TaxAct
- The policy allows AI training; it does not describe an opt-out.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
They collect your tax data and track you for ads; AI may train on their copy of your prompts.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Uses your content for AI training with no opt-out
Collected
Name, SSN, tax return data, uploads, payments, device IDs, IP location, and partner data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Tax Return Information: If you decide to prepare or file a tax return using our Services, we collect personal information, such as: Name; Social Security number; Driver’s license number;”
Training
They file your taxes, market to you, run ads, and may train their own AI on what you type in AI tools.
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Terms of service
“information provided through AI-Powered Tools may be used to continuously train our instance of the applicable AI-Powered Tool, but will not be used to train third-party instances of large language models;”
Sharing
Vendors, affiliates, ad partners, and tax agencies can get data; you can opt out of ad “sale or share.”
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Privacy policy
“When you interact with our Site, some of your personal information may be shared, if legally permitted, with certain of these vendors who may use it for Targeted Advertising.”
Kept
Deleting your account does not wipe archives or filed tax returns they keep for legal reasons.
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Privacy policy
“If you choose to delete your account, we retain your account information in our archives even though it is no longer accessible online.”
Controls
You can request access or deletion, unsubscribe, and click Do Not Sell or Share in the footer.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You may elect to opt out of the selling or sharing of your personal information by visiting taxact.com/do-not-sell-or-share, or clicking the button labeled “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information””
Fine print
Fees are usually non-refundable.
No exact line could be verified.
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Opt out of sale or sharing for ads
Footer “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” or taxact.com/do-not-sell-or-share
Request account deletion
In-app delete instructions or the online form linked from Your Choices
Unsubscribe from marketing
Unsubscribe link in emails; text STOP for marketing SMS
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
What you type into their AI helpers can be used to keep training TaxAct’s own copy of that AI.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“information provided through AI-Powered Tools may be used to continuously train our instance of the applicable AI-Powered Tool, but will not be used to train third-party instances of large language models;”
For example, a question you ask the tax chatbot could be used to improve that chatbot for other people.
Ad companies can track you on TaxAct and other sites to target ads.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Third-party ad technology companies and advertisers, including Meta and TikTok, may use, store, or access Cookies to collect or receive information from our Services and elsewhere on the internet”
For example, visiting the site could help Facebook or TikTok show you tax-software ads later.
Closing the account does not mean they erase everything they stored about you.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you choose to delete your account, we retain your account information in our archives even though it is no longer accessible online.”
For example, after you delete the account, they may still keep old account records in archives.
If someone sues them because of data you entered, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You hereby and TaxAct from and against any third party claims, liabilities, costs and expenses, including attorney’s fees, related to such content, data, and information submitted by you.”
For example, if you enter someone else’s info without permission and they sue TaxAct, you could owe the costs.
They can cut off your access right away if they decide you broke the rules or used the service too heavily.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“TaxAct shall have the right to immediately terminate your access to or use of the Services in the event of any activities which breach this Agreement or conduct which, in TaxAct’s sole judgment, interferes with the operation or use of the Services”
For example, they could lock you out during tax season if they think your usage is excessive.
Unless a listed guarantee applies, money you pay is not refunded.
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Terms of service
“You must use your valid form of payment to pay all fees and charges related to the Services and, except as otherwise provided herein, all fees and charges are non-refundable.”
For example, if you pay to e-file and later change your mind, they may keep the fee.
To recover an account they can send your SSN and other details to LexisNexis.
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Privacy policy
“Identity Verification: If you request certain account recovery services, we disclose your personal information to external parties, including LexisNexis, so we can verify your identity.”
For example, resetting a locked account could share your Social Security number with that company.
They say tax-help AI stays in their systems and is not used to train outside companies’ big models.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“When using the AI-Powered Tools for tax-filing assistance, we only process personal information within our environment and do not use personal information to train third-party instances of large language models.”
For example, your return details should not be fed into a public ChatGPT-style model.
If you unlock with Face ID or a fingerprint, TaxAct says it does not get that biometric data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We do not have access to or otherwise process your biometric information when you use these features.”
For example, using your phone’s fingerprint login should not send your fingerprint to TaxAct.
but only if you email them within 30 days of agreeing.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“The opt-out notice must be sent within 30 days from the date you first accepted the terms of this Section.”
For example.com with your full name within 30 days if you want to keep the right to sue in court.
Federal tax rules limit how they can use the numbers on your return.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We use your Tax Return Information only in accordance with applicable laws, including Section 7216 of the Internal Revenue Code, to do the following things:”
For example, they cannot freely sell your W-2 details for unrelated ads without following those tax rules and any consent they ask for.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- third parties
- Any company or person other than you and the app, such as advertisers, partners or analytics firms. For example, an analytics company that receives a record of every screen you tap is a third party.
- service providers
- Outside companies that handle your data on the app's instructions, such as a cloud host or an email sender. For example, the company that stores the app's files in the cloud sees your data but only does what the app tells it.
- targeted advertising
- Ads chosen for you based on what you have done across other apps and websites, not just this one. For example, you look at shoes in one app and see shoe ads in a totally different app the next day.
- retention
- How long a company keeps your data before deleting it. For example, a policy might keep your messages for 30 days after you delete them, or for as long as it likes.
- opt out
- Something is on by default and stays on until you find the setting and turn it off. For example, your chats may be used for training unless you go into settings and switch it off.
- sell or share
- Under California law, selling means passing your data to others for money or other value; sharing means passing it on for targeted ads. For example, letting an ad network use your browsing history in return for ad space counts as a sale.
- cookies
- Small files a website saves on your device so it can recognise you and remember what you did. For example, a cookie keeps you logged in and can also tell an ad company which sites you visited.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- biometric
- Measurements of your body that identify you, like your face, fingerprint or voice. For example, a selfie used to unlock the app or a voice recording matched to you.
How we got here · grade F · score 29/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 3 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
Besides tax and account data they collect device IDs, IP-based location, cookies across sites, uploads via camera, referrals, and data from partners.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
They say they do not access biometric login data. Support calls may be recorded after notice, but they do not describe using voice or face as biometrics.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
AI prompts may continuously train TaxAct’s own instance of the tool. They say they will offer opt-out when appropriate, but do not describe a default-off switch.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They and vendors use cookies and pixels, including Meta and TikTok, for interest-based ads across the internet.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell for money, but they share identifiers and activity for targeted ads and let you opt out of sale or share.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Not stated in the documents.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can request deletion or delete in the app, but they keep account archives and filed returns as they say they need for law and disputes.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They build inferences and a personalized experience from usage, without describing memory controls you can edit or turn off.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe industry-standard physical and technical safeguards and say no transmission is fully secure. No audit or leak history is in these pages.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The service is not for children under 13. Terms say you represent you are the age of majority. There is no described age-check beyond that.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Terms are dated July 1, 2026 and they may email or post changes; continued use means you accept. The privacy notice in this fetch has no last-updated date.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can immediately end access for breach or if they judge your use interferes, including communication features without notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is “as is,” liability is generally capped at what you paid, and you must indemnify them for content you submit.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 7,605 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 0); the terms are 8,895 words at a professional or legal expert level.
