Uploading documents

What you can upload

ErgoTax accepts PDF versions of common tax documents such as W-2s, 1099s, and similar forms. See the supported forms matrix for the current list of recognized document types.

How document processing works

When you add a document, ErgoTax processes it within your browser during normal preparation. A WebAssembly build of the pdfium PDF library parses the file and extracts text from the document's text layer. Tax document files are not sent to ErgoTax servers for parsing.

ErgoTax does not use OCR. If your document is a scanned image without a text layer, ErgoTax will not be able to extract values from it. In that case, use manual entry to provide the values directly.

After uploading

After a document is uploaded and parsed, ErgoTax maps the extracted text to known field positions on that form type. You will see the extracted values in the review screen. Review every value before proceeding — extracted values may contain errors.

If a value is wrong or missing, you can correct it manually at any time. See Manual entry.

Documents are not stored on ErgoTax servers

The file you add is processed in your browser and is not written to ErgoTax servers during normal preparation. Extracted field values are saved to your local project. The original file is not retained by ErgoTax after extraction is complete.

If extraction fails or is incomplete

Not every document will extract cleanly. Common reasons extraction produces incomplete results:

• The PDF is a scanned image with no selectable text
• The form uses an unusual layout ErgoTax does not recognize yet
• The form type is not yet supported

In all of these cases, use manual entry to provide the values directly.