Q: What is the the first thing you should do if you find out you're being audited?
A:
In most cases you should hire an experienced tax attorney. That being said if the IRS sends you an audit letter for something relatively simple i.e. they want proof of one or two expenses and you can easily provide documentation, you may be able to handle the audit on your own. It is impossible to give you a complete answer without additional details.
At any point in the audit process you can tell the IRS that you want to hire a tax attorney and they will grant you a short hold. Keep in mind that it is better to hire an attorney before you speak to the IRS or you may end up making the situation worse. Most of us offer a free consultation and I always tell people if I think it is something they can handle on their own.
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