TAX & ACCOUNTING

Your Clients Trust You With Everything. The Law Expects You to Protect It.

If you prepare returns, keep books, or run payroll for clients, the FTC Safeguards Rule treats your firm as a financial institution — a written security plan, a named responsible person, and a plan for when something goes wrong. USDG builds it, runs it, and can be that named person.

A Written Plan

A comprehensive Written Information Security Plan (WISP) built specifically for your firm's workflows, filing software, and sovereign client data paths.

A Named Person

Federal law requires a Qualified Individual to oversee your entire program. USDG provides credentialed vCISOs to legally stand in that role.

Ready Before Filing Season

Mandatory access controls, MFA, employee phishing tests, and endpoint isolation operationalized before the first client return is transmitted.

It's February. A staff member clicks a link that looks like it's from your e-file software. Before anyone notices, someone is filing returns using your clients' Social Security numbers.

WHO THIS IS FOR

Are You Covered?

If your practice fits any of the following operational profiles, federal law mandates formal Safeguards compliance:

Compensated Tax Preparers

You prepare tax returns for compensation, including seasonal work, sole practitioners, and multi-partner accounting practices.

PTIN, EFIN & IRS e-File Providers

You hold an active PTIN or EFIN, maintain Electronic Return Originator (ERO) status, or submit IRS e-file transmissions.

Bookkeeping & Payroll Firms

You provide bookkeeping, payroll, or accounting services dealing directly with client bank accounts, 1099s, and financial data.

Virtual CFOs & Outsourced CPAs

You work as a virtual CFO or outsourced accountant managing external ledger systems, corporate filings, and corporate tax records.

IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP

Timeline to Complete Protection

Phased rollout engineered to achieve audit-defensible posture without interrupting busy client work:

Free Assessment & Scope

Free assessment, learn what applies to you. We map your tax software, client portal, storage, and staff count.

Plan & Technical Controls

Plan, MFA, and encryption go in place. WISP drafting, endpoint encryption, and client record access rules implemented.

Staff Trained & Live

Staff trained, monitoring live. Seasonal preparers onboarded, phishing simulation deployed, 24/7 threat telemetry activated.

Active Defense & Standby

Someone on call if something goes wrong. Instant incident commander response line active during peak e-file submission deadlines.

INTEGRATED DEFENSE SUITE

Our Services for Tax & Accounting Firms

Modular components engineered to function harmoniously as your outsourced security and compliance department.

Cyber Risk & Compliance Assessment

Independent audit of tax software host configurations, cloud client portals, and physical office safeguards against FTC and IRS rules.

Managed GRC

Continuous maintenance of your firm's WISP, third-party vendor contracts, cloud portal access logs, and mandatory compliance records.

Virtual CISO & Advisory

Named executive cybersecurity leadership to act as your firm's statutory Qualified Individual and represent you in federal inquiries.

Continuous Cybersecurity Management

24/7 technical surveillance of laptops, tax workstations, and email accounts with immediate neutralization of suspicious activities.

Incident Response & Readiness

Guaranteed SLA response times, IRS notification protocol execution, client disclosure management, and forensics containment.

STATUTORY DEFENSE & MANDATE ALIGNMENT

What the Rule Requires

The FTC Safeguards Rule requirements mapped directly to how USDG delivers your program:

REQUIREMENT

HOW USDG HELPS

Written information security plan (WISP)

We write it and keep it current

Qualified Individual

We can serve as yours

Written risk assessment

We assess your office, software, and client portals

Access controls, encryption, MFA

We set them up and verify technical enforcement

Monitoring or annual testing

Our 24/7 monitoring covers it

Staff training

We train your team, including seasonal staff

Incident response plan

We build it and answer when it's real

CLEAR ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm a solo preparer. Does this apply to me?

Yes. The FTC Safeguards Rule explicitly includes non-banking financial entities of all sizes, including solo practitioners. However, certain formal testing requirements are lighter for very small firms — we'll assess your specific volume and advise exactly which mandates apply to keep you legally compliant without unnecessary overhead.

Isn't the IRS template enough?

It's a starting point. A generic template filled out with generic answers fails federal audit scrutiny because the law requires your plan to match how your firm actually works — how your laptops are encrypted, where backups live, who can export tax data, and who is actively monitoring your systems.

Get Ready Before Filing Season

A security assessment costs you nothing but a conversation. Let's make sure your tax practice, client financial data, and professional reputation are protected before the deadline.