How far back can the government go to charge you with tax fraud?

Hello el:

Probably about 3 years, but it depends on WHICH government and what laws.

excon

The IRS has 3 years to assess additional taxes or penalties, but there are exceptions: if you under-report your income by 25% or more they have 6 years, and if you don't file a return or file a fraudulent tax return there is no limitation - the IRS can assess additional tax and penalties at any time. For state tax fraud the time limit depends on where you live - in CA for example, there is no statute of limitations.

More detail can be found here:

Determining the Statute of Limitations in Federal Tax Cases (http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2006/806/essentials/p46.htm)

If the IRS suspects tax fraud, they too have NO statute of limitations.