What are the chances of a fulltime college student who works part-time getting audited from the IRS?

Question

lets say they make around $400 a week

Answer 1

Not a chance in h**l that would happen but they do pull well the computers pull people out for an audit but just on paper not everything you own.

Answer 2

Depends upon what you show on your tax return.

Statistically the odds are less than 1% in any given year, however what you claim on your tax return can skew that either way, sometimes dramatically.  The chances of an audit are based upon a complex statistical analysis of your tax return comparing it to what is claimed by other taxpayers with similar incomes and jobs.  As your numbers deviate from the norms, the odds of an audit increase since there is a greater chance of the IRS successfully assessing and collecting more tax.

A wage earner showing only W-2 wages and using the Standard Deduction would probably stand a less than 1 in 10,000 chance of an audit since there's little likelihood of the IRS finding anything to collect.

IF you are self-employed, your odds probably climb to around 5% to 10%.

If you are claiming a home office deduction, your odds are probably better than 25%.

If you are claiming a gambling loss deduction, the odds are probably close to 100%.

Answer 3

An actual audit?  Very low, although not impossible.  And if something about your return looks very off, then it could well be questioned and/or disallowed.