Redact an SSN before sharing a completed form
Quick answer
Filly's AI locates personal data — names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses — lists it for you to confirm, then flattens the pages carrying whatever you kept ticked so the underlying text cannot be copied back out. A black rectangle drawn in a PDF editor leaves the text intact underneath; this does not.
When you’d use this
Sending a completed form to a third party
A filled W-9 or I-9 carries a full SSN. When a copy has to go to someone who doesn't need that number, redaction removes it rather than hiding it.
Using a real document as an example
Sharing a finished filing as a template for colleagues or a client means stripping the identifying data first.
Responding to a records request
Third-party personal data often has to be removed before a document is released.
How to do it
- 1Open the PDF tools and choose Redact.
- 2Select the PDF. The AI scans it for personal data.
- 3Review the list it found and untick anything that should stay — nothing is changed until you confirm.
- 4Redact the confirmed items and download the file, with the affected pages flattened.
What it doesn’t do
The detector is a fast first pass, not a compliance review: it can miss an unusual format, so read the document as well as the list — nothing it fails to flag can be ticked. Check the output before releasing anything sensitive. Flattening also converts affected pages to images, so text on them is no longer selectable, and a scanned PDF has no text layer for the detector to read at all.
Frequently asked questions
Is a black box over text in a PDF actually redaction?
No, and this is the most common and damaging mistake. A rectangle drawn in most PDF editors sits on a layer above the text — the text is still in the file and can be copied out or recovered. Real redaction removes the underlying content, which is why Filly flattens the affected pages.
Can Filly find SSNs and dates of birth automatically?
Yes. The AI scans for names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and similar identifiers and lists what it found. You tick the ones that should go — only those are blacked out. The scan is free and changes nothing; credits are spent only when you confirm, because a scan you end up rejecting should not cost you anything. Your original upload is never modified.
Is AI redaction good enough for compliance?
Treat it as a fast first pass, not a guarantee. It is detection software, not a legal review — an unusual format can be missed, and only you know what has to go in your situation. Always check the output before you release a document.
The tools are the side of it
Filly is a form filler first: save a client’s details once and every form you upload afterwards fills itself from that profile. These PDF tools exist because the paperwork around a filing needs assembling before and after it’s filled.
- Free plan — 10 forms, 5 clients, 10 fills a month, no card
- Reads any PDF or DOCX, including scans via OCR
- 18 official IRS, USCIS and SSA forms built in