Payroll related audits can cover everything from payroll tax deposits to fair employment practices to workers compensation risk assessment. So what can you do to be ready for an audit when it can come from so many different directions? After all, the very word "audit" is intimidating. It conjures up visions of people invading your office, pouring over your records and uncovering one deficiency after another - with fines and penalties looming in the distance.The best way to go about preparing your company to survive a payroll or human resources related audit is to be proactive. Pay attention to federal and state regulations and labor laws, pay taxes when they're due, file federal and state reports on time - and carry out internal audits to make sure your records are intact and up to date.Staying prepared for audits has other important benefits to employers. The process of checking your records and procedures can also uncover weaknesses - terminated employees still listed as active on the payroll, erroneous calculation of overtime pay, improperly filled out forms, late or missing tax payments - any number of problems that can cost the company money or leave it open to employee fraud.Take a look inside to see just what types of audits you could be facing and what steps you can take to navigate those audits successfully.