questions from the IRS agent because they may have to confer with you on some issues, delaying the progress of the IRS tax audit. This may also be a strategic advantage for you.
