Why using the IRS WISP template isn’t as easy as it looks—especially for solo tax preparers.

As a tax professional, you’ve most likely taken a look at the free IRS WISP template available online, knowing that a Written Information Security Plan is required to comply with the FTC Safeguard Rule. You may have even downloaded the IRS WISP template PDF for yourself, with the hopes of checking the box and moving on.

But here’s the truth – while the IRS WISP template is a great place to start (we even use it inside the WISP Builder app), maintaining your WISP on your own can quickly become a time-consuming and complicated task—especially as a solo PTIN holder.

What is the IRS WISP template?

The IRS has provided a WISP (Written Information Security Plan) template as a basic starting place for tax professionals to create their own security plan. The goal is to create a plan that specifically maps out how you will do your part, as a tax pro, in protecting your clients’ personal data. This regulation is part of the IRS’s plan to improve cybersecurity awareness in the tax and accounting industry, regardless of the firm’s size.

The IRS WISP template PDF lays out everything to include—things like network security protocols, data access, staff training requirements, and how to respond in the case of a data breach. But here’s where things get complicated…

What’s the problem with a “Do-It-Yourself” WISP?

As a tax preparer, you are an expert in taxes and not necessarily a cybersecurity expert. You are already managing your clients and deadlines, keeping up with compliance, tax law changes, and of course – the busy tax seasons. With all of this on your plate, trying to decipher cybersecurity jargon and which policies you should use in your business using a generic template is a big ask.

Here’s what often happens when PTIN holders use the IRS WISP template and try to maintain it on their own:

It’s overwhelming: At first, it may seem like the template seems straightforward, but once you start digging in, it’s more complicated than you’d realized.
Copy and pasting without customization leads to non-compliance: It’s tempting to use the template as-is, but that often turns into an inconsistent plan that doesn’t reflect your real-life systems or daily practices—making it basically useless in an audit.
Forgetting to update: Once your WISP is “done,” it tends to just sit on a shelf, so to speak, and collect dust. But in order to be effective, security policies are required to be updated at least once a year or anytime there’s a change to your business, software, personnel, or as new cyberthreats arise.
Skipping staff training: If no one else in your office knows what’s in your security plan, or what their responsibilities are, it won’t help when a breach happens.

The cost of an incomplete WISP when you “do-it-yourself” using the template.

A generic, copy-and-paste, WISP won’t protect you in the event of a data breach—or during an IRS or FTC audit. And even if you spent the time to create a detailed WISP initially, unless you have effectively maintained and stored your WISP, you are considered non-compliant and could face serious fines.

Even worse, if you’ve downloaded the IRS WISP template PDF, filled in the blanks, and just set it aside, that gives you a false sense of security. Auditors are looking for real, documented action—not just a file on your laptop.

A better way: fully-compliant tool to create and maintain your WISP

Creating and maintaining your IRS WISP using the free template is causing concern for many tax professionals, so you’re not alone if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed. This is the reason why so many tax and accounting pros now turn to cybersecurity consultants or tools and services, like WISP Builder, who specialize in helping any and all tax firms meet compliance requirements.

Bringing on an expert can help you to:

Understand the IRS WISP template fully
Take the steps to dive into a real risk assessment
Customize your WISP with your specific business in mind
Make certain that you’re following the FTC Safeguard Rule
Keep your plan updated and ensure that you stay compliant year after year

Don’t go it alone-protect yourself using a tool like WISP Builder

The IRS WISP template was created to give you an example of what is needed to get started, but it was not intended to be a one-size-fits-all solution. For most of the solo tax preparers and smaller tax offices trying to oversee this process on their own, this often takes time away from important client work and results in incomplete plans, or even worse, non-compliance.

If you are committed to protecting your client’s data and you truly want to stay compliant, it’s worth using a tool like WISP Builder to create and maintain your WISP so that your security plan becomes a real tool—not just a formality. WISP Builder is the only cost-effective tool of its kind designed to help you effectively create and maintain your WISP, so that you can get and stay compliant.