I'm following up on the question as to what individual tax software allows a Safe Harbor PDF attachment. I just received a response from Tax Act and unfortunately it appears they only allow PDF attachments for certain purposes as follows:
https://www.taxact.com/support/[social security number removed]/e-filing-attaching-a-scanned-pdf-doc...
E-Filing - Attaching a Scanned PDF Document
TaxAct® supports the ability to attach certain documentation to your Federal and/or State tax return.
You can attach a PDF document to your Federal return only in the following situations:
- Form 8949 Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets summary totals entered for stock transactions
- Form 2210 Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals, Estates, and Trusts, Part II, Boxes A or B selected - optional attachments
- Child was born and died in 2020 and did not have a Social Security Number (SSN) issued. In which case, you would type "DIED" instead of entering an SSN for that child in the Basic Info section of the Q&A.
Note. If the child did have an SSN, there would be no need to attach a copy of the child's birth certificate, death certificate, or hospital records showing a live birth.
Many states allow or require taxpayers to attach a PDF of supporting documentation to an electronically filed state return. If any of these situations apply to your return, you will be prompted to attach the documentation during the e-filing steps.
Note. The attachment(s) MUST be saved as a PDF before attaching to your return. The Attachment Manager will not accept any other file types; you must upload a PDF.
Note. To help prevent malicious uploads, we have strict requirements for our PDF standard. If you receive an error when trying to upload your PDF, it most likely does not meet the standard. Using a PDF writer should ensure the file does meet the PDF standard.
The PDF writer will appear to your computer as a printer, but instead of printing on a sheet of paper, it will create a PDF file image of your return. Once the PDF file is created, you can view the document in your PDF viewer, select "Print", then select your printer as the destination.
If you don't have a PDF writer already installed on your computer, the CutePDF Writer is a free program.
How to Access Attachment Manager
To access the Attachment Manager within your TaxAct return:
- From within your TaxAct return (Online or Desktop), click Filing to expand, then click E-file My Return. On smaller devices, click in the upper left-hand corner, then click Filing.
- Select the return(s) you would like to submit, then click Continue.
- Click I Agree, then click Continue.
- On the screen titled E-Filing - Attachments to Return, click Attach Documents.
- In the window that appears, click Add on the attachment(s) you want to include with your return.
- Make the appropriate selections on the next screen, then click Browse .
- Locate the PDF within your computer files, then click Open which should bring you back to the Attachment Manager.
- Click Finish, then click Close when you are done attaching the documents (If you need to delete a document you've already attached, there will be an option within the Attachment Manager to do so.)
- Continue through the rest of the e-filing steps to submit your return.
