No. They usually address a specific issue and want you to support your tax return claims. Most are conducted by mail. There are a few, randomly selected "standard setting" audits. Those are a BITCH. They scrutinize every line of your return and every receipt you claim.
Bowgett, thanks for the response. Do you know what triggered the audit? I'm trying to avoid triggering one because I have enough headaches to deal with as it is.
Gnome, Thanks for the response I really appreciate. I'm worried because this year my tax situation has grown far more complex than in prior years because of my trading.
I haven't gotten contacted or filed yet. But I'm wondering, do they ever show up at a trader's house and say something to the effect of "well we gotta go look at your trading setup and computers. If it's not something we judge a professional setup, than you can't claim trader tax status"
It's not a matter of your hardware. It's more about how you conduct your business/trading life and what it means to your attempts to earn income.