Using Audit Risk Meter

The Audit Risk Meter is designed to provide a visual indication of possible audit risk based on an analysis of some common situations in your tax return that may trigger an audit and, then, where possible, provides simple guidance to correct commonly audited errors.

The IRS audits approximately 1% of all tax returns every year. Although they do not publish a list of all situations that can trigger an audit (these situations appear to change from time to time), our research has identified some of the more typical "audit triggers."

These audit triggers can include areas where taxpayers commonly make mistakes, or other areas of IRS concern. If the IRS identifies an audit trigger that falls outside of the common situations that we've identified, it will not be highlighted as part of the Audit Risk Meter analysis. Additionally, the IRS selects a small percentage of returns at random for review every year.

As a result, there can be no guarantees that a particular return will not be selected for audit.

This feature is available in TurboTax Deluxe, TurboTax Premier and TurboTax Home & Business.

To run the Audit Risk Meter, select the Wrap-Up tab, select Audit Risk Meter, then follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: If we find an audit risk, it does not mean your income tax return will be selected for an audit.