Your browser

To make sure you can file your income tax return securely and confidentially, you must use a Web browser that has 128-bit secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption.

Browser test

If you would like to make sure your browser meets the NETFILE security standard and settings, click on the Test button.

If you don't have a browser that meets the security standard, you can either download a complete browser package or upgrade the one you have. Just pick the package you need for your computer from our list of tested browsers.

To ensure that you're identified during your online session, you should also make sure that your cookies are enabled in your browser settings.

What if I do not upgrade my browser?

When you are ready to file your tax return, our servers will perform an encryption check to verify that the browser you are using meets our security requirement.

If your browser passes the encryption check, you will be directed to the NETFILE transmission Web page to file your tax return.

To access the Netfile transmission page or the access code on-line service, you must have a browser with a minimum of 128-bit SSL security enabled. If your SSL settings have been disabled or don't meet the minimum requirement you will get a generic error message from your browser telling you to check the settings. The message from your browser will resemble the following:

The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.

If you get this message, you should visit our Browser settings page.

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Encryption

Encryption is a way of encoding information before it is transmitted over the Internet. Your encrypted tax data will be decoded on our protected server.

We use encryption to ensure that no unauthorized party will access your personal information. Data from your computer is encrypted before being sent. This changes your data into a format that can be safely transmitted over the Internet. Once the data is encrypted, it cannot be read until it reaches its destination and is decrypted, using an encryption key.

For more information on the security of 128-bit SSL encryption, see our Security Web page.

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Tested browsers

Although other Web browsers may also function, the following have proven to work with NETFILE:

• 128-bit Microsoft Internet Explorer® (version 4.x or higher).
• 128-bit Mozilla Firefox
• 128-bit Safari
• 128-bit Opera
• 128-bit Netscape Navigator™ (Communicator) (version 4.6 or higher; however, you may encounter problems with version 6.0: we recommend version 6.1 or higher)

It's your responsibility to download and install the necessary browser. You can link directly to these Web sites to upgrade your browser version.

Note
Your tax preparation software or Web application may only support certain browsers.

Notice to Macintosh users
To transmit your tax return through NETFILE you may have to use a different browser than the one your tax preparation software supports.

New browser versions
Recently released versions have not been fully tested for compatibility with our Web site, and we cannot provide support for these products.