I was talking specifics with my mutual fund broker, and some of my numbers raised an eyebrow.

He calculated a few numbers, and said something to the effect this would not trigger an audit.

What are some of the common audit triggers, other than the generic  “discriminate index function” that tax sites talk about without giving concrete examples?

I am a middle wage earner in a non-tipping industry with a mortgage and (1) mrs.  

You realize that in addition to the ATF, FBI and NSA, the IRS also monitors this forum.

I think significant "home business" deductions are a red flag that can contribute to the likelihood of an audit.


There's a guy in my field who I know peripherally (was the significant other of a good friend of mine), who would get audited EVERY year because he had lots of different creative deductions, and paid pretty much no income tax.  He never got fined or penalized in any way, but he would get audited every year.

Just W-2s, 1099s, and mortgages here...nothing to hide...it's all on record...