Make sure you're withholding the right amount using a program like TurboTax's paycheck analyzer, or check Circular E from the IRS. You can download a copy from the agency's website.

If the IRS is coming . . .

If you are facing an audit, don't panic. An audit is merely a process in which the IRS asks you to substantiate the numbers on your tax return.

Here are three survival strategies:

Call your tax professional. Or get one. If the audit is simple -- to prove your charitable and interest deductions, for example -- you can do it yourself by mailing the IRS copies of your substantiation. For all in-person audits, I strongly suggest professional representation.

Plan your taxes to pre-empt an audit. If, say, you have a huge medical deduction that you feel would increase your chances of being audited, attach copies of your medical bills to your return. The IRS computer might still kick out your return, but when a real person looks at it, the reviewer will recognize that you know the rules. This may reduce your odds of a full audit.

Keep records for three years. Normally, the IRS can audit you for three years after you file your return. In reality, however, most returns are audited within 18 months. This gives the IRS time to do the review and request the appropriate substantiation before the statute of limitations (usually the three-year period) ends.

The IRS has announced that it will not audit a taxpayer for more than five years in a row on the same issues. Personally, that doesn't give me much comfort. Once the deadline has passed, the IRS normally cannot audit your return, and your expenses are insulated from examination.

File at the last minute if you are concerned about a potential audit. It won't hurt and might decrease your chances of being selected.

The good news: If you are audited one year with a refund or no change, it decreases your odds of being audited in subsequent years. In fact, if you are audited on the same items two years in a row with no additional taxes due, the IRS manual specifically recommends not auditing you on the same items for a third year.

Jeff Schnepper is the author of the best-selling book "How to Pay Zero Taxes," which is in its 30th edition. He is a former professor of taxation, accounting and finance. Schnepper now has a full-time tax planning and legal practice in Cherry Hill, N.J. Click here to find Schnepper's most recent articles.