Uploading documents

What you can upload

tako.tax 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, tako.tax processes it in your browser. A WebAssembly build of the pdfium PDF library parses the file and extracts text from the document's text layer.

tako.tax does not use OCR. If your document is a scanned image without a text layer, tako.tax 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, tako.tax 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.

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 tako.tax does not recognize yet
• The form type is not yet supported

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

Privacy note

Documents are parsed locally during normal preparation. See the privacy model for the broader data-handling explanation.