Privacy Policy & Payment Security

1. Data Protection & Encryption

At W-2 Simple, we take data privacy and confidentiality seriously. Because tax documents and wage statements contain sensitive employee and company information, our entire application is architected around minimal data retention and strict cryptographic protection:

• Previews: When drafting your W-2, paystub, or 1099-NEC, calculations and previews update in real time in your browser. A draft is saved only when you generate a document.
• Encrypted at Rest: When an order is created, the document snapshot is encrypted using industry-standard AES-256-GCM authenticated encryption with unique cryptographic keys.
• Zero Plaintext Storage: Sensitive identifiers such as Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) are never stored in unencrypted plaintext in our database.

2. Payment Processing

Paid orders are processed through the configured payment provider. We do not store payment card details. Applying a valid free-download coupon creates a $0 order without requesting payment details.

3. Automatic 7-Day Data Purging

Unlike traditional accounting platforms that hold employee tax records indefinitely, W-2 Simple follows a strict privacy-first retention policy:

• After you generate your document, your secure download link remains active for exactly 7 days so you can download and verify your file.
• After 7 days, the encrypted document snapshot and temporary draft records are permanently deleted from our servers by our automated cleanup system.
• We strongly recommend downloading your PDF immediately upon purchase and storing it securely in your own local or business records.

4. Email Usage

Email addresses are not requested during document generation, and documents are not emailed. Download your PDF directly from the private order page.

• We do not sell, rent, license, or trade personal information to third-party advertisers, data brokers, or marketing networks.

5. Address Verification & Third-Party APIs

To help ensure US postal addresses are correctly formatted and have valid ZIP codes, our form integrates with Google Places API for address autocomplete:

• Address autocomplete requests are executed strictly for field completion. Google does not receive your wage, SSN, or tax information.
• No personal information is combined with search query logs.

6. Corrections & Privacy Inquiries

If you have any questions regarding how your data is handled or need an immediate manual deletion of your order records before the 7-day expiration window, please contact our support team at support@w2simple.com.