Is an IRS audit less likely amid agency cuts? Some issues are still ‘low-hanging fruit,’ expert says

This season, the IRS is smaller after staffing cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and other 2025 reductions.

As millions of filers race to meet the April 15 tax deadline, they may wonder if being picked for an IRS audit is now less likely amid the agency’s trimmed workforce.

As of Dec. 18, the IRS was about 27% smaller compared to the start of 2025, with the workforce falling from more than 102,000 in January 2025 to about 74,000 in December, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service.

That won’t necessarily reduce your audit risk, experts say. There are “various ways” IRS enforcement touches taxpayers, such as automated math error notices, the agency’s matching program for tax forms, exams by mail and in-person field audits, according to Eric Hylton, national director for tax consulting firm Alliantgroup.

And certain issues can be “low-hanging fruit” for an audit, even with staffing cuts, said Hylton, who is also a former IRS commissioner for the agency’s small business and self-employed division.