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Before you give a tax preparer or tax app your Social Security number, W-2s, bank details, or prior returns, verify who is responsible for the work, confirm the preparer’s federal authorization, read exactly how your data may be used, and retain control of the finished return and refund destination. A polished website, app-store listing, or encryption claim is not proof that a provider is legitimate.
Start with a five-minute legitimacy check
Use this sequence before uploading documents or signing anything:
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- Identify the individual or legal business that will prepare, transmit, store, or otherwise receive your tax-return information.
- Ask any paid individual preparer for a current IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN), and ask which professional credentials or training they hold.
- Check the IRS directory for listed credentials or qualifications, while remembering that the directory is not a complete list.
- Read the price, service scope, privacy notice, and every consent request. Note state-return charges, add-ons, data recipients, and whether optional uses are actually optional.
- Before signing, inspect every number on the completed return, the preparer signature and PTIN, and the refund routing and account numbers. Keep a complete copy and your source records.
If a provider will not answer basic identity questions, pressures you to act before you can read the terms, refuses to sign, or asks you to approve a blank return, stop. Those are not normal shortcuts.
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A paid federal preparer needs a PTIN
An individual who prepares or assists with preparing a federal tax return for compensation must have a current IRS PTIN. Ask for the preparer’s PTIN before work begins and check that the number appears on the filed return. A business may have several preparers, so obtain the PTIN of the person actually preparing or substantially assisting with your return.
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A PTIN authorizes federal return preparation; it does not make the holder a certified public accountant (CPA), attorney, or enrolled agent. It is not a quality rating, a guarantee that the return is correct, or proof that the person can represent you in every IRS matter.
Credentials affect representation rights
CPAs, attorneys, and enrolled agents generally have unlimited representation rights before the IRS when their professional status is valid. Other preparers may prepare returns without having those credentials or those representation rights. Ask what credential is being claimed, who issued it, whether it is current, and what services it covers.
| Check | What it tells you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Current PTIN | The individual is authorized to prepare or assist with federal returns for compensation. | It does not establish CPA, attorney, or enrolled-agent status, return quality, or unlimited IRS representation rights. |
| CPA, attorney, or enrolled-agent credential | The person may have unlimited IRS representation rights, subject to valid, current status. | It does not by itself guarantee a fair price, careful work, or appropriate data practices. |
| Annual Filing Season Program participation | The preparer completed the requirements for that IRS-recognized program and may appear in the IRS directory. | It is not the same as being a CPA, attorney, or enrolled agent. |
Use the IRS preparer directory without treating it as a pass/fail test
The IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications can help you check selected CPAs, attorneys, enrolled agents, other listed credential groups, and qualifying Annual Filing Season Program participants. Search the person’s name and location as supplied to you, then ask the preparer to explain any difference between the directory record and the name on your engagement or invoice.
The directory is selective, not a roster of every person who may legally prepare a federal return. Non-credentialed PTIN holders who are not Annual Filing Season Program participants are omitted, and some otherwise eligible preparers opt out. IRS says the directory is updated weekly, but a new or revised record can take up to four weeks to appear. Therefore, a missing name is not proof of fraud.
When a preparer is unlisted, ask about education, years of experience, tax training, the types of returns handled, and who will answer questions after filing. Separately verify a claimed state license or professional license with the relevant licensing authority. Federal PTIN rules do not resolve every state licensing or privacy requirement; those rules vary by state.
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Confirm who the company or app really is
Identify the legal provider and a reachable support route
Before uploading a return, find the legal business name, mailing address, customer-support channel, and the entity named in the privacy notice and engagement terms. Confirm whether the company itself prepares the return, sends it to an outside preparer, uses contractors, or provides software that you operate yourself. If you cannot determine who receives your records or whom to contact when something goes wrong, do not upload them yet.
A professional-looking site, a familiar app-store listing, a large number of downloads, or a statement that data is encrypted does not establish tax credentials, lawful data use, or reliable support. Those features may be useful, but they are not substitutes for identity, terms, and workflow checks.
