Plot StrideA LITTLE HELP
Your next step, explained.
Answers for the household and business pilot.
Where is my household budget?
Open your workspaces and choose Household. Existing desktop records remain in the desktop app. Nothing moves automatically when you sign in.
Can I open my tax documents on another device?
Yes. The web Tax Center saves an encrypted online vault under your account. Sign in on the other device and unlock it with the same vault password. New files and changes save when you select Save. Wait for the save confirmation before closing the page.
To bring an existing desktop vault online, download its encrypted backup in the desktop Tax Center, then choose Already have a tax vault backup? on the website. Review the restore before confirming. The desktop copy stays separate; it does not automatically sync.
When will my tax documents expire or be deleted?
Tax Center now uses each document’s IRS situation and relevant filing, payment or disposal dates. Upload date does not start a three-year deadline. Missing details require review. Keep-through dates are minimum reminders, never permission to delete. Automatic deletion is off. Export and storage-review requests remain available; optional review reminders are available below. Paid renewals remain off.
IRS guidance: some records need longer than three years
The IRS does not require deletion after three years. Keep-through reminders use the details you enter; they are not deletion dates.
- Usually keep supporting income-tax records for three years after filing. Early returns are treated as filed on the due date.
- For a later refund claim, keep records for three years after filing or two years after payment, whichever is later.
- Some unreported-income cases need six years; bad-debt or worthless-securities claims need seven.
- Employment-tax records need at least four years after tax is due or paid, whichever is later.
- Property records may be needed through disposal and the applicable limitation period. Unfiled or fraudulent returns require indefinite retention.
State rules, creditors or insurers may require longer. Keep your own copies and ask your preparer about your situation. Read the IRS’s full recordkeeping guidance.
How much can I store, and how do backups work?
A small pilot, with clear limits.
4 MiB per file · 6 MiB per account across all tax years · 100 attached files. MiB means 1,048,576 bytes. This two-account online pilot is for fictional records. Shared capacity can pause new uploads; it does not remove saved documents or block their export.
These are storage limits, not a promise to keep records for a particular number of years. There is currently no scheduled tax-document expiry. Your recordkeeping duties depend on your circumstances, and can last longer than the service’s future storage offer.
Your choices: download an encrypted vault backup for recovery, or an unencrypted CPA packet for sharing through a secure channel. After cancellation, existing records remain readable and exportable; new uploads require an eligible plan. A storage-review request needs our approval and does not extend a term, enable a renewal or charge you.
Independent encrypted backups keep at most seven recent snapshots within 30 days, subject to a shared storage budget. The current offsite copy needs our backup computer and OneDrive running; it is not an always-on or 15-minute recovery guarantee. Keep your own original files and encrypted backup. We would explain any future storage expiry and export options before applying a new policy. Automatic tax-document deletion and real payments remain off.
How do I turn on review emails?
Open Household → Tax Center, unlock your online vault and find Optional email reminders. Choose a first date and whether to repeat, then select Save reminder settings. These generic emails go to your verified sign-in address and contain no tax documents. You can turn them off there or use the unsubscribe link. Dates are review prompts, never deletion notices or proof that a record is safe to discard. Keep your own calendar for legal deadlines.
Does recording a payment charge my customer?
No. It records money already received outside Plot Stride. The same is true for vendor payments and refunds.
How do I make a PDF invoice?
Open the document, select Print / save PDF, and choose Save as PDF in your browser. Issued invoice details stay fixed even if you later edit the contact.
Why did my save conflict?
Another tab may have changed the books. Select Refresh records, check the latest information, and review your open form before saving again. Check the document and its balance before retrying a payment.
What do I need for a bank import?
A CSV with columns id,date,description,amount. Use YYYY-MM-DD dates, dollar amounts with up to two decimals, negative amounts for money out, and stable transaction IDs from your bank. Preview before saving. Match payments already recorded so income is counted once.
What should pilot testers try?
Use a fictional business. Add a customer, draft and issue an invoice, record a partial payment, and check the remaining balance. Try a vendor bill, bank match, export, and viewer invitation. Record confusing screens and any differences in totals. Do not use real receipts or customer records yet.
Are the 15-minute backups ready?
Not yet. A backup copy must be made, restored into an isolated test system, and compared with the original fictional records. A written target alone does not prove recovery works.