The WISP you don't have
Every PTIN holder is required to maintain a written information security plan. Most offices have a template downloaded once and never revisited — which is not a plan, and does not survive a review.
For tax preparers & PTIN holders
Your WISP, written.
Your client, verified.
Verafile™ is the compliance and identity layer for tax offices. Generate an IRS-aligned written information security plan, verify every taxpayer with document and biometric checks, and keep the audit trail that proves you did.
- Pub. 4557
- WISP aligned
- 3 checks
- Doc · liveness · match
- No app
- Browser capture
- Immutable
- Audit log
The exposure
Three gaps sit between your office and a bad season.
The client who isn't who they say they are
Whether they walk into your office or upload from a phone, a stolen ID photo and a borrowed number are often enough to file under someone else's name. In-person doesn't mean verified — a convincing imposter with a real-looking license clears most front desks. Your PTIN is on that return.
The documents everywhere
Sensitive taxpayer data sitting in SMS, personal email, and desktop folders is the single most common finding after a preparer breach.
How it works
Four steps, run once per client.
Step 01
Stand up your WISP
Answer a guided intake about your office, staff, software, and data flows. Verafile generates a written information security plan aligned to IRS Pub. 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule — with your named security lead, risk assessment, and incident response plan filled in.
Step 02
Verify the client, not the paperwork
Send a secure link. The taxpayer captures a government ID and a live selfie. Liveness detection and face match confirm the person in front of the camera is the person on the document — before any 8879 gets signed.
Step 03
Collect documents in the vault
W-2s, 1099s, IDs, and consents land in an encrypted client vault instead of a text thread or personal inbox. Access is role-scoped to the preparers who need it.
Step 04
Keep the evidence
Every verification, document access, and plan revision is written to an immutable audit log you can hand to the IRS, a carrier, or your E&O insurer.
Verification record
VERIFIED- PASS
Document authenticity
Security features + MRZ checksum
- PASS
Liveness
Passive challenge, single capture
- 0.94
Face match
Selfie vs. document portrait
- LOW
Device / IP risk
No emulator, no known proxy
- MATCH
Prior-year identity
Returning client fingerprint
Illustrative record. Signals shown reflect the system as designed.
WISP
A living plan, not a downloaded template.
Verafile builds your written information security plan from how your office actually operates, then keeps it current as staff, software, and data flows change. Every revision is versioned and dated so you can show what your safeguards were on any given day.
- Named security lead and staff responsibilities
- Risk assessment across intake, storage, and transmission
- Access controls, MFA policy, and device standards
- Vendor and software inventory
- Incident response and breach notification steps
- Annual review reminders with versioned history
Pricing
Priced per office, per season.
Solo
$490/yr
Billed annually — $49/mo equivalent value, two months free.
One PTIN holder. WISP generation, unlimited plan revisions, and 50 client verifications per season.
Talk to usMost offices
Office
$1,490/yr
Billed annually — $149/mo equivalent value, two months free.
Up to 10 preparers, role-scoped document vault, staff acknowledgements, and 500 verifications per season.
Talk to usMulti-site
Custom
Franchise and multi-location groups. SSO, centralized policy, per-location audit reporting, and volume verification.
Talk to usPricing reflects planned launch packaging and may change before general availability.
Company bio & mission
A veteran-led cybersecurity firm.
Verafile is a veteran-led cybersecurity firm engineering zero-trust document security and identity verification technologies. Founded by T. Mckinney—a service-disabled U.S. Air Force veteran and Digital Forensics scholar at Keiser University—Verafile translates defense-level data handling protocols and forensic chain-of-custody principles (verify the source, bind the identity, preserve the record) into automated compliance software. The company’s product line includes Verafile, an automated WISP compliance and secure document platform for financial and tax professionals, and VeraVault, an advanced biometric identity verification engine designed to prevent digital impersonation and fraud.
Service
U.S. Air Force veteran — trained in safeguarding sensitive information under strict handling standards.
Study
Digital forensics student at Keiser University — evidence integrity, chain of custody, and identity fraud investigation.
Biometric verification
Organized rings shop your office. A four-point check stops the loop.
Fraud rings send runners carrying stolen identity profiles and high-grade fake IDs across retail tax chains and independent practices, looking for the one desk that lets them through. Verafile runs every client through four checks before a return ever reaches your PTIN.
01Cross-franchise identity intelligenceA flagged identity at one protected office alerts every other office in the network.+
If an imposter uses a stolen SSN or fake identity vector at one Verafile-protected office, that pattern is flagged instantly across every network location. When the same runner walks into another franchise or independent shop down the road, your team gets an immediate alert — before the intake conversation starts.
02Programmed barcode & data cross-checkThe PDF417 barcode is parsed and cross-validated against the printed front of the card.+
Rings use counterfeit cards loaded with correctly programmed 2D PDF417 barcodes. Verafile parses the raw barcode data and cross-validates it against front-of-card OCR text and state checksum rules, catching fake physical cards that pass a manual visual check at the desk.
03Live facial biometrics & livenessA 3D liveness scan matches the person at your desk to the portrait on the ID.+
Even when a runner carries a 100% genuine license stolen from a real victim, Verafile requires a quick 3D facial liveness scan and matches the live person in front of you against the photo on the card. Liveness defeats printed photos, screens, and masks; the face match defeats the stolen-but-genuine document. If the faces don't match, the imposter is caught cold.
04Pre-filing PTIN protectionDuplicate SSNs and identity discrepancies surface before anything is transmitted.+
Duplicate SSN attempts and identity discrepancies surface on your dashboard before returns are transmitted — preventing PTIN flags, rejected e-files, and costly IRS fraud investigations. Every flag is timestamped and retained as evidence of the check you ran.
You retain complete control: Verafile flags and explains every risk factor on your dashboard so you make the final call while keeping your practice protected.
FAQ
Questions preparers ask.
Is a WISP actually required for my office?+
Yes. The FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS Pub. 4557 require every paid preparer — including solo PTIN holders — to maintain a written information security plan. It is also attested to at PTIN renewal.
How does biometric verification work — and how does it stop organized fraud rings targeting tax franchises?+
Organized rings don't hit one office. They send runners with stolen identity profiles and high-grade fake IDs across multiple retail chains and independent practices to see where they can slide through. Verafile runs a four-point check before a return ever reaches your PTIN: cross-franchise identity intelligence, programmed barcode and OCR cross-check, live facial biometrics with liveness detection, and pre-filing duplicate-SSN protection. You keep complete control — every risk factor is flagged and explained on your dashboard so you make the final call.
Do my clients need to download an app?+
No. Verification runs in the phone browser from a secure link you send by text or email.
What happens to the biometric data?+
Face templates are used for the match and are not sold, shared, or used to train models. Retention is configurable per office, and every access is logged.
How is this different from VeraVault?+
Verafile protects the preparer's office and taxpayer relationship. VeraVault is our patent-pending issuance-time identity layer for card issuers and program managers.
Talk to us
Get your WISP in place before the next filing season.
Tell us about your office and we'll walk you through the plan and the verification flow. Every request reaches us directly — no phone tree, no chatbot.
VeraVault for card issuers