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expatreturn.us
SECURITY

Security and your information.

What the ExpatReturn.us website does with your information, the safeguards built into the tax preparation software behind your account, and how filing status is shown.

TWO DIFFERENT THINGS

The website and the tax system, kept apart.

This page separates the public website you are reading from the tax preparation service in your account.

PUBLIC WEBSITE

This website

Guides, plans and prices, and the coverage directory. Reading these pages does not prepare or file a return.

  • No account needed to read You can browse the public website without one and explore the product, its coverage and its prices.
  • No tax intake on these pages The public pages have no tax interview, return submission or checkout. Those happen in your account.
  • No sensitive details requested The public pages do not ask for a Social Security number, bank credentials, signature PIN or tax documents.
  • Search finds information only The search and filter controls help you read guides, compare plans and search the coverage directory. They do not prepare a return.
YOUR ACCOUNT

The tax preparation service

The software that prepares your return from your interview answers. You create an account, answer the interview, review your return and pay before you sign.

You sign with a self-select PIN and we e-file the return with the IRS. Acceptance comes only from the IRS acknowledgement.

What it is built to do Filing status
THE PUBLIC WEBSITE

What your browser does while you read.

Even on pages that ask you for nothing, a few ordinary things happen when you load them.

Browser activity on the public website
ItemWhat happensWorth knowing
Saved scroll positionsPage navigation uses temporary browser sessionStorage to remember where you were on a page.It does not store a prepared tax return.
Display fontsThe fonts (Inter and Fraunces) are served from the ExpatReturn.us website itself, so opening a page does not connect your browser to a font provider.Your browser can cache them like any other page file.
Page errorsA page error is written to your browser's developer console. The public pages do not send it to an error-reporting service.Technical errors can be recorded in the web server's logs.
Email linksEmail links open your own mail application, which handles the message you choose to send, including any details or attachments you add.You choose what the message contains.
Official linksFollowing an IRS, FinCEN or other external link opens a site with its own privacy and security practices.Check their own policies before sharing anything.

More detail is on the cookies and browser storage page and in the privacy information.

THE TAX PREPARATION SYSTEM

What the system is built to do.

These protections are built into the preparation software behind your account.

IMPLEMENTED

Access is checked

Sign-in credentials are verified, shared access to returns is restricted by membership, and changing a return requires its owner.

IMPLEMENTED

Stored files are encrypted

The software encrypts stored return files before writing them and checks that file storage is private. Integrity checks reject altered files or files used in the wrong context.

IMPLEMENTED

Uploaded files are checked first

Checks cover file type, configured size limits, PDF page limits and a malware-scanning step. Files are held apart until checks pass, and an unavailable scanner blocks acceptance.

IMPLEMENTED

Authorization fits one version

Filing authorization is tied to a particular return version. Changed facts, a mismatched version or expired authorization prevent that filing from proceeding.

IMPLEMENTED

Services are separated

The services that store files are separate from those that open signed filing data. The customer-facing API is not given the private keys that decrypt sealed signing data.

IMPLEMENTED

Logs mask identifiers

Dedicated logging helpers mask taxpayer identifiers, account details and signature PIN fields. This is a safeguard, not a guarantee that no log ever holds personal information.

SIGNING AND FILING STATUS

From your signature to the IRS answer.

Your filing authorization is tied to one version of your return. Changed facts, a mismatched version or an expired authorization stop that filing from proceeding.

  1. 1

    Review, then pay

    You review your return on screen before paying. Payment is taken before you sign, submit or download PDFs.

  2. 2

    Sign this version

    You open a PDF of the prepared forms and sign with a self-select PIN. The authorization covers that version of the return only.

  3. 3

    We e-file, the IRS answers

    We e-file the return with the IRS. The app shows “The IRS accepted your return.” or “The IRS rejected your return. Review is needed.” once the IRS acknowledgement arrives.

RAISE A CONCERN

Spotted something? Tell us briefly.

Email contact@expatreturn.us with the subject “Security question”. Your own mail application opens the message.

  • Name the affected page and add a brief explanation of what you noticed.
  • Remove personal information from any screenshots and examples first.
  • Leave out sensitive details such as taxpayer identifiers, bank details, passwords, signature PINs or complete tax records.
Email a security question Contact details
QUESTIONS

Security, answered plainly.

Explore what is covered
Where do I enter my tax information?

In your account. You create an account and answer the interview, and your answers save as you go. The public pages, guides and coverage directory do not ask for tax information.

Is the preparation service independently certified?

This page does not claim an independent security certification. The safeguards on this page describe how the software is built.

Does signing mean the IRS accepted my return?

No. Signing is not IRS acceptance. After we e-file the return, the app shows whether the IRS accepted or rejected it, and that status comes only from the IRS acknowledgement.

Where are the website's privacy and storage details?

The privacy information covers the public website, and the cookies page covers browser storage and external resources.

Official sources

Last reviewed 22 October 2026

Woman closing her laptop at a lamp-lit desk in the evening
KEEP READING

How the website handles information.

The privacy information covers the public website. The cookies page covers browser storage and external resources.

Read the privacy information