Send a tax return to a lender, without the TFN

Lenders ask for tax returns and notices of assessment. They don't need the tax file number, and the TFN rules limit who may collect one. Here's how to send one clean PDF, in one window.

1. Put the pages together

Open the tax return and the notice of assessment together and they join into one PDF, in the order you picked them. Drag the thumbnails if the order is wrong, and delete any blank pages. See Merge PDF files without uploading them.

2. Take the TFN out, not just cover it

Choose Redact and mark the TFN everywhere it appears: the front page, the notice of assessment, and any schedule that repeats it. Apply the redaction with Sanitise document ticked. The pages with a redaction become pictures with the box burned in, so the number isn't in the file at all. A black box from a drawing tool only sits on top. See Redact a PDF so the words are really gone.

3. Check it

Before it goes, search the PDF for the first few digits of the TFN. If anything is found, it isn't redacted. How to check a redacted PDF covers the other places a number can hide.

4. Lock it and send the password separately

Add a password (AES-256) as the last step, then text the password to the person, rather than putting it in the same email. See Put a password on a PDF.

Why do it in one window

Every time a file is downloaded from one site and uploaded to another, there's another copy of a client's return sitting somewhere. Autonome PDF does all four steps in your browser, and the file isn't uploaded.

Try it on your own file. Autonome PDF runs in your browser, and the file isn't uploaded. Editing is free. Open Autonome PDF

Open the tool

• Redact a PDF so the words are really gone
• Merge PDF files without uploading them
• Put a password on a PDF

Good to know

Does a lender need the TFN?

Not to assess a loan. The Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015 limits who can collect and use a TFN, so removing it from documents you send is the safe default. Check with your adviser if a specific request seems to need it.

Is the redaction permanent?

Yes, in the downloaded file. Keep the original return in your own records.

Do I need an account?

Not to open or edit. You sign in when you download (free, no card), and that gives you 5 downloads a week.