It’s a fact of life that no one looks forward to being audited.  Undergoing an audit can be a scary proposition.  But just because your company is being audited, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take control of the situation and play a part in determining how the audit will progress.  One of the first steps in a sales tax audit is the opening conference with the auditor.  This is one of your first and best opportunities to take control of the audit and set the tone for how it will progress.  Here we’ll outline seven ways that you can set the ground rules for a sales tax audit during this opening conference.

1. Use a sign-in and sign-out sheet.  You’ll want to monitor the activities of the auditor.  Using a sign-in and sign-out sheet helps you to track the comings and goings of the auditor and ensure that they have left the premises.  And it is likely your company wants to know who is on the premises so use this as the explanation why it is required.

2. Only have one contact person.  Pick one person in your company through which all communications will take place with the auditor.  This ensures that potentially sensitive information won’t be leaked accidentally to the auditor by other employees.

3. Request the specific information needed to track a transaction. If the auditor is examining a transaction, ask the auditor for what specific records are needed for the questionable transaction.  This way you are providing the Read More