How to redact a tax return before sharing it

Mortgage brokers, landlords, and lenders routinely request tax returns. What they need is proof of income — what they get, if you send the raw PDF, is your SSN, your dependents' SSNs, and your bank account numbers.

Redact by recipient

• Lender / broker: keep income lines and totals; redact all SSNs and bank account/routing numbers.
• Landlord: they need far less — income summary and name; redact SSNs, account numbers, and usually dependents entirely.
• Accountant or advisor: they may legitimately need everything; redact nothing but send securely.

The 60-second workflow

1. Open RedactSafe — your return is processed entirely in your browser, never uploaded. Turn wi-fi off if you want proof.
2. Run auto-detect for SSNs and account numbers — every match is marked instantly. Add manual boxes for anything else.
3. Export a flattened PDF (redacted content destroyed, not hidden) and review each page before sending.