I'm being audited

[Liesje]

I'm so confused. The Michigan Dept of Treasury sent me all this additional stuff to fill out and wants copies of all these financial records. Most of the stuff doesn't even apply to me. You'd think with the Patriot Act, etc, they could just get these records on their own! Only kidding Taxes suck. Some of the wording here is so ambiguous, I have no clue how to answer. Like one line says "Did you share your dwelling with others who helped pay rent, etc...?" Well, yes, I rent with three others, but is the question implying that I OWN this house? There's a table you can fill out and one of the columns says "No. of months lived in your home." So what is it, a home or a dwelling?

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Arrgh.

I have no advice to offer, but good luck, Lies!

 

[U2Man]

Forms

 

[nbcrusader]

Tax collection

Let me know if I can help in any way. This just may stem from some other reporting error (by someone else).

 

[Liesje]

I don't know what brought it on and the forms themselves are not making it easy. The letter says I need to turn in the form and also submit copies of my lease agreement, my W-2, and records of any "gifts" over $300. The latter doesn't exist b/c it doesn't happen and I've got my lease and W-2. However, the form I have to fill out has line items for things like scholarships, grants, etc and on those lines in bold it says "(submit statments)" so I'm confused as to whether I need all that as well or just the three things stated explicitly in the letter.

 

[Carek1230]

I have been thru a tax audit. They suck, lemme tell you. Don't let 'em see you sweat and don't let 'em make you nervous. They try to intimidate you-they did to us anyway and once we went through all the figures, receipts etc. they told us how much we owed. We on advice from my father who had done the same thing years before, asked if we could counter office a cash settlement to call it even, cash on the spot and they agreed! It was insane. Really re inforces my faith in the IRS, lemme tell ya (NOT!)

Anyway good luck!

 

[lady luck]

 

[Liesje]

It's just weird b/c I'm a college student and I make only just over $10,000 a year. I have nothing they want. If anything, we'll look at all my loans and interest again and probably come out with MORE deductions.

 

[Carek1230]

Maybe you were just one of those "random" flaggings the IRS does. I'm sure you will sail through and have nothing to worry about. Still a tax audit is on the list of some of the top stressful situations in life.

 

[Liesje]

Now my housemate has me worried because she's not convinced the forms I got are real. She made me show them to her because there's one part that requires the SSNs of all the people I live with. The pages are not printed on letterhead and don't specifically address me, except for my current address listed at the top. The 1-800 number does match the number on the Michigan treasury webpage though.

 

[carrieluvv]

i have been audited before...

do yourself a favor and hire a CPA NOW

esp. if you think the forms are bogus.

 

[cleazer]

Now my housemate has me worried because she's not convinced the forms I got are real. She made me show them to her because there's one part that requires the SSNs of all the people I live with. The pages are not printed on letterhead and don't specifically address me, except for my current address listed at the top. The 1-800 number does match the number on the Michigan treasury webpage though.

If you take those forms down to any old H&R Block office, they can probably tell you if this is legit or not.

 

[Liesje]

i have been audited before...

do yourself a favor and hire a CPA NOW

esp. if you think the forms are bogus.

But what's the point of a CPA for a return worth less than $400? I already have my $382 from the Federal gov't. Hopefully it's a random thing. I'll have my dad call to make sure the form is legit b/c we already are confused about one of the lines.

 

[carrieluvv]

well.....if your dad knows something about that sort of thing talk to him.
if not maybe consider consulting with one (CPA)
I think its really strange that ya have to list your roomates SS#'s

 

[Techie2000]

The best way to tell if they are real, is probably to figure out where exactly they are being mailed to. Check the address, and confirm it with the department of treasury.

 

[Carek1230]

It's a good thing you are questioning this now and lookoing at things like 800 numbers and whatnot. There are so many scams out there these days and Identity Theft is becoming huge. ANYONE who was to question me about my SS# I would question. Good for you for catching that. Hope it is bogus, not for you tho, and turn the bastards in. This is not a funny joke!

 

[Got Philk?]

yikes! I didn't know this! Have you talked to your dad yet? He would know what to do probably since he does taxes for lots of people. That sucks. I'm sorry.

 

[Liesje]

The best way to tell if they are real, is probably to figure out where exactly they are being mailed to. Check the address, and confirm it with the department of treasury.

I think it is real because the phone numbers match. The PO box doesn't, but that doesn't mean anything since the return address is "Discovery and Tax Enforcement" and that PO Box is not listed on their website (probably because the only time you'd mail something to that address is if they contacted you first).

Anyway, it's been a pain, but I've got my W-2s, lease agreement, scholarship and grant statements, and statements for all of my student loans (around 20 of them). My dad will have to figure out the rest since he's the one that filed the taxes.

 

[Liesje]

OK, so after compiling all those statements I just realized I'm FAR more in student loan debt than I'd been thinking. Over $32,000 borrowed from the government alone, plus 6 additional loans from other companies. On a positive note, someone somewhere has already paid $12,000 worth of my government loans, or they were forgiven for some reason. I hope it wasn't my parents, I know it sounds funny, but I hate when they do that kind of stuff without telling me. Makes me feel VERY guilty and dependent. I only like to depend on my parents for getting my taxes done!

ETA: Crap, there's a line about dividends, and I get something from Coca-cola, I have two shares so I get about $0.40 quarterly (yeah, can't even buy a bottle of Coke with that!). I suppose I have to dig up that info now...

 

[Ultraviolet Light]

http://www.michigan.gov/treasury/0,1607,7-121-1755_3431---,00.html

Michigan Department of Treasury
Discovery and Tax Enforcement Division
P.O. Box 30140
Lansing, Michigan 48909-7640

"Our phone number is: (517) 636-4120."

"All of our letters have a name and a phone number on them. Our letters also have a unique identifier in the upper right hand corner."


You better not be putting my social security number on any of those forms.