Unsure where you owe sales or use tax or dealing with legacy compliance pain?
Check Your ExposureCalifornia sales tax audits are often triggered by patterns and risk signals rather than random selection. Many businesses are audited after years of unnoticed exposure caused by district tax errors, nexus expansion, exemption misuse, or use tax omissions. This page explains the most common CDTFA audit triggers and how businesses can identify risk before an audit begins.
Audits are typically initiated based on:
Audits are not random and often focus on businesses with repeatable patterns.
District tax misapplication is one of the most common CDTFA audit findings.
Audits are often triggered when:
District tax errors frequently lead to multi year assessments.
Nexus related audit triggers include:
Audits often identify nexus dates earlier than registration dates. For nexus fundamentals, see Economic Nexus Rules by State.
Exemption related issues commonly trigger audits.
High risk areas include:
During audits, exemptions without documentation are usually disallowed. To understand exemption risk, see California Sales Tax Exemptions.
Use tax exposure is frequently uncovered during audits.
Common triggers include:
Use tax errors often exceed sales tax assessments. For fundamentals, see Use Tax Explained.
Business changes often trigger audits, including:
Growth without compliance review increases audit risk and potential sales tax penalties and interest.
Audits typically involve:
Small errors are often extrapolated across periods - making it critical for businesses to identify exposure before an audit.
Businesses often face audit risk if they:
Early identification reduces audit impact.
If your business operates in California, identifying exposure before an audit starts provides leverage and clarity. Use the Sales Tax Exposure Calculator to uncover risk areas.
TaxMap helps businesses by:
TaxMap focuses on exposure clarity before enforcement.
If you want to understand California sales tax audit risk or prepare before CDTFA contact, early analysis matters.
Get Expert Help for Sales Tax Audits in California