How your documents are protected
You are sending us Social Security numbers, income records and bank details. Here is what happens to them, and what you should be asking any preparer before you send anything.
What we do
- Documents encrypted in transit and at rest
- Access limited to your assigned preparer and reviewer
- Individual staff accounts with multi-factor authentication
- Client portal offered for anything sensitive, whatever route you choose
- Documents retained only as long as required, then securely destroyed
- Written information security plan, as required of U.S. tax preparers
Sending us your documents
Five ways, and all of them work: the client portal, WhatsApp, a shared cloud folder, email, or post. The portal is encrypted in transit and at rest and is what we would pick for you, but plenty of clients email and we would rather have your documents than not. Compare the options, including how to email more safely.
What to ask any preparer
These are reasonable questions to put to us or to anyone else you are considering. A firm that cannot answer them clearly is telling you something.
- Do you have a PTIN, and what is it?
- Are you authorised to represent me before the IRS, and can I verify that?
- Who exactly will see my documents?
- How do I send documents securely?
- Do you have a written information security plan?
- Will you sign my return as the preparer?
- How long do you keep my records, and how are they destroyed?
A preparer must sign your return
Anyone paid to prepare a federal return is required to have a PTIN and to sign it as the preparer. A preparer who completes your return but leaves the signature blank — a “ghost preparer” — is a serious warning sign, and the IRS treats it as one.
If something goes wrong
Tax identity theft usually shows up as a rejected e-file — someone has already filed using your Social Security number. If that happens we help you file Form 14039, submit your return on paper, and work through the IRS Identity Protection process with you.
If you believe your information has been compromised at any point, tell us immediately rather than waiting to be certain. Speed matters far more than certainty at that stage.
Questions about security or your data: tax@universaltaxfiler.com · +1 949 431 2999. See also our privacy policy.