Audits can happen to anyone and at any time and can easily stress and petrify any client or tax professional. As a result, it is your responsibility to look after your client and ensure that they face the situation with caution. With your assistance, advice, and support, your clients can deal with audits professionally. Not only this, but with your necessary accounting and tax services, your clients can easily overcome late tax payments, fines, and other issues. To help you out, we have created a guide that will help you know what to do if your client ever goes through an audit.
You can be a representative.
At times, tax rules can be complicated and can vary depending on the situations and clients. Therefore, it becomes necessary to have adequate counsel from a professional and well-experienced tax specialist. If you are a CPA or an enrolled agent, then you can easily be a volunteer and represent your client. This way, you can ease the stress of your client and seek out better solutions for audits.
Related: “How to Minimize Your Chance of an Audit”
Assist your client with their tax record.
Try to assist and work with your client to make sure all the valid records are arranged in the correct order and can easily be submitted to the IRS for a successful audit. You can also advise your clients to keep clear and transparent records throughout the year. This way, you have all the important information readily available if the IRS needs it.
Everything is written in black and white.
Ask your client to demand their auditors capture their contacts on paper or with narrative explanations. Not only that, but you can also encourage your clients to keep records of all their formal and informal contacts with their auditor. This allows you to easily take care of the official requests and document exchanges that may likely appear in the future.
Related: “What is the Audit Process?”
Plan ahead of time.
Instead of rushing at the end, encourage your client to plan ahead of time. Ask them to arrange all the paperwork correctly and provide support for the position they have taken or plan to take. Though time extensions are frequently granted on legitimate requests, it is still better to take the proper time to plan ahead because you might not know what circumstances and challenges you might encounter in the future.
The Bottom Line
If you need professional auditing advice, rely on MARIELA RUIZ, CPA, PLLC. We are here to make the process easy and stress-free for our valued clients. Just let us know your requirements and we will ensure all your audit needs are successfully met. Learn more about our services by visiting our website or by calling us at (956) 997-0067.
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