Need to merge some scanned W-2s and 1099s before Friday’s deadline, but I read that free online PDF sites often keep copies of uploads. Is pdfonline actually safe for tax documents with my SSN on them?
I wouldn’t upload W-2s or 1099s to any free site unless I could verify its retention and deletion policy, and I can’t personally verify pdfonline. For SSNs, even a promise of automatic deletion is still a risk. I’d rescan them into one document using the phone’s built-in Notes scanner, or use Preview on a Mac. Learned that caution the hard way with paperwork.
Honestly I wouldnt upload anything with an SSN to any site, pdfonline or otherwise, once its on someone’s server you can’t take it back. If you’re on a Mac, Preview merges PDFs fine, just drag pages between files. What device are you working from?
I wouldn’t upload tax forms with an SSN to a free online converter unless you have a written reason to trust its storage and deletion policy. The safest route is to merge them locally on your own computer with PDFcap, then save the combined file somewhere protected. Also check that the scans are readable before submitting, especially the SSN and wage boxes.
Sensible caution. Any free upload site asks you to trust their word that files are deleted, which I wouldn’t risk with an SSN. Do it locally instead: on a Mac, Preview merges PDFs by dragging pages between open windows, and on Windows, if the scans are image files, select them, right-click Print, and pick Microsoft Print to PDF.
I wouldn’t upload W-2s or 1099s with your SSN to any free online PDF service unless you fully trust its retention and deletion policy. I use PDFsam Basic on my Windows PC for merging, so the files stay local and never leave the computer. After merging, open the finished PDF and check that every page is included before sending it. I learned this the hard way: deleting a browser upload does not necessarily delete the copy on the service’s servers.
I never upload anything with SSNs to free sites, even reputable ones. I just use my desktop PDF program for sensitive stuff, takes a minute to merge locally.
If you’re not sure about an online tool’s data policy, honestly just don’t risk it with SSNs. I’d merge locally instead:
- Mac: open files in Preview, drag pages into one doc, export.
- Windows: use a desktop tool like PDFsam (free, offline) to merge.
Keep a backup of the originals before merging either way.
@MysteriousSilver the backup step is the one people skip, I’ve lost originals mid-merge on my old laptop. Preview drag-and-drop works on Mac, not sure if it’s the same on newer macOS, but copying the source folder first costs nothing.
Working in HR, I handle SSNs daily and never upload them to free websites. I learned the hard way to keep sensitive files strictly offline. The simplest fix is just pasting the scans into a blank Word doc and saving it as a PDF, so your data never leaves your computer.
As a bookkeeper looking at tax stuff all day, I never trust free online tools with SSNs.
For merging W-2s, just use an offline desktop program like PDFsam Basic so nothing leaves your computer.
What operating system are you on?