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Ask what happens to your records
Request clear answers about where uploaded documents are stored, how long they are retained, who can access them, and how you can obtain or delete copies when the service ends. The tax rules discussed here concern a preparer’s use and disclosure of tax-return information; they are not a technical security audit of any particular app. Do not infer that a privacy notice proves a system is breach-proof.
Read privacy notices and consent screens line by line
Understand the federal rule
Internal Revenue Code Section 7216 generally prohibits a tax preparer from knowingly or recklessly using or disclosing tax-return information for a purpose other than preparing or assisting with preparation unless the taxpayer consents or a regulatory exception applies. IRS materials explain that the consent requirements also apply in electronic-preparation settings.
Consent can change the protection that applies after information is disclosed. IRS mandatory consent language warns: “If you consent to the disclosure of your tax return information, Federal law may not protect your tax return information from further use or distribution.” Read that statement as a practical warning, not as a reason to click through without understanding the request.
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What every consent request should make clear
- Information: Does the request cover the entire return, specific forms, identity documents, bank details, contacts, or financial information imported from another account?
- Purpose: Is the data needed to prepare or transmit this return, or is it for marketing, product development, an additional service, or another use?
- Recipient: Does the notice name a company or identify a recipient category such as an affiliate, contractor, lender, or advertiser?
- Duration: Does permission end after the return is prepared, or does it continue for a stated period?
- Choice: Can you decline an optional use and still receive the preparation service? A broad checkbox should not be treated as proof that every use is required.
- Records: Can you save or download the notice and your selections so you can prove what you agreed to?
If a screen combines required preparation permissions with optional marketing or disclosure in one unexplained acceptance, pause and ask support to separate the choices or explain the legal basis for each one.
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Some tax software can import information from an IRS online account. On the IRS page describing that process, the taxpayer selects which available account information to import, and the software cannot access the IRS online account after the import is complete. The listed information can include a W-2, Form 1099-INT, Form 1095-A, an Identity Protection PIN, and prior-year adjusted gross income, where applicable.
Availability can change by filing season and provider. Confirm the current IRS instructions and the exact import choices shown in your software rather than assuming that every product supports every item. Select only what you need, review the imported values against your source documents, and avoid granting an app broader account access than the import task requires.
Get the total price and service scope in writing
Ask for an itemized quote
Before work starts, ask what the quoted price includes and what triggers an additional charge. At minimum, clarify:
- Federal preparation and electronic filing;
- Each state or local return;
- Schedules, amended returns, extensions, investments, self-employment, rental property, or other forms relevant to you;
- Review by a credentialed professional, if advertised;
- Year-round questions, notices, and representation;
- Refund-transfer, refund-advance, payment-processing, or document-retrieval fees; and
- Whether the price changes if your refund or balance due changes.
A fee based on a percentage of your refund creates a conflict because it rewards a larger claimed refund. Be cautious if the preparer will not provide a receipt, insists on cash without documentation, or describes a refund advance as a “free” instant refund.
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| Comparison point | Questions to ask | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Credential and authority | Who prepares the return, what is the PTIN, and what representation rights apply? | PTIN, credential name, license details, and preparer contact information. |
| Service scope | Which federal, state, and specialty forms are included? Is help available after filing? | Written estimate, engagement terms, and exclusions. |
| Total price | What state filings, add-ons, payment methods, or refund services cost extra? | Itemized quote and final receipt. |
| Data use | What information is shared, for what purpose, with whom, and for how long? | Privacy notice and saved consent screens. |
| Return control | Will you review and receive the completed return before filing? | Final PDF or paper copy and source-document checklist. |
| Support and complaints | Who handles corrections, IRS notices, identity theft, and refunds sent to the wrong account? | Support address, escalation path, and written responses. |
Watch the preparer’s behavior while the return is prepared
Normal safeguards you should see
A paid preparer should sign the return and include a valid PTIN. You should have time to review every income, deduction, credit, withholding, and dependent entry, plus the refund or payment calculation. Check the bank routing and account numbers character by character. Receive a complete copy of the filed return and retain your source documents.
