Tax return redaction
Redact your tax return before you send it
Landlords, lenders, scholarship offices and immigration lawyers ask for tax returns, and a 1040 or W-2 carries your Social Security number, your employer's EIN and sometimes bank routing and account numbers for your refund. RedactSnap lets you cover what the recipient doesn't need, in your browser, without uploading the return anywhere.
Drop your tax return PDF here, or click to choose
PDF, PNG or JPG
Opens in your browser. The file is never uploaded.
What Smart Scan flags on tax forms
Social Security numbers
Yours, your spouse's and your dependents' SSNs in the ###-##-#### format, on digital forms and on scans read with OCR.
Names, addresses and phone numbers
Phone numbers and emails are matched automatically. Names and places are flagged by a named-entity model running on your device.
EINs and account numbers
An employer EIN (##-#######) or the refund routing and account numbers aren't built-in patterns. Add them as custom terms and every copy is found.
Income and deduction lines
Amounts aren't flagged, because you usually need to decide line by line. Draw a box over any figure the recipient doesn't need.
How to redact a tax return
- 1
Drop the 1040, W-2 or 1099 PDF into the box above. It opens locally.
- 2
Run Smart Scan, then add your EIN or bank account number as a custom term.
- 3
Box any income lines, dependents or schedules the recipient doesn't need to see.
- 4
Export. Pages are flattened, so the covered numbers are gone from the file.
Ask what the recipient actually needs
A landlord checking income may only need the adjusted gross income line, while a mortgage lender may need every page unredacted, or will order a transcript from the IRS directly. Check before you send, so you don't have to redo it.
If an IRS tax transcript is acceptable, it already masks most of your SSN, name and address, and you may not need to redact anything.
Why a black box in a PDF editor isn't enough
Tax software exports forms with a real text layer. A shape drawn over the SSN in a PDF viewer leaves those digits in the file, where anyone can copy them out. RedactSnap rasterises each page on export, so the text under the box is not in the downloaded file at all.
Frequently asked questions
Does it find SSNs without dashes?
The built-in pattern looks for the dashed ###-##-#### format, which avoids false positives on other 9-digit numbers. Tax forms usually print SSNs with dashes. For an undashed number, add it as a custom term or draw a box.
Can I redact a scanned or photographed W-2?
Yes. Pages without selectable text are read with OCR on your device. OCR can miss faint or skewed digits, so check each scanned page and box anything it missed.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. RedactSnap reads the PDF with your browser's File API and processes it in memory on your device. There is no upload endpoint and no server-side copy of your document. You can confirm this by opening your browser's network tab while you redact.
Is the redaction permanent or just a black box on top?
Permanent. A black rectangle drawn in an ordinary PDF editor can be copied around or deleted, leaving the text underneath readable. RedactSnap exports every page as a flattened image, so the original text layer, fonts and hidden objects are not carried into the file you download.