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Whatever "raw numbers" are cited from the IRS in terms of overall queries or audits (and we professionals all know those have been going down for some years due in part to lack of staff) do not matter at all. The audit percentage could be 0.00001% for all I care. For those returns that ARE audited, business mileage is FREQUENTLY the reason/one of the reasons FOR the audit. I stand by my assertion and SCL you are extremely good at trying to poke holes in people's arguments -- and in the end, missing the point. Don't you have better things to do with your time? I do; there will be no more responses from me on this topic because SCL is determined to dig his heels in harder and harder. This is not worth any additional effort on my part.

DITTO

I was simply pointing out that your information, as posted, was desperately wrong.

of 1% or less of items challenged by the irs, driving expenses are not very high on the list. perhaps your mother should have told you "if you can't say anything that is correct, then don't say anything at all." Please cite the source of the information you are using to say>>> "...you are desperately wrong..."<<< Your information lacks far more credibility.

You're welcome. I didn't see the actual article until I searched for it from here. The source was easy to find by highlighting the first sentence, right clicking, and choosing the option to search for that sentence or phrase.

Thanks so much for all this information. I will be following other sources to confirm so that I might provide specific references but this seems the right track. Thanks again to all!

To be clear, these weren't cbslee's assertions. His post was a direct cut and paste of an Aug 21st article by Ken Berry, CPA that was published in the CPA Practice Advisor entitled "5 Ways to Get Tax Deductions for Local Transportation Uses". I've added the title and given the author proper credit in the OP above.

MAS is right. If the foreigner was here for 183 days in 2013, apply for an ITIN and include all income for both of them. Paper file, send form W-7 with his passport and send the whole enchilada to Texas. If the foreigner was not here in 2013 for 183 days, then do the same thing as above and include a letter stating that the non-resident person wants to be treated as a resident for tax purposes. You don't know if you will get a green card until you have it in your hands. In the meantime, they want to file their taxes and that's the only route right now.

Absolutely INCORRECT. Of all the items the IRS looks at carefully, business deductions involving the frequently-misunderstood rules on what are - and are NOT - deductible expenses are VERY high on that list. This is completely and utterly separate from the overall percentage of returns selected (randomly or by flag) for further examination or audit. cbslee was correct in stating that these deductions are a FREQUENT source of IRS challenge. He is referring to items challenged and NOT to overall challenges. Might I recommend that you spend a bit of our seasonal "down" time after October 15 at this excellent site? http://lessons.englishgrammar101.com/ I have used it myself to review portions that were not correctly taught in my school. It starts very simply but increases in complexity quickly.

One my clients received one of these calls today. Scam Phone Calls Continue; IRS Identifies Five Easy Ways to Spot Suspicious Calls Español IR-2014-84, Aug. 28, 2014 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service issued a consumer alert today providing taxpayers with additional tips to protect themselves from telephone scam artists calling and pretending to be with the IRS. These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request. “These telephone scams are being seen in every part of the country, and we urge people not to be deceived by these threatening phone calls,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are not how we do business.” The IRS reminds people that they can know pretty easily when a supposed IRS caller is a fake. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never: Call you about taxes you owe without first mailing you an official notice. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do: If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue. If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1.800.366.4484 or at www.tigta.gov. If you’ve been targeted by this scam, also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint. Remember, too, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box. Additional information about tax scams are available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube and Tumblr where people can search “scam” to find all the scam-related posts. Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 29-Aug-2014 The IRS says that they have now received 90,000 complaints about this scam.