The New Era of IRS Audits – What Tax Pros Must Know for 2025 (IRA & OBB Updates)

Congress has supercharged IRS enforcement with massive new funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—and the IRS is in the middle of a major Organizational & Business Buildout (OBB) to modernize its audit systems, technology, analytics, and staffing. The result? Smarter, faster, and more targeted audits, especially for high-income individuals, large partnerships, and corporations. This high-impact webinar gives tax practitioners the latest intelligence on how IRS audits are changing and what you must do to protect your clients in the new enforcement environment. You’ll learn how audits are now selected, how the IRS uses data and AI to identify non-compliance, and how to successfully manage client representation—from simple mail audits to complex field examinations.

What We’ll Cover

• Latest IRS audit trends and enforcement priorities (with 2025 IRA & OBB update)
•  Types of IRS audits and what to expect in each
•  Mail audits and CP2000 notices: response strategies that work
•  The four phases of an IRS office/field examination
•  The 1 issue that surfaces in nearly every face-to-face audit
•  How to prepare your client and yourself for a field audit
•  Best practices for audit representation to achieve the best outcome
•  How IRA funding is transforming IRS enforcement
•  2024 IRS test program for IRS-prepared tax returns – what it means for you
•  IRS data analytics modernization: more precise audit selection and collections
•  Increased audits of large partnerships and corporations
•  High-income and high-net-worth taxpayer audit initiatives
•  Information Document Requests (IDRs): strategy, response, and risk
•  What happens when a client agrees or disputes audit findings
•  The IRS “Dirty Dozen”: your roadmap to likely audit triggers

Learning Objectives

• Understand how current and upcoming IRS audit trends impact your firm and your clients
•  Identify and distinguish between different types of IRS audits and their scope
•  Apply best practices and technology tools when responding to mail audits and CP2000 notices
•  Navigate and prepare for each phase of a face-to-face audit to achieve the best client outcome
•  Clearly explain to clients how IRS audits are evolving under IRA funding and the OBB modernization initiative
•  Advise clients proactively based on expected changes in IRS audit strategy