"If a message asks you to email us a document or a Social Security number, it did not come from us."
Why email is the wrong place for tax documents
An email is copied onto every server it passes through and sits, usually forever, in at least two inboxes. It gets forwarded. It gets auto-synced to phones and laptops that get lost. And it is the single most common way tax firms and their clients get robbed: a fake message that looks like it came from your accountant, asking for "one more document" or "updated bank details for your refund."
Tax firms are required by the FTC Safeguards Rule to protect client data, and the IRS publishes a whole guide (Publication 4557) on what that means for a firm like ours. Keeping your information out of email is the most important part of how we meet that bar.
What we will never do by email
Send a tax return, W-2, 1099, or any document with a Social Security number as an attachment
Ask you to reply with your SSN, date of birth, driver’s license, or bank account number
Ask you to send us a document by email or text instead of uploading it to TaxDome
Send a "sign in here" link that goes anywhere but mytrailhead.tax or our TaxDome portal
Ask you to wire money, buy gift cards, or change where a refund is deposited
Pressure you with a deadline that appeared out of nowhere
What we do instead
We built and maintain two secure places for everything that matters, and we keep them current so you never have a reason to fall back to email.
Basecamp, our own client portal
Your private, secure page at Trailhead Tax, where we are building new experiences for you. You sign in with a one-tap link from your inbox or with Google; there is no password to leak.
TaxDome
Where your organizers, signed returns, e-signatures and secure messages live. Documents you upload there are encrypted and only visible to you and our team.
Ignition, for invoices
Our billing partner. A real invoice from us arrives from Ignition and is paid on Ignition’s secure payment page, never by replying to an email with card numbers.
How to tell a real message from us
The sender address ends in @mytrailhead.tax. Not a lookalike, not a free email service.
Every link goes to mytrailhead.tax, our TaxDome portal, or Ignition. Hover before you click.
We tell you what is happening in plain English and never invent urgency.
When in doubt, do not reply. Call us at (916) 941-5286 and we will confirm in ten seconds.
What we ask of you
Upload documents to TaxDome instead of attaching them to an email, even when it feels slower. Do not text us photos of Social Security cards or bank statements. If you get an email claiming to be from us that asks for any of the things on the "never" list above, forward it to us and then delete it. You will not be bothering us; you will be helping us protect everyone else.
Keep reading
How to Be the Best Client Ever
Four short pages on working with us smoothly, including where documents go and why.
The Story of Tax Prep
What actually happens to your return between the organizer and the e-file.
How We Work
The tools we run, what each one is for, and what you will see from us during the year.
Call. We would rather you check.
(916) 941-5286, or reply to any message that actually came from an @mytrailhead.tax address.
Contact us