How to Set Up a Tax Audit Data Room in 5 Minutes
Step-by-step guide: create a room, upload tax returns, scan for TFNs, invite the auditor. Your documents are secure before your coffee goes cold.
You've just been notified of a tax audit. The ATO wants documents. Your client is nervous. Here's how to have a secure, professional data room ready before your coffee goes cold.
Step 1: Create the room (30 seconds)
Log into ShareAndGo, click "Create Data Room," and name it something clear: "Smith & Co — ATO Audit Q3 2026." Add your firm's logo if you want it branded. Done.
Step 2: Upload documents (2 minutes)
Drag and drop your files straight from Finder or Explorer. Tax returns, BAS statements, financial reports, bank statements — they all go in. Create folders if you want structure: "Financials," "BAS," "Correspondence." ShareAndGo's AI automatically extracts text from PDFs and scanned documents, making everything searchable.
Step 3: Scan for sensitive data (1 minute)
Right-click any document and select "Scan for Sensitive Data." ShareAndGo's AI detects Tax File Numbers, ABNs, BSB numbers, bank account numbers, and Medicare numbers. You'll see a list of detected items with severity ratings. Toggle which ones to redact, click "Redact," and a clean copy is generated. Your client's TFN stays hidden from anyone who doesn't need it.
Step 4: Invite the auditor (1 minute)
Click "Invite," enter the auditor's email, and choose their access level (View Only is usually right for auditors). They'll receive an email with an access link and verify their identity with a 6-digit code — no passwords to manage, no accounts to create. You can invite up to 50 people at once if the audit team is larger.
Step 5: Track everything
From the moment the auditor opens the link, every action is logged: which documents they viewed, for how long, from which IP address. If they have questions, they can use the Q&A tab to ask — you get an email notification and can reply directly. The full thread is tracked and timestamped.
What your client sees
Your client sees a professional, branded data room. Not a Dropbox link. Not an email attachment. A secure workspace that says "this firm takes confidentiality seriously." That matters when the ATO is involved.