What You Can Still Do Before Tax Day (Without Inviting Identity Theft)

Year-end deadlines may be over, but tax season is still in front of us and it brings the same mix of logins, documents, and “official-looking” messages. The Military.com article you shared focused on year-end money actions veterans often overlook many of which create the exact paperwork and account access that carries into the new year.

So here’s the forward-looking mission: use early 2026 to get organized and cyber-safe before you file.

Why this matters to the military home front

Tax season is when:

• Documents with SSNs and account numbers move around

• You log into high-value financial accounts more often

• Scammers send “refund” and “verification” bait

Military families are especially vulnerable during busy periods (PCS prep, deployment routines, reservist travel). This checklist keeps your digital perimeter tight while you handle money tasks.

Step 1: Consolidate your financial documents into one secure “tax folder”

The worst workflow is scattered PDFs in email, texts, and downloads.

How to do it:

Create a single secure folder (cloud vault or encrypted storage) for statements, forms, and receipts. Move files there immediately after downloading.

Step 2: Lock down the account that resets everything: email

If your email is compromised, your tax documents and logins are next.

How to do it:

Enable MFA on email, update recovery options, and check “recent logins” for anything unfamiliar.

Step 3: Secure your retirement-related accounts early

The Military.com article emphasized retirement decisions and timing-sensitive actions. Those accounts are prized targets.

How to do it:

Change passwords to unique ones and turn on MFA now before tax pressure hits.

Step 4: Reduce “document exposure” during tax prep

Tax season encourages oversharing: uploading, emailing, forwarding.

How to do it:

Avoid emailing sensitive PDFs unless necessary. If you must share documents, use a secure share method and remove access when done.

Step 5: Set alerts for account changes

Scammers don’t always steal money first they change contact info.

How to do it:

Turn on alerts for password changes, new device logins, and profile updates for your most important accounts.

Step 6: Confirm your backup plan for records and memories

Financial paperwork is replaceable…sometimes. Family photos aren’t.

How to do it:

Verify backups for both documents and photos. If your laptop died tomorrow, could you recover?

Step 7: Create a “tax-season scam filter”

Scams peak when people expect official notices.

How to do it:

Household rule: you never “verify” personal info from a link in a message. You verify by typing known official sites or calling known numbers.

Common Mistakes

• Leaving tax forms in email attachments

• Reusing passwords for “money” accounts

• Using public Wi-Fi for financial logins

• Clicking “refund pending” or “verification” links

• No alerts for account changes

• Mission-Ready Checklist

• Secure tax folder created + organized

• MFA enabled on email + finance accounts

• Alerts enabled for logins/profile changes

• Passwords unique for top accounts

• Backups verified (docs + photos)

• Household scam filter rule in place

Ready to secure the home front?

Want help locking down accounts, devices, Wi-Fi, and backups before tax season peaks? Take the Cyber Readiness Self-Assessment and we’ll point you to the highest-impact fixes first.

Disclaimer: This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.