While there is no way to guarantee your tax return won't be subject to review by the ATO come tax time, H&R Block Accountants have provided several tips to help you avoid being audited: Always lodge your tax returns on time.
The reason for this is to do with what has been included or excluded in your tax return; for example, attempting to reduce taxes by not correctly including income or incorrectly overclaiming deductions can trigger an ATO Audit.
a business activity statement (BAS) is generally four years from the day after the notice of assessment is given. a fringe benefits tax return is generally three years from your date of lodgment.
If your business income is lower than the benchmark range for your industry, you will have more chance of being targeted for an ATO audit. However, if it is lower and you have valid reasons why, then there should be nothing for you to worry about. You might need to focus on improving your business performance instead.
The ATO can, and will, check your bank accounts, cross reference payments against an ABN and confirm missing income from your tax return.
The IRS audits less than 1% of all tax returns. However, this doesn't tell the whole story. There are several factors that can make your chances of an audit more or less likely, such as your income and whether or not you claim certain "red flag" deductions.
The ATO has strong legal powers to access your personal bank information. Those powers allow the ATO to get your Australian bank statements directly from your bank. Therefore, any cash that you have deposited in your bank account may be subject to review and audit the ATO.
Audit Rate
(Source: IRS Data Book, 2020.) Overall, the chance of being audited was 0.6%. This means only one out of every 166 returns was audited—the lowest audit rate since 2002.
What happens if you get audited and owe money? If you get audited by the IRS and owe money, you'll be notified of the additional tax that you're required to pay as well as any penalties and interest due. The correspondence that you receive from the IRS will mention a deadline by which you must pay.
In recent years, the IRS has been auditing significantly less than 1% of all individual tax returns. Plus, most audits are handled solely by mail, meaning taxpayers selected for an audit typically never actually meet with an IRS agent in person. Also, increased audits won't happen overnight.
There are certain anomalies in a tax return that can 'trigger' a tax audit, but each year the ATO chooses a number of specific areas of focus, and will often conduct random audits on tax returns these show up in.
The ATO can search your property without a warrant
The Tax Office has the power to forcibly enter a property and search for documents without a warrant.
For most taxpayers with simple affairs, the tax office can go back two years, while if your tax affairs are more complex they can go back four years.
Tax fraud is a serious criminal offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. Ignorance of the law is not a defence. Neither is failing to get proper legal advice.
What is the chance of being audited by the IRS? The overall audit rate is extremely low, less than 1% of all tax returns get examined within a year.
Under the Bank Secrecy Act, various types of businesses are required to notify the IRS and other federal agencies whenever anyone engages in large cash transactions that involve more than $10,000. The idea is to thwart illegal activities.
If your tax return is being audited by the IRS, there is a greater likelihood that the IRS finds errors in your return, which can result in hefty IRS audit penalties and interest. In more extreme cases, the penalties can cost you tens of thousands of dollars – or even result in jail time.
IRS audits individuals to verify if they accurately reported their taxes and, if they didn't, to determine if more taxes are owed. Audit trends vary by taxpayer income. In recent years, IRS audited taxpayers with incomes below $25,000 and those with incomes of $500,000 or more at higher-than-average rates.
However, there's always the possibility that you could face an audit, and, if you're found to have misrepresented your income, tax audit penalties can be serious. Consequences range from stiff fines to criminal charges, and you could be buried under a mountain of paperwork.
Not everyone is required to file or pay taxes. Depending on your age, filing status, and dependents, for the 2022 tax year, the gross income threshold for filing taxes is between $12,550 and $28,500. If you have self-employment income, you're required to report your income and file taxes if you make $400 or more.
Audits can be bad and can result in a significant tax bill. But remember – you shouldn't panic. There are different kinds of audits, some minor and some extensive, and they all follow a set of defined rules. If you know what to expect and follow a few best practices, your audit may turn out to be “not so bad.”
We receive data from a range of sources, including banks, financial institutions and other government agencies. We validate this data and match it against our own information to identify where people and businesses may not be reporting all their income.
Under current Federal legislation, all Australian banks are required to report cash transactions of $10,000 or more (or foreign equivalent), including details of the relevant account holders, to the regulator, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).
Garnisheeing tax refunds
If you owe us money, we may ask the Australian Taxation Office to help us get it back. We can ask them to garnishee your tax refund. This means they will withhold or give us some or all of your tax refund or available credit. If we do, we'll send you a letter to let you know.