How to Use TaxCut's Security Features

TaxCut's features allow users to protect the security of their federal and state-tax returns by enabling password protection for each saved return. Using password protection, in combination with a firewall and security suite, offers the best protection for any unencrypted data and financial files that might otherwise be vulnerable to data theft.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• TaxCut tax-preparation software

Use TaxCut's Security Features

1. Save your tax file once, without a password, to enable use of the TaxCut password-protection features, which will not work until the file has been saved the first time.

2. Select "Password Protection" from the "File" pull-down menu on the TaxCut toolbar. It is located at the top of your screen.

3. Select a distinctive password that will help ensure your security and keep the password out of the hands of others. Do not tape it to your computer monitor or save it on your hard drive.

4. Type your password into the "Password Protection" dialog box that appears on your screen and enter it again to confirm. Do not cut and paste it into TaxCut's confirmation field.

5. Click on "OK" to save your password. From this point on, neither you nor anyone else will be able to enter your tax file without entering the password associated with the file.

6. Change your old password by selecting "Password Protection" from the File pull-down menu. Your old password will appear in all-asterisk format in the same "Password Protection" dialog box you used to set your password initially. You can then enter and confirm a new password.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not lose your password. It is not an online password that TaxCut will be able to send to you via email. In fact, if you lose your password, you will not be able to access your tax file again. Keep previous passwords secure, so that you will be able to use them to import old data into your current year's TaxCut file.
• In the past, some critics of TaxCut have claimed that the software's security was less than airtight because it automatically saved some data to hard drives as plain text, without encryption or other measures to protect it against hackers. Always maintain the security of all data on your computer's hard drive by establishing a secure firewall with a product like Norton 360 All-In-One Security or McAfee Internet Security Suite.

[beeman69]

on 5/12/2009 Thanks looked all over the file, over looked it. Thanks for the key word

[JBAUTO]

on 3/26/2008 I tried this and it worked very good! Thank you for the fix! JB

[Mike-SigO]

on 1/8/2008 To recover your password, just use notepad & search for 'psswd'. Your password is saved in clear text next to the field name within the special characters of the taxcut data file.