Practice Management

How Your Tax Peers are Using Audit Assistance

Written by Bianca Lee
Modified May 18, 2021
2 min read

You’ve told us that many clients are intimidated by the IRS and get upset when they get a notice that they are being audited. In fact, it’s not uncommon for clients to bring a stack of unopened letters to the preparer’s office while they are being audited – and too often, the response dates have come and gone, turning a minor issue into a major problem.

There is a solution for these clients. Tax year 2015 was the first year Intuit® and Tax Protection Plus (TPP) joined forces to offer Audit Assistance & ID Theft Restoration. This offering is a comprehensive service that provides tax clients support if they are audited. Some of the key features include reimbursement in the event of a preparer error, assistance with identity theft cases that are not just related to tax, and third-party service handling all communications and calls with the IRS, just to name a few.

We know, today, that having a client who is being audited has nothing to do with your ability to accurately file a tax return; many of the audits clients receive today are a result of IRS automated audits. There are certain triggers that simply warrant the IRS to flag a client’s return, such as when information is received from a third party that does not match what the taxpayer submitted, or if information was recorded in a questionable manner or received from other sources.

At just $44.95 per return, there is peace of mind, if your client is audited, that comes with knowing a TPP representative will guide you through the entire process and handle all IRS communications. In today’s day and age, where clients are concerned about the amount of their refunds or how fast their refunds will arrive, not having to worry about what to do if a client is audited is peace of mind that is welcomed by tax pros. Many pros also view Audit Assistance & ID Theft Restoration as a way to free up their limited time during tax season to doing what they love, versus being bogged down by unending phone calls with the IRS.

The best part is that ID theft restoration is also included; not only will this same service provide assistance if your clients find themselves a victim of ID theft, but the incident also does not have to be confined to just those related to tax.

For more information on Audit Assistance & ID Theft Restoration, click here.

Bianca is a marketing manager for Intuit® ProConnect™. She is responsible for developing strategic marketing campaigns, while partnering closely with internal and external customers to execute multi-channel marketing programs. More from Bianca Lee

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