> It started requiring phone numbers and things...

a) You're already trusting them with every piece of information in your tax return. It'd cost like five cents to use that information to discover your phone number... if they're malicious, you're already fucked.

b) When? At the end of the process where you're doing stuff like attesting that you're not lied on your tax return? I don't remember them demanding a phone number up front, and I also don't remember whether or not I refused to provide a phone number at the end.

▲ mixmastamyk a day ago | parent | next [-]

No, I didn’t enter PII into it, just let it do math, downloaded, and printed. Wrote contact info by hand.

(The efiling never worked for me, always complained about something esoteric.)

They’re just values as far as it’s concerned. And it is dumped every October. But phone # validation up front is too much, an overstep.

Like I said, I just used it for the calc ability so a spreadsheet works as well. Bit of work the first year, then tweak.

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simoncion a day ago | parent [-]

Weird. The electronic filing has worked flawless for me every year for the past like four or five years. Was the "esoteric" complaint delivered as an email after you'd submitted your paperwork? If so, then in my experience, that's because you've fucked up the data you input into the form and the IRS's backend has a funny-but-useful way of spelling that.

> But phone # validation up front is too much, an overstep.

They definitely didn't do this to me any of the years I've used them to file taxes. When did you file yours? Did you file them long after the 2024 taxes were due?

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mixmastamyk a day ago | parent [-]

Started asking about two or three years ago at registration, didn’t try last year. My return is complicated and it couldn’t handle some obscure form. But don’t remember which. On time.

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simoncion 21 hours ago | parent [-]

> Started asking about two or three years ago at registration...

Very odd. I wonder (but not enough to investigate) what's so different between your situation and mine that I'd not be asked for a phone number during initial configuration.

	▲	mixmastamyk 20 hours ago \| parent [-]
		https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-fillable-forms/free-fil... "Email and phone verification If you are not receiving the verification codes, from both sources, you will not be able to create an account:"

▲ cozzyd a day ago | parent | prev [-]

The 1040 has a spot for phone number too...

▲ simoncion a day ago | parent [-]

The 1040 has a spot for both a phone number and an email address. The 1040 instructions make it completely clear that both are optional.

  You have the option of entering your
  phone number and email address in the
  spaces provided. There will be no effect
  on the processing of your return if you
  choose not to enter this information.
  Note that the IRS initiates most contacts
  through regular mail delivered by the
  United States Postal Service.