An image reading apparatus includes: a light source; a reference sheet that reflects light emitted from the light source; a light-receiving lens that converges the reflected light; a reading sensor that reads the light converged by the light-receiving lens; and a hardware processor that: based on first white data obtained when the reading sensor reads the reference sheet for the first time, determines whether the reference sheet or the reading sensor has dust; in response to determining that the reference sheet or the reading sensor has dust, produces ideal initial white reference data by complementing the first white data with second white data obtained when the reading sensor reads the reference sheet for the second and subsequent times; and with the ideal initial white reference data, complements third white data obtained when the reading sensor reads the reference sheet right before reading an image of a job.