The top mistakes IRS auditors find, and how to avoid them. One 60-minute live Zoom class on why accurate returns still fail due diligence exams, and how to build files that stand on their own.
The real value is in the room. But we know you run a practice, and clients don't schedule their emergencies around your calendar.
The final minutes only pay off if you're actually in the room. Live attendees unlock things no one else gets.
A client emergency shouldn't cost you the training. The full recording will be available afterward so you never lose the material.
Modern tax software made due diligence feel effortless. Click, default, e-file. But an examiner isn't grading your math. They're grading your judgment. And when a due diligence letter like 6222, 6199, or 6584 lands, the questions aren't about the refund. They're about whether your file can prove what you decided, and why.
Your software auto-fills the same canned due diligence answers on every return. An examiner sees identical language across unrelated clients and reads one thing: you never actually asked.
These due diligence letters aren't questioning whether the client qualified. They're auditing whether you documented how you knew. Vague notes and a checkbox-only Form 8867 are exactly what they flag.
A one-word file note, or a recycled checklist, proves you had a form. It does not prove you conducted a real inquiry into EITC, CTC, or Head of Household. Examiners know the difference on sight.
A mathematically correct return where the client truly qualified can still fail, because a due diligence exam evaluates your process, not just your numbers. That gap is where preparers get penalized.
Taught by someone who sat on the other side of the table. Not theory, but a repeatable way to see risk before the IRS does.
Understand what auditors are really evaluating, which is your decision-making and not just your return, so you can spot a weak file long before an examiner ever pulls it.
A four-test framework (Ask, Look, Log, Yield) that every file should pass, so it can stand on its own even when you're not in the room to explain it.
Make your interview, your written record, and your supporting documents all tell the same story. This is the standard that turns "the client qualified" into a file you can defend.
Replace the dangerous two-word note with documentation that explains why you believed the taxpayer qualified. That protects your PTIN, your license, and your reputation.
A high-velocity, no-fluff hour that mirrors how an examiner actually reviews a file. Here's how it unfolds.
A due diligence exam doesn't just review a return. It evaluates your professional judgment. Why accuracy alone is never enough, and what the IRS is really asking.
How IRS systems flag files, why selection doesn't mean fraud, and the four costly myths ("I had the documents," "Form 8867 protects me") that sink preparers.
The five areas that draw heightened scrutiny (EITC, CTC, ACTC, AOTC, and Head of Household) and the four-test lens every file must pass: Ask, Look, Log, Yield.
Live file breakdowns: "The client qualified… but could you prove it?", good questions vs. great questions, and why "Verified." is the note that gets you penalized.
Make the interview, the written record, and the documents tell one consistent story, and know what to do the moment they don't. Walk away with the corroboration checklist.
The three questions that drive every examination, live Q&A, doors open for the next free Audit Insider class, and the live-only resource drop.
In the final minutes, live attendees get first look, and a live-only discount, on The Audit Ally Professional Resource Collection, built to make examination-ready files automatic:
When our firm got hit with a due diligence exam on a batch of EITC returns, I fully expected penalties. Because we'd rebuilt our files around this exact corroboration standard, with real interview notes, consistent records, and no "verified" shortcuts, the examiner closed it with no adjustment. This one hour paid for itself many times over.
Reserve your spot for Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM CST. It's 60 minutes with a former IRS Revenue Agent that could save your practice a season's worth of penalties.
Class begins soon. Reserve your seat before doors close.
