Win Your IRS Audit

Orients you to how the IRS is organized, where audits fit in the broader tax system, who you’ll actually deal with inside the agency, and the vocabulary you need to follow the rest of the book.

Walks through all ten rights in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights — from the right to be informed to the right to a fair and just tax system — the statutory backbone behind each one, and where those rights run up against practical limits.

How to confirm the notice is real, read it carefully, identify which type it is (math error, CP2000, audit, statutory notice), handle the last-known-address rule, and pull your IRS transcripts before you respond.

Correspondence, office, and field audits side by side — plus automated underreporter, LB&I, TE/GE, BBA partnership audits, Joint Committee refund reviews, and criminal investigations — and how the type drives your strategy.

Why your return got picked: the DIF score, information-return mismatches, related-return pickups, compliance campaigns, third-party referrals, preparer fraud and the extended statute, plus repetitive-audit protections and reconsideration cases.

Tax attorneys vs. CPAs vs. enrolled agents vs. return preparers — who can represent you, when to hire help, how to find the right person, what representation actually costs, and the special problems that arise when criminal exposure or privilege is on the table.

Income and expense documentation requirements for ordinary business expenses, travel/meals/entertainment, charitable contributions, listed property, and R&D credits — how long to keep records, what to do when records are lost, using AI to reconstruct them, and strategic substantiation.

The opening conference, Information Document Requests, bank-deposit and indirect methods, communication discipline, third-party contacts and summonses, the statute-of-limitations extension question, and what to do when the audit changes direction or the IRS makes a mistake.

Agreed close vs. 30-day letter vs. statutory notice of deficiency, closing agreements, negotiating penalties (reasonable cause, substantial authority, first-time abatement), Fast Track Settlement, the Taxpayer Advocate Service, and audit reconsideration.

What the IRS Office of Appeals actually is, how to draft the written protest, what happens at an Appeals conference, how Loper Bright changed the hazards-of-litigation calculus, settlement vehicles, refund claims and the variance doctrine, and what Appeals cannot do.

The three forums (Tax Court, District Court, Court of Federal Claims) compared side by side, how a case begins, discovery and pretrial practice, burden of proof, qualified offers, AI restrictions in discovery, challenging IRS regulations post-Loper Bright, and how to choose the right forum.

After assessment: installment agreements, offers in compromise, Currently Not Collectible status, innocent spouse relief, bankruptcy, Collection Due Process, liens and levies, Trust Fund Recovery Penalties, transferee liability, and passport certification.

Employment tax audits and worker classification, civil and criminal fraud, FBAR and foreign-account reporting, BBA partnership audits, R&D credit audits, conservation easements, ERC examinations, hobby-loss audits, real-estate-professional audits, cash-intensive businesses, and cannabis/280E audits.

Detailed descriptions of the notices you’re most likely to see — Letter 2205, Letter 3572 (IDR), Letter 3219 (90-day letter), CP2000, Letter 525, CP14, CP501–504, LT11/Letter 1058, CP90/Letter 3172 — plus IRS online tools, Low Income Taxpayer Clinics, the Taxpayer Advocate Service, and a full glossary.

Yes. The book covers all three IRS audit types — correspondence audits (the IRS mails you a letter), office audits (you go to an IRS office), and field audits (an agent visits your home or business) — plus the most commonly examined issues for both individuals and small businesses. Whether you’re facing a question about a single deduction or a full income reconstruction, the playbook applies.

Absolutely. IRS audits are governed by federal law and IRS procedure, which are the same in every state. The author is licensed in Texas, but every technique, form, and strategy in the book applies anywhere in the United States.

Yes. This is the Second Edition, updated to reflect post‑Loper Bright challenges to IRS regulations, BBA partnership audits, ERC examinations, conservation‑easement audits, and recent changes to Collection Due Process and passport certification. The core audit procedures and taxpayer rights have been stable for decades; the book covers those fundamentals and the current hot‑button areas the IRS is actively examining.

Both. The book is written for any taxpayer facing an IRS audit — W-2 employees, self-employed contractors, Schedule C sole proprietors, and small-business owners. The deduction-substantiation chapters in particular have heavy coverage of small-business and self-employment issues.

Currently the book ships as a paperback only. A digital edition may be added in the future — if you’d like to be notified when it’s available, mention it in the order notes.

Orders ship within 2 business days of purchase and typically arrive within 3–7 business days in the continental U.S. via standard mail. Tracking information is emailed once your order ships.

Every order is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If the book doesn’t help you, return it within 30 days for a full refund — no questions asked.