Free WISP Builder
Freeabout 15 minutes, in your browser
- Your plan, filled in from your answers
- Built on IRS Pub 5708 + the FTC rule
- A to-do list for every gap
- Print, PDF or Word
For tax preparers, Enrolled Agents & CPAs
Your WISP, done. Before tax season.
Federal law (the FTC Safeguards Rule) requires every tax practice to keep a written information security plan. Build yours free in about 15 minutes, or let us write it with you and keep you covered all year.
Why now
Four reasons not to wait for January.
I
PTINs renew every fall
Every preparer renews by December 31, and tax season starts right after. The quiet weeks before January are the time to get the plan written.
II
Tax season is theft season
Criminals target tax offices for the client data that files fraudulent returns. The IRS warns preparers every year, and the busiest weeks are the riskiest.
III
Breaches now go to the FTC
Since May 2024, unencrypted information on 500 or more people taken without authorization must be reported to the FTC within 30 days of discovery.
IV
The free template is 28 pages of blanks
The IRS sample plan (Pub 5708) is good, but most owners never finish it. Our builder fills it in from your answers.
Options
Start free. Get help only if you want it.
Most offices start with the free builder. If you’d rather not do it yourself, or want someone accountable all year, pick the level that fits.
WISP Done-For-You
$497one time · 5 business days
- A 30-minute video interview, then we write it
- Every attachment filled in
- MFA, encryption and backups checked with you
- Staff sign-off forms ready to sign
- Free re-check of one gap you fix in 30 days
Get it done: $497 Delivered in 5 business days
Safeguards Essentials
$249/ month · offices of 1–5
- We act as your Qualified Individual
- Quarterly check-in and the annual review
- Yearly staff security training
- New software and vendors vetted
- Incident help by email, next business day
Book a free 15-minute call Cancel anytime
Full Safeguards Program
From $1,200/ month · after a free readiness check
- Everything in Essentials
- Monitoring, testing and the written risk assessment
- Board or owner report every year
- For larger offices and multi-location firms
Our guarantee: the Done-For-You plan is delivered within 5 business days of your interview, or it’s free.
Day-one wins
The six fixes that matter most.
If you do nothing else this month, do these. Each one closes a door criminals use against tax offices.
- Multi-factor sign-in on email, tax software, portals and remote access
- Encryption on every laptop and desktop
- Everyone has their own login; nothing shared
- A client portal or encrypted email instead of plain email for returns and documents
- Automatic backups you’ve actually test-restored
- A written breach plan, including calling your IRS Stakeholder Liaison right away
Questions
Straight answers.
Isn’t the IRS template free?
Yes, and it’s good. IRS Publication 5708 is a 28-page sample plan. Our builder uses the same structure and fills it in from your answers, so you finish in one sitting instead of staring at blanks. It’s free too.
I’m a one-person office. Do I really need this?
Yes. The FTC Safeguards Rule has no exemption for being small: a solo preparer is a covered “financial institution.” Offices with fewer than 5,000 client records get a lighter version, but still need the written plan, a named person in charge, multi-factor sign-in and encryption.
Is this legal advice?
No. We build and run security programs to the rule’s requirements; for legal questions, talk to your attorney. The plan is yours, and nothing in it is a guarantee against a breach or an investigation.
I already have a WISP.
Great. Send it through the free 15-minute review and we’ll tell you, in writing, what’s missing or out of date.
How does the done-for-you work?
You book a 30-minute video call, we ask the questions, and within 5 business days you get the finished plan and attachments, plus a short list of fixes in priority order. We can make the fixes for you at a quoted price.
What happens after the plan is written?
The rule expects you to keep it current: review it at least yearly, train staff, and check new vendors. Essentials does that for you for a flat monthly fee.
Get your plan written this week.
Free builder, or done for you in 5 business days.
Golden Rock builds and maintains security programs to the requirements of the FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) and the IRS’s guidance for tax professionals (Publications 4557 and 5708). This is a security service, not legal advice, and doesn’t guarantee against a breach or enforcement.