Every paid tax preparer is required to have a Written Information Security Plan under the FTC Safeguards Rule. WispMint's AI writes yours from a few plain-English questions, following IRS Publications 5708 and 4557, so you can get back to clients.
The IRS and FTC treat tax preparers as financial institutions. That brings real obligations, and a one-page template from a forum doesn't meet them.
The FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) requires professional tax preparers to maintain a written information security plan. The IRS reminds every PTIN holder of this duty and asks you to confirm it when you renew.
IRS Publication 5708 walks through what a WISP must contain, and Publication 4557 lists the safeguards. Your WispMint plan follows both, section by section.
Preparers are a top target for identity thieves during filing season. A written plan with a named Data Security Coordinator, MFA and backups is what stops a lost laptop from becoming a breach.
Names your coordinator and their duties, as the IRS checklist requires, with an annual review log.
AI reads how your firm works, from tax software and e-file to email and cloud storage, and writes the risk assessment in plain English.
Antivirus, firewall, multi-factor authentication, backups, drive encryption and VPN, each stated as policy with a dated action item if it's missing.
Who to call, how to contain the damage, how to contact your IRS Stakeholder Liaison, the FTC, and clients under your state's breach law.
A register of your software, cloud and IT providers and how you check their security, as the Safeguards Rule requires.
Employee acknowledgment, training checklist and review log, so you can show the plan is in use, not just in a drawer.
Choose "Tax and accounting" and answer about 30 questions about your firm: software, email, devices, staff and how client documents come in. Or type a sentence about your firm and let the AI fill in the first draft.
WispMint's AI reads your answers and shows which safeguards are in place, which to verify, and what to fix first. No payment yet.
Pay once from $49 and your personalized plan is written in under a minute, as a PDF and an editable Word copy.
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Yes. The FTC Safeguards Rule requires it for professional tax preparers, and the IRS reinforces that requirement in Publications 5708 and 4557 and at PTIN renewal. There is no exemption for solo preparers or seasonal practices.
No. The plan has to describe your practice: your coordinator, your devices, your procedures and your service providers. Your software vendor is one of the providers your plan should list.
Yes, but your plan is shorter. WispMint sizes the plan to your firm, so a solo preparer gets a plan with one signature line and no staff training section they can't use.
The IRS template is a good outline, but you still have to write it. WispMint asks you plain-English questions and the AI writes the parts about your firm, then adds a dated gap list for anything missing. Most preparers finish in about ten minutes.
WISP Plus ($99 per year) lets you update your answers and regenerate your plan anytime, with version history and a yearly reminder to review it. WISP Instant ($49) is a one-time plan you can edit in Word.
No. WispMint builds your plan from official IRS and FTC guidance and your answers. You're responsible for following it and keeping it current.