The Common Tax Filing Mistake That's Likely To Get You Audited

With every new tax season, you might find yourself wondering if it is cheaper to do your taxes with an online service or to hire a professional? One particular consideration that you might want to take into account when deciding is which option is more likely to get you audited. The National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) notes that the IRS collects close to $5 trillion in taxes every year, which is only made possible thanks to the $104 billion in out-of-pocket expenses that taxpayers spend every year — not to mention the roughly 6.5 billion hours spent on tax preparation. In 2023 the NTUF calculated this unpaid labor as equivalent to around $364 billion worth of free work, when adjusted for inflation. Imagine spending this kind of — both time and money — on your taxes only to have one mistake, like a mathematical error, make it all irrelevant.

In fact, bad math calculations are one of the most common mistakes that people make while doing their taxes. According to the National Taxpayer Advocate, the IRS sent out 9.4 million math error notices, which can range anywhere from poor basic arithmetic like addition and subtraction errors, to bigger issues. While there is certainly a lot to know about tax refunds in 2025, the truth is, there won't be any refund coming your way if you make a math mess of your taxes.

Tax season can be a stressful experience, and one you might hope to avoid. In fact, many of the worst financial crimes committed by celebrities are tax related, proving that no one is immune to the dread of tax season. However, while there are a lot of different ways that people might get themselves audited, or worse, imprisoned, bad math might be the most embarrassing one. With that said, as stressful as tax season might be, trust us when we say you really don't want to know what it's like to be audited by the IRS. It's time consuming, stressful, and ultimately, avoidable.

An audit can be conducted either by mail — the IRS will request that you send more information like your income and deductions — or in-person with an IRS agent. Typically, you'll have up to 30 days to respond to an audit request, either by sending in the requested documents or by sitting down with an agent. After that, the IRS will take whatever length of time they deem necessary to resolve your tax issue, and if the tax filing in question involved a return, the IRS will go back as far as three years, or sometimes up to six years for particularly large errors.

One way to avoid landing in audit territory is to use online tax software like Intuit Turbotax, H&R Block, or Tax Slayer. Most of these software options offer filing fee tiers under $40. If you find yourself debating between, say, TurboTax and H&R Block for your taxes, it can be helpful to know just how complicated your tax filing might be before choosing. Also, if you do decide to move forward with software, it's important to remember to double check your work. Even with online software, inputting the wrong numbers will ultimately give you bad data that could negatively affect your tax filing. Plus, your mistakes might come back to bite you later even if they aren't caught this year.

Another option is finding an accountant or tax preparer to do the work on your behalf. The IRS offers useful guidance on what to look for in a reputable tax preparer, although you may wonder if hiring a professional to do your taxes is really worth the additional cost. Ultimately your decision comes down to your personal preference. Some might value the lesser time commitment and reduced chance of errors associated with a tax professional. Meanwhile others might feel confident in their tax knowledge and/or know that they don't have a particularly complicated filing — making an affordable at-home software the best option for their budget.