IRS Data Book Provides a Look Inside the Agency's Enforcement Process

On May 29, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its annual Data Book for the 2024 fiscal year. As the IRS notes in a press release announcing the release of the 2024 Data Book, “[f]or the first time, revenue collected exceeded $5 trillion, totaling $5.1 trillion, an increase of almost 9% compared to the prior fiscal year.” However, there are some even more notable figures for taxpayers in the 2024 Data Book. New Jersey IRS lawyer Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner of Thorn Law Group, explains.

Notable Figures from the IRS’ 2024 Data Book

The IRS’ 2024 Data Book highlights not only the agency’s routine tax collection activities, but its civil and criminal enforcement activities as well. The IRS remained extremely active in this area in 2024, conducting thousands of investigations, conducting hundreds of thousands of audits and collecting billions of dollars in unpaid tax liability. Here are some of the most notable figures:

• 505,514 – The IRS conducted a total of 505,514 audits (or “examinations”) during the 2024 fiscal year. This includes 393,783 correspondence audits and 111,731 field audits. Individual taxpayers who reported income of less than $1 million were more likely to face correspondence audits, while individuals who reported income of more than $1 million and corporate taxpayers were more likely to face field audits.
• $29.04 Billion – As a result of the 505,514 audits the IRS conducted in 2024, it recommended an additional $29.04 billion in tax liability. This includes $23 billion in additional liability recommended following field audits and $6.04 billion in additional liability recommended following correspondence audits.
• $84.10 Billion – The IRS assessed $84.1 billion in civil penalties in fiscal year 2024. Unpaid employment taxes accounted for the largest portion of this amount, followed by business income tax violations, individual and trust income tax violations, and estate and gift tax violations.
• 5,148 – IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) conducted a total of 5,148 investigations in fiscal year 2024. This includes 2,667 investigations opened during the year and 2,481 investigations closed during the year. The largest portion of these investigations focused on illegal source financial crimes, followed by legal source tax crimes and narcotics-related financial crimes.
• 75.7 Percent – Of the IRS CI investigations that led to sentencing in fiscal year 2024 (either through pleas or verdicts at trial), 75.7 percent resulted in prison sentences. The highest percentage of prison sentences came in cases involving narcotics-related financial crimes (81.8 percent).

Based on what we have seen already, we expect to see a significant number of audits and investigations targeting taxpayers in fiscal year 2025 as well. If you are facing scrutiny from the IRS (or IRS CI), we encourage you to contact us promptly to learn more.

Contact Us to Schedule a Confidential Consultation with New Jersey IRS Lawyer Kevin E. Thorn

Are you facing (or do you have concerns about facing) a federal tax audit or investigation in 2025? If so, we invite you to get in touch. To schedule a confidential consultation with New Jersey IRS lawyer Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner of Thorn Law Group, please call 201-842-7696 or tell us how we can reach you online today.