TaxAct 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

TaxAct is tax filing software for individuals, businesses and tax professionals, sold both online and as a desktop program. Its two-step verification isn't optional. Every time you sign in, TaxAct asks for a 6-digit code, and you pick whether that code arrives by text message or comes from an authenticator app (TaxAct). Text is the starting point, so this guide is about switching to an app. We use Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone in the steps. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the TaxAct steps come from TaxAct's own support articles, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a TaxAct account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Before you start: a US phone number

You still need a phone number on the account even if you only ever use an app. TaxAct says it requires a valid domestic number to use the product and finish verification, and that foreign numbers aren't supported (TaxAct). That number also matters later: it's one of the ways back in if you lose your authenticator.

Switch to an authenticator app

The setting lives in your online account, even if you prepare your return in the desktop program. TaxAct says account changes must be made through the online sign-in (TaxAct). For an individual account, its help describes these steps (TaxAct):

1. Sign in to your TaxAct account on the website.
2. Open the menu at the top right and choose Settings.
3. Find the 2-Step Verification Method section.
4. Next to the authenticator app option, click Set Up and follow the prompts.

TaxAct's article stops there. It names Duo, Microsoft Authenticator and Google Authenticator as examples, but doesn't show the setup screens or say whether you get a QR code, a text key, or both. A standard authenticator setup usually shows a QR code, so here is how to add it to Novaz:

5. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the code on your screen. If you're doing this on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
6. If TaxAct offers a key you can type instead, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz. Fill in Service (for example, TaxAct), Account if you like, and paste the key into Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
7. If TaxAct asks for a code to confirm the setup, type the current 6-digit code from Novaz.

TaxAct Professional accounts

Tax pros have a different menu. Their help points to My Preferences, then the section How do you prefer to receive your verification code?, where you click Verify with Google Authenticator (TaxAct). The button names Google's app, but TaxAct's own troubleshooting page lists several authenticators it supports (TaxAct), so a standard app such as Novaz should work too.

When TaxAct asks for a code

On the website, you enter your username, pass a reCAPTCHA, type your password, then enter the code. The desktop program asks for a code after Agree and Sign In when it needs one (TaxAct).

Ticking Remember this device on a private computer cuts down the prompts. If you clear your browser's cookies, cache or history, TaxAct forgets the device and asks again. If it keeps asking even though you ticked the box, TaxAct suggests checking that your browser isn't blocking cookies (TaxAct). TaxAct also emails you after a sign-in from a new computer, phone or browser.

No backup codes

TaxAct's verification articles don't mention backup or recovery codes. Your fallbacks are the phone number and email address on the account, plus an identity questionnaire (below). Unless you've backed up Novaz with iCloud backup or a backup file, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so keep that phone number and email current in Settings.

If TaxAct rejects your code

TaxAct's tips are about texted codes, which expire after a few minutes. For codes from an app, TaxAct only links to each authenticator maker's own troubleshooting pages (TaxAct). With Novaz, check the clock first: on your iPhone, open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you if the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

TaxAct doesn't describe moving an authenticator to a new phone. In Novaz, iCloud backup or a backup file lets you restore your accounts on the new iPhone with the same codes. Without one, while you can still sign in, go back to 2-Step Verification Method in Settings and set the app up again on the new iPhone. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

TaxAct gives two routes, both on the code screen (TaxAct):

• A code by text or email. The help describes resending a text, and an Update Mobile link that sends a code to your email so you can change the phone number on file.
• The identity questionnaire. On the Enter the code we sent… screen, click Verify another way, then Confirm your identity. Fill in your current contact details, click Next, and follow the instructions. TaxAct says the process has five steps, and that you can change your email or phone number once you're back in.

TaxAct's password-recovery articles call that option Verify your identity instead, so the label may differ (TaxAct). None of these pages say how long recovery takes. TaxAct's Service & Support team can't reset your password for you (TaxAct). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Going back to text codes

You can't turn two-step verification off, because TaxAct asks for a code at every sign-in. To stop using the app, choose Mobile Phone in the 2-Step Verification Method section. After that, open TaxAct in Novaz and tap Remove account.

Official TaxAct help

• Individual – Verification Codes
• Professional – Verification Codes
• Sign-In Instructions (Online or Desktop)
• Troubleshooting Links for Third-Party Authenticators
• Recover Your Account (Locked or Disabled)
• Individual – Recover Online Username or Password
• Individuals – Manage Account Information (Name, Address, Username, or Password)