Skip to main content

Uploading Documents

Upload tax documents to TidalForms for AI-powered extraction and human review. This guide covers what you can upload, how the upload process works, and how to troubleshoot common issues.

Supported documents​

TidalForms processes the most common US tax information returns and related forms:

Income and Wage Reporting

  • W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement)
  • W-2G (Certain Gambling Winnings)
  • 1099-NEC (Nonemployee Compensation)
  • 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous Income)
  • 1099-K (Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions)
  • 1099-R (Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, etc.)

Interest, Dividends, and Investments

  • 1099-INT (Interest Income)
  • 1099-DIV (Dividends and Distributions)
  • 1099-B (Proceeds From Broker Transactions)
  • 1099-OID (Original Issue Discount)
  • 1099-S (Proceeds From Real Estate Transactions)

Government and Other Income

  • 1099-G (Certain Government Payments)
  • 1099-A (Acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property)
  • 1099-C (Cancellation of Debt)

Health and Education

  • 1095-A (Health Insurance Marketplace Statement)
  • 1095-C (Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer)
  • 1098-T (Tuition Statement)
  • 1098-E (Student Loan Interest Statement)
  • 1098 (Mortgage Interest Statement)

Retirement and Savings

  • 1099-SA (Distributions From an HSA, Archer MSA, or Medicare Advantage MSA)
  • 1099-QA (Distributions From an ABLE Account)
  • 1099-Q (Payments From Qualified Education Programs)
  • 1099-SB (Seller's Investment in Life Insurance Policy)
  • 1099-SSA (Social Security Benefit Statement)

File formats

  • PDF (single or multi-document bundles)
  • JPEG and PNG images
  • Multi-page PDFs are automatically separated into individual forms

Multi-document PDFs are split automatically. If you upload a 50-page packet containing 12 tax forms, TidalForms identifies each form and creates separate review cases.

Upload workflow​

  1. Navigate to the Upload area. From the main navigation, select Upload or drag files directly onto the dashboard drop zone.

  2. Select your files. Drag and drop documents into the upload area, or click Browse to open your file picker. You can select multiple files at once.

  3. Review the upload queue. Before processing, you see a list of queued documents. Remove any files you did not intend to upload. When ready, agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

  4. Submit for processing. Click Submit Documents for Processing. This sends your documents through the OCR pipeline. Processing time varies based on file size and current queue depth, typically 30 seconds to a few minutes per document.

  5. Monitor progress. The upload page shows real-time status for each document. Status moves from Uploaded to Processing to OCR Complete as documents move through the pipeline.

Once OCR completes, documents appear in the Review Hub for verification. See the Review Hub guide for next steps.

What happens after upload​

When you submit documents, TidalForms runs them through an automated pipeline:

1. Intake and validation The system validates file integrity, checks for duplicates, and stores documents securely in your firm's workspace.

2. OCR extraction Azure Document Intelligence reads each document, identifies the form type, and extracts field values with confidence scores.

3. Form classification The system matches each document to its form type (W-2, 1099-NEC, etc.) using layout analysis and field signatures.

4. Multi-document separation If you uploaded a bundled PDF, the separation engine splits it into individual forms and creates separate cases for each.

5. Field normalization and validation Extracted values are formatted (SSN formatting, currency normalization) and validated against form-specific rules.

6. Review case creation Each document becomes a review case in the Review Hub, with extracted fields ready for verification. Cases that pass all validation rules with high confidence may be pre-approved.

You track document status throughout this process. When a document reaches OCR Complete or Needs Review status, it is ready for the next step.

For a walkthrough of the full workflow from account setup to first upload, see the Quick Start guide.

Upload troubleshooting​

File will not upload​

Symptoms: Upload hangs, fails immediately, or shows a generic error.

Solutions:

  • Check that your file is a supported format (PDF, JPEG, PNG)
  • Verify the file is not corrupted by opening it locally
  • Try a different browser or clear your browser cache
  • Confirm you have a stable internet connection

Multi-document PDF not splitting correctly​

Symptoms: A bundled PDF creates fewer cases than expected, or forms are combined incorrectly.

Solutions:

  • Ensure each form in the bundle is a standard IRS layout
  • Check that pages are not scanned at an angle or cropped
  • If the bundle contains non-tax documents, remove them before uploading
  • For complex bundles, upload individual forms separately

Form type not recognized​

Symptoms: Document shows as Unidentified or has the wrong form type.

Solutions:

  • Verify the document is a supported form type
  • Check that the form is not a state variant or heavily modified version
  • Ensure the form is legible and not a low-quality scan
  • You can manually correct the form type in the Review Hub

OCR extraction seems inaccurate​

Symptoms: Extracted values have low confidence scores or contain errors.

Solutions:

  • Review the original document quality. Dark scans, handwriting, or faded text reduce accuracy
  • For handwritten forms, expect lower confidence and plan for more manual review
  • Check for non-standard form layouts that may confuse the classifier
  • All extracted fields can be corrected in the Review Hub before export

Upload appears stuck in Processing​

Symptoms: Document status does not update after several minutes.

Solutions:

  • Refresh the page to check for updated status
  • Large files or high queue volume can extend processing time
  • If the status remains unchanged after 10 minutes, contact support