No need to worry. Most taxpayers have little risk of being audited, as we’ll explain. Nor do you need to worry about IRS agents showing up unannounced on your doorstep asking for money; the agency announced last summer that it was, with a few exceptions, ceasing its longtime practice of sending revenue officers to homes and businesses for surprise visits.

Still, it’s important to avoid mistakes that might trigger a second look from Uncle Sam—or cost you money. Here are three ways to cause yourself pain this year, plus two issues you shouldn’t lose sleep over:

Perhaps you’re one of the holdouts who still mail in paper returns because you’re not comfortable using tax software, or you simply feel it’s safer. It’s time to move online, as have more than 9 out of 10 taxpayers. “Filing electronically is much more secure and accurate, and it’s pretty easy to do using tax software,” says Robert Nassau, professor at Syracuse University College of Law and director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. Mailing in your paper return means slower processing by the IRS and a longer wait for any refund.

Another way to beef up your security is to enroll in the IRS Identity Protection PIN program at irs.gov/ippin. That will prevent someone else from filing a return in your name, even if they have your Social Security or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, since they would also need your PIN to pretend they were you.

The employers and financial institutions that send you your tax forms send that same information to the IRS. If IRS computers find that the numbers on your return don’t match the ones they received separately, that discrepancy could trigger an audit letter.

“It’s crucial to be sure you have all your essential tax paperwork, since it’s easy to miss something,” says Barbara Camaglia, a financial planner and CPA in Beachwood, Ohio. That includes forms such as W-2s from your employer, if you’re still working; your SSA-1099, if you receive Social Security benefits; and other 1099s reporting interest or dividends, freelance work, proceeds from sales, or retirement account distributions.

You should have received these forms by now. The deadline for employers to send W-2s was Jan. 31, and the last of the 1099s were due out Feb. 15. So look through any mail that has piled up. It’s possible you’ve agreed to receive tax forms electronically from your bank or other financial institutions, so log on to those accounts if you seem to be missing documents.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are the least amounts of money you must withdraw from your traditional IRAs or pretax 401(k) account each year, once you reach a certain age. If you were born in 1950 or earlier but you failed to take an RMD during 2023, act fast: Contact your plan custodian and take the RMD for the prior year, file Form 5329 with the IRS and include a letter explaining why you didn’t take the RMD by the Dec. 31 deadline. By fixing your mistake before the IRS catches it, you should avoid a 25 percent penalty tax on the amount you were supposed to withdraw, though you may have to pay a 10 percent penalty instead.

Whatever your age, it’s not too early to strategize your RMDs for 2024 and beyond.

If you’re turning 73 this year, 2024 is the first year for which you’ll have to take RMDs. (One exception: If you’re still employed, you don’t have to take one from your current workplace plan.) You have until April 1, 2025, to take this first RMD. But taking your 2024 and 2025 RMDs in the same calendar year might mean higher taxes or Medicare premiums, so think about taking the first RMD this year.

Are you not turning 73 this year? Consider making withdrawals—also known as distributions—even though you don’t have to. Pulling money out now will cut the size of your RMDs once you must take them. And that might prevent your RMDs from bumping up your tax bracket, raising your Medicare premiums and increasing the taxes on your Social Security benefits, says Kristine McKinley, a financial planner and CPA in Kansas City, Missouri.

If you’re 70½ or older, another tactic for reducing your RMDs—and your tax bill—is to make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) directly from your IRA account to a charity. For those 73 or older, the QCD will count toward your RMD. Though you won’t be able to claim a deduction for the donation, you won’t be taxed on the distribution either.

Getting audited
Although the IRS is stepping up its audit rate, those exams are mainly aimed at taxpayers making $400,000 or more and business partnerships. “The average taxpayer is not a focus of the audits,” says David Kass, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness, a nonprofit advocacy group.

As IRS data shows, for taxpayers earning between $50,000 and $200,000, audit rates in 2022 were just 0.2 percent, or 2 people out of 1,000. By contrast, the rate climbed to 1.3 percent for those earning $1 million to $5 million and 8.7 percent for people with incomes higher than $10 million.

If you should get an audit letter or a notice of a discrepancy regarding your return, it may just be that you’ve forgotten to enter a form in your return—say, a stray 1099. Don’t panic. But don’t ignore the correspondence either, Nassau says. If you fail to respond by the deadline given, the IRS will automatically assume that its numbers, not yours, are the correct ones, or disallow the entries on your return that it has questions about. Simply send answers to any questions you’re asked—audits are usually done by mail—and include copies of relevant documentation (not original documents).

Paying a lot to file
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is just one of the many free and low-cost tax-filing resources available to low- and middle-income taxpayers.

If your adjusted gross income is $73,000 or less, you can file your federal taxes for free via the IRS Free File program, a partnership of the agency and certain tax-prep companies. Go to irs.gov/freefile to find out if you qualify and to get started. Separately, the IRS this year is piloting its home-grown free Direct File program for taxpayers filing simple returns in 12 states; visit directfile.irs.gov to see if you’re eligible. Members of the military and their families can get free software and support through the MilTax program at militaryonesource.mil/miltax. Several tax prep companies also provide free filing for simple returns; programs include Turbo-Tax Free Edition and H&R Block Free Online Tax Filing.

People with disabilities, moderate incomes or limited English can get their returns prepared for free from IRS-certified volunteers through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs. To find locations, go to irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep.