Data Retention Policy
Last updated: 2026-09-21
Our principle
We retain the minimum amount of data needed to (a) prove that your IRS filing was transmitted, (b) reproduce next year's filing without you re-entering everything, and (c) meet our own records-retention obligations. We deliberately do not store copies of bank statements or signed PDFs after they have served their purpose.
Discarded during normal processing
| Data type | Lifetime | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Uploaded bank statement files (CSV/PDF) | Processed in memory; not persisted | Parsed to extract totals, then dropped without being written to disk |
| Individual transaction rows (uploaded or imported via Plaid) | Lifetime of your review session | Used to display the categorization review; discarded when you confirm the totals |
| Plaid access tokens | Revoked immediately after transaction import is complete, or on user request | No persistent bank connection is retained beyond the import session unless you opt to keep it |
| Signed PDFs you upload | Up to 72 hours | Held only to fax to the IRS and return the receipt; deleted after fax confirmation |
| Uploaded dissolution certificates and extension proof | Up to 72 hours after the filing or support task is complete | Held only to complete the related filing or support task, then deleted |
| Generated unsigned PDFs | Regenerated on demand | Built from your retained entity / owner / totals data; not stored after download |
Retained for proof and reuse
| Data type | Retention period | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fax transmission receipts | 7 years from filing date | Proof of filing; matches IRS records retention (26 CFR section 1.6001-1) |
| Records of what was signed and when | 7 years from filing date | Proof of the signed authorization and the version of the wording agreed |
| IP address and browser recorded at signing | 7 years from filing date | Kept with the signature record to show how the electronic signature was completed |
| Faxes received from the IRS | 7 years from filing date | Proof of IRS responses about the customer's application or filing |
| Aggregated contribution and distribution totals per year | 7 years | Required to reproduce or amend the filing if challenged |
| Entity and owner identification data | 7 years from last filing | Makes next year's filing one-click |
| Account email and login records | Active + 12 months | To let you retrieve your receipts after a period of inactivity |
| Signature images | Active + 12 months | Used to display and support your signed filing while your account is active |
| Support message attachments | Active + 12 months, unless needed for a retained filing record | Used to resolve support requests and preserve context for follow-up |
| Payment records (Stripe metadata) | 7 years | U.S. tax and accounting requirements |
| Server access logs | 30 days | Security and incident response |
Deletion process
Records past their retention period are deleted on a rolling monthly basis. Deletion is irreversible; once a filing's retention period expires we cannot retrieve it.
Early deletion at your request
You can request earlier deletion of your account and all associated data at any time by emailing support@form5472prep.com from the email address associated with your account. We process requests within 30 days. We may retain a minimal record of the deletion itself (the timestamp, the requesting email) for audit purposes.
What we do not retain
- Bank statement files; discarded immediately after parsing.
- Individual line-item transactions; discarded after totals are confirmed.
- Signed PDFs; deleted within 72 hours of fax confirmation.
- Payment card data; handled and stored exclusively by Stripe.
- Passwords; we use passwordless customer authentication (one-time email magic-link or Google OAuth); no customer passwords are ever stored.
- Bank login credentials; never seen or stored. Plaid handles authentication directly with your financial institution.
- Raw transaction data from Plaid; only the contribution/distribution totals are retained for filing reproduction; individual line items are discarded after review.