Income tax audit

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In the United States, an income tax audit is the examination of a business or individual tax return by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or state tax authority. The IRS and various state revenue departments use the terms audit, examination, review, and notice to describe various aspects of enforcement and administration of the tax laws.^[1]

The IRS enforces the U.S. Federal tax law primarily through the examination of tax returns that have the highest potential for noncompliance. According to the IRS, "[t]his identification is determined using risk-based scoring mechanisms, data driven algorithms, third party information, whistleblowers and information provided by the taxpayer. The objective of an examination is to determine if income, expenses and credits are being reported accurately."^[2]