Most taxpayers think about audits only after an envelope from the IRS shows up. By then, the outcome is already largely decided — not by what you say to the examiner, but by what records you kept two or three years ago. An audit is not an accusation. It is a request to prove what you reported. Taxpayers who lose audits usually did not cheat; they simply cannot substantiate a deduction they were entitled to, or they cannot explain a bank deposit that was never income in the fi

Many taxpayers are surprised to learn this: if you never filed a tax return, the IRS can legally go back forever. There is no statute of limitations on unfiled returns. The clock only starts once a return is filed. So why does the IRS talk about a 6-year rule? Because while the IRS can demand every unfiled year, they generally don’t. The 6-year rule is an IRS administrative policy, not a legal limit—but it matters when you’re trying to get back into compliance. No Statute of