How IdentityCheck protects Tax File Numbers
Overview. A Tax File Number is among the most sensitive pieces of information a client can share, so IdentityCheck handles it with special care. Any TFN entered on a form is validated, then replaced with "REDACTED" everywhere the response is stored or displayed, and it is never sent by ordinary email. For most firms the number is delivered straight into your practice-management software through the integration, mapped to the right field on the client. For firms not using an integration, IdentityCheck instead delivers it through a secure, single-use link that expires after 14 days. This article is written so a firm can share it with clients to explain how their TFN is protected.
Is my Tax File Number safe?
Yes. IdentityCheck is built so that a Tax File Number is never kept or sent in the clear. From the moment it is entered, three protections apply together:
- It is validated. The number is checked for the correct nine digits and the ATO checksum, so a typo is caught with a clear error before the form is accepted. This means you are not left chasing a corrected number later.
- It is redacted. Once the form is submitted, the TFN is replaced with "REDACTED" everywhere the response is saved or shown in IdentityCheck, including saved records, generated PDFs and any exported files. The full number is not left sitting in stored data.
- It is delivered securely. The real number reaches your firm only through a protected path: mapped directly into your practice-management software via the integration, or, if you do not use an integration, through a self-destructing one-time secure link. It is never sent as plain text in an email body or attachment.
Together these mean the number is protected at the point of entry, in storage, and in transit.
How do I receive a client's TFN securely?
For most firms, the TFN is delivered into the system you already work in. When you connect a practice-management integration, IdentityCheck can map the validated TFN securely onto the right field on the client record, so the number lands where you need it without anyone copying it from an email. This is the main way firms receive a client's TFN, and it keeps the number inside your controlled systems rather than in inboxes.
If your firm does not use an integration, IdentityCheck uses a secure link instead as the backup. When a client submits a form containing a TFN, your firm is notified and given a secure one-time link rather than the number itself. Opening that link reveals the number once, on StackGo's secure service. The link then stops working, and in any case it expires automatically after 14 days. To receive these links, your firm needs a notification email configured on the form so IdentityCheck knows where to send them.
Either way, the redaction still applies to IdentityCheck's own stored responses, PDFs and exports, so the full number is only ever exposed through the protected delivery path you have set up. If you want to check your own setup, the form builder can show you a TFN audit of which questions capture a Tax File Number.
Frequently asked
Is my Tax File Number safe when I enter it on a form? Yes. Your TFN is never stored or emailed in plain text. It is checked for validity, then replaced with REDACTED everywhere the response is saved or displayed. The actual number reaches your firm only through a secure, one-time link that expires after 14 days.
How does my firm receive my TFN? For most firms it is mapped securely into your practice-management software through the integration, straight onto the client record. If your firm does not use an integration, IdentityCheck delivers it instead through a single-use secure link that opens the number once, on StackGo's secure service, and expires after 14 days. It is never sent as plain text in an ordinary email.
How does my TFN reach the firm's practice-management system? Through the integration. When your firm connects its practice-management software, the validated TFN is mapped securely onto the right field on the client record, which is the main way firms receive it. The secure emailed link is the backup for firms that do not use an integration. Either way, IdentityCheck keeps the number redacted in its own stored responses, PDFs and exports.