Picking up the mail each day should not be hazardous to your health. That being said, there are a few letters you can receive which can raise your blood pressure. Getting one from the IRS that does not contain forms is surely the stuff of the end of the world.

Most mail from the IRS is thick. Whether you realize it or not, we are all conditioned to not freak out when such a letter comes. It is forms and we inherently know this. Ah, but what if you get a thin letter. This one is different and different means bad news.

An IRS notice. It sounds fairly bland, but this is the stuff of heart attacks. Why? The innocuous sounding IRS notice is issued for one purpose. It is notifying you the agency thinks there is something dubious about your taxes. You might want to put 911 on speed dial.

Importantly, this one page letter is not always the precursor to doom. In very rare circumstances, it can contain good news. I once received one. After recovering from an anxiety attack, I actually read the letter and learned I was due just under twenty bucks.

Audit. It is a word that can make a grown man or women weep like a small child. Well, most of these letters are notices of audits. Sorry. Ah, but the audit will rarely be the type of horrific experience you have heard of from someone who knew someone.

A vast majority of the time, the notice will be for what is known as a correspondence audit. This means the IRS is contesting something about your taxes, but is willing to give you the opportunity to deal with it by mail. That means no grilling by an agent.

With this type of inspection, the IRS tells you point blank what it is having a problem with in regard to your taxes. The agency will usually suggest a way it can be resolved and any impact on what you owe. There is no person to person interaction.

You can respond to the correspondence audit in a couple of ways. First, read it to see the options offered. Typically, you can accept the proposed changes by doing nothing. If don’t agree with them, you can respond in writing as to why.

If you agree with the proposed changes, the correspondence audit is resolved and you are done with it. If you disagree, you may turn a molehill into a mountain. It may be wise to hire a tax attorney to help you with the coming brawl.

The IRS issues millions of notices to taxpayers each year. A huge percentage are resolved without blowing up into a bigger audit. If yours does, make sure to get professional help. Tax attorneys offer the best prospect of getting the IRS to back off.