Sending sensitive information to accountant
Sending sensitive information to accountant
When sending tax documents to your accounted on an encrypted portal, do you redact information such as account numbers on bank and brokerage documents? Or is this unnecessary? If so, what software is recommended other than Adobe?
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Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
Why does it matter? Don't they already know your address, SSN, DoB, etc along with the rest of your financial picture?
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Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
I guess that's true, though I just feel funny about sharing unnecessary information.Nummerkins wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:16 am Why does it matter? Don't they already know your address, SSN, DoB, etc along with the rest of your financial picture?
Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
Confirm with your accountant that the portal is encrypted by which you upload to a standalone https: site usually requiring a password, or the input of info only you possess. If these requirements are met, you shouldn’t need to redact info.
"Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand…” - Thoreau
Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
If you "redact" information through your computer, note that it may not be effective, at all, depending on how it's performed. Some PDF software adds your redaction/annotations in a layer on top of the sensitive number and other software could allow this to be removed, or the document may still make your account number searchable. So if you really needed to redact, the safest practical way is to print, redact, scan.
That being said, I wouldn't worry about redacting it if it's going somewhere secured.
That being said, I wouldn't worry about redacting it if it's going somewhere secured.
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Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
If the quality of the document isn't important, e.g., the accountant will be copying copying the numbers from a draft version to software, then it should also work to copy the PDF pages and paste them all into one Word doc. That at least saves the scanning step for those without a scanner. Or those who are a bit lazympsz wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:28 am If you "redact" information through your computer, note that it may not be effective, at all, depending on how it's performed. Some PDF software adds your redaction/annotations in a layer on top of the sensitive number and other software could allow this to be removed, or the document may still make your account number searchable. So if you really needed to redact, the safest practical way is to print, redact, scan.
That being said, I wouldn't worry about redacting it if it's going somewhere secured.
Is anyone aware of any security problems with this, in terms of what might be hidden in a PDF? Or anything else?
RM
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Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
If you start redacting anything it will likely increase the chance of errors and oversights by anyone assisting you (tax preparer or accountant). This is particularly true if you have or had at anytime during the tax year (simultaneously or sequentially) two or more accounts with the same bank/broker/financial organization. You may recognize distinct accounts by their holdings or activities, that may not be apparent to someone else at first glance.
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Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
if the portal is secure, redactions are unnecessary.
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Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
I'm surprised at how many people still use unencrypted e-mail for sensitive information. We were looking around for a new CPA last year, and one of the questions we asked was whether they had a secure portal for clients to upload documents. I was surprised at how few did. A few even asked us to email them the last year's tax return so they could review it.
Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
My tax guy has a secure portal.NYCaviator wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:25 pmI'm surprised at how many people still use unencrypted e-mail for sensitive information.
I don't bother with it. I just send a zip file with my 20 files/forms.
The odds of someone stealing the data are minuscule.
I am not paranoid.
The FBI van in front of my house is capturing all my keystrokes anyway.
Old fart who does three index stock funds, baby.
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Re: Sending sensitive information to accountant
I learned recently that you can edit PDF documents in Word, then print them back to a PDF.