Poor People Five Times More Likely Than Average Earner To Be Audited by Biden IRS
Taxes,IRS,Audits,Banking And Finance
Poor people faced a significantly higher chance in 2022 of being audited by President Joe Biden's IRS than both rich and middle-class earners, according to a Syracuse University study.
In fact, no group faced as much scrutiny from the IRS as those who made below $25,000, the university's data-gathering center found. Among families that benefited from the earned income tax credit, a rebate on income and payroll taxes made available to the nation's poorest families, 1.27 percent were audited. The IRS in 2022 audited just 0.19 percent of the vast majority of taxpayers, meaning the poorest families were at least 550 percent more likely to have the IRS knock on their door than the average filer.
These families were also more likely to receive a regular audit by the IRS than families that reported over $1 million in income, of which just over 1 percent faced regular audits. In total, the IRS audited a total 626,204 taxpayers out of more than 164 million in the 2022 fiscal year. The bulk of those audits were of filers in the lowest income group.
Related Coverage
AllSides Picks
News
Tracking Trump’s Campaign Promises
AllSides Staff
July 24th, 2026
Headline Roundup
Half of Gen Z Say Christians' Support for Trump De-Incentivizes Their Potential Church Attendance: Survey
July 24th, 2026
The Insight
The Insight: The Fight for the Democratic Party
AllSides Staff
July 24th, 2026