Earlier this year the New Jersey Division of Taxation asked one of my clients to email documentation–including his social security number. We refused. As New Jersey’s own advice notes, emailing personally confidential information like a social security number is a bad idea.
Enter the Missouri Department of Revenue. A client moved from Missouri a few years ago, and began filing returns in his new state (as he should); he filed a part-year return for his final year in Missouri. Missouri thought he remained a resident for the following year and asked our client to email his unmasked tax return to the state (he had mailed a copy via certified mail–which they did receive). We’re not going to email it. As the Missouri Department of Revenue correctly notes,
Only use a secure connection on the Internet when sending credit card numbers or other personal information. [emphasis added]
The Department of Revenue is absolutely correct about this: emailing personally identifiable information like a social security number should never be done. Yes, an email attachment is easier to work with than having to scan a paper return. But I will never email anything containing a social security number and I hope my clients won’t.
We are going to fax the return. Faxing, because it is analog, is generally secure. Yes, Missouri is going to again have to convert paper into a pdf, but unless they offer my client a secure upload facility that’s their problem.