IRS auditing warning

[Jamy]

We've finally finished our taxes and when it was all over, our account warned us that he'd read a recent study that showed 1 in 80 tax payers in the $50,000 and under income bracket got audited last year. 1 in 80.

WTF?

So like, it isn't enough that we're living frugal and close to the bone, now we have to worry that IRS is going to accuse us of cheating on our damned taxes?

I repeat, WTF?

[Liv]

It's because of all the credits I imagine.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much... I'm sure there's an algorithm to it, and as long as your not too far out of the threshold -like last year you claimed 1 child, this year you claimed 4. Then you should be okay.

Then again, this is America... so likely you're effed.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

Our federal return was pretty bloody simple this year. No itemized deductions, cause we're almost done paying off the house. Can't imagine what they'd find questionable this year...

[Jamy]

Ours was fairly simple too, but our accountant kept asking "You SURE you don't have any more deductions than this?" because his tax software kept sending up alerts. I told him that Kevin bought his work pants from Goodwill (I mean really...he's just going to destroy them anyway....why pay full price for new pants?) and his boss supplied a company truck, shirts, hats, coats etc. and the business was only four miles from our house. It's pretty sad that tax software is set up to view frugality with suspicion.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

After all the expenses that we had with my bouts of pneumonia and the cancer surgery, we STILL didn't have enough deductions to itemize. We needed $9,000 in medical costs to get itemized deductions higher than the standard, but we fell $3k short of that. I guess this year, I'll need to buy a new house, get a 20-year mortgage and have a fricking heart transplant...

[Liv]

Get a steam powered heart, that would be cool!

[Jamy]

Get a steam powered heart, that would be cool!