Warning signs that require you to stop
- The preparer refuses to sign or leaves off the PTIN.
- You are asked to sign a blank, incomplete, or unexplained return.
- The preparer promises a specific or unusually large refund before reviewing your records.
- The fee is tied to a percentage of the refund.
- The preparer directs your refund to the preparer’s own account or will not let you verify the destination.
- You are pressured to pay cash, denied a receipt, or rushed past the review.
- The preparer files without your knowledge or authorization, claims a credential that is absent or expired, withholds your copy, or fails to return original records.
- You are charged for services that were not performed or a refund advance is disguised as a no-cost instant refund.
Do not sign because a preparer says the software already submitted the return. Once submitted, correcting an unauthorized or inaccurate filing can be harder than stopping before transmission.
How to check a tax-prep app before entering your Social Security number
- Read the provider identity: Match the legal entity in the app, privacy notice, terms, and support page. Record the support route before creating an account.
- Map the data flow: List each document and account the app requests. Separate information required to prepare the return from optional imports, marketing, or partner disclosures.
- Inspect consent: Read recipient names or categories, purpose, duration, and optionality. Save a copy of the screens you accept.
- Check the price path: Determine when federal, state, specialty-form, payment, and refund-related charges appear. Confirm whether a free tier has eligibility limits.
- Test control of the return: Confirm that you can view the completed return, correct entries, see the refund destination, and download a copy before filing.
- Use minimum necessary access: For an IRS import, select only the listed records you need and verify the results against your documents.
- Stop at unexplained pressure: A request for a Social Security number, identity document, or bank login that is not explained by the preparation task is a reason to contact support and withhold the information.
This process evaluates identity, consent, pricing, and control. It does not certify an app’s engineering, encryption, or resistance to a data breach.
Consider official no-cost starting points
IRS Free File
IRS Free File is the IRS route to participating guided tax software and fillable forms. The current IRS page, accessed October 13, 2026, states that Guided Tax eligibility is limited to adjusted gross income of $89,000 or less. Verify the threshold for the filing season that applies to you because it can change.
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VITA and TCE
IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs may provide no-cost in-person or volunteer preparation for taxpayers who meet applicable criteria. Use the current IRS locator to confirm eligibility, operating dates, and site availability before bringing your documents.
If a preparer files, changes, or mishandles your return
Preserve evidence first: the completed return, engagement terms, invoices and receipts, privacy notices, consent screens, emails, text messages, uploaded-document confirmations, and records of where a refund was directed.
- Form 14157: Use this IRS complaint form for a tax return preparer or preparation business.
- Form 14157-A, Tax Return Preparer Fraud or Misconduct Affidavit: Use it when you suspect the preparer filed or changed a return without your knowledge or consent.
- Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit: IRS guidance identifies this form when personal or business tax information was stolen.
Keep copies of anything submitted and continue monitoring IRS notices and account activity. If the return contains false entries, an incorrect refund destination, or a filing you never authorized, explain those facts precisely rather than merely reporting that the preparer was “bad.”
Your final go/no-go checklist
- I know the individual preparer’s name, business identity, and contact route.
- I obtained a current PTIN for a paid federal preparer and understand that PTIN is not a professional credential.
- I checked the IRS directory where relevant and verified any claimed license separately.
- I know which federal, state, and specialty services are included and the total price for my situation.
- I read the privacy notice and each consent request, including recipients and optional uses.
- I selected only necessary data imports and checked imported information against my documents.
- I will review the complete return, preparer signature, PTIN, and refund account details before filing.
- I will receive and retain a full copy, source documents, receipts, and consent records.
If any item remains unanswered, do not transmit your records simply because a deadline is approaching. A legitimate provider should be able to explain its identity, authority, price, data practices, and filing process before you surrender control of your information.
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