US Tax Court DAWSON: Preparing Your Petition PDFs

If you're filing a petition with the United States Tax Court yourself, you'll use DAWSON, the Court's electronic filing system. According to the Court's self-represented filing guide (dated September 2026), every upload must be a PDF, each file can be up to 250 MB, and PDFs must not be encrypted or password-protected. PDF Portfolio files aren't supported.

The file limits are easy to meet. The real work is what goes in which PDF, especially where your Social Security number may and may not appear. This guide walks through it.

The upload requirements

From the "Requirements for uploaded documents in DAWSON" section of the Court's guide:

1. All uploads must be in PDF (.pdf) format.
2. The maximum size for each PDF is 250 MB.
3. PDF files must not be encrypted or password-protected.
4. PDF Portfolio files are not supported.

The Court's DAWSON FAQ adds that if a document is larger than 250 MB, you should upload it as separate documents, each 250 MB or less. If DAWSON says a file is encrypted or password-protected, remove the protection before uploading.

The documents in a petition filing

The guide describes these parts:

• The Petition. You can answer questions online and let DAWSON generate it, upload the Court's standard form (T.C. Form 2), or upload your own petition that follows the Tax Court Rules. If you upload one, the guide says: don't include your Social Security number, taxpayer ID or employer ID. Don't attach other documents such as tax returns or receipts. Don't include names of minor children or financial account numbers.
• The IRS notice(s). If you received a notice, you're asked to upload a PDF of it. The guide says this is optional. You must redact SSNs, TINs and EINs on a copy of the notice. You can add up to 5 notices, and they become part of the case record.
• The Statement of Taxpayer Identification Number (STIN). You download the form, fill it in and upload it. It's sent to the IRS to identify you and is never visible in the case record. It's the only document that should contain your SSN, TIN or EIN.
• The filing fee. The guide lists a $60 fee, paid online or by check or money order after you submit.

You can't save your work and come back once you start the filing process, so have every PDF ready first.

Step 1: Redact the IRS notice properly

Scan or save a copy of your IRS notice as a PDF. Then use Redact PDF to draw boxes over every SSN, TIN or EIN. Check the header, the address block and any tear-off voucher on the last page. Redact PDF turns the pages with boxes into images at 200 DPI, with the boxes painted solid black, so the numbers are truly removed, not just hidden under a shape. By default it also clears the document's metadata. Keep your original notice untouched. The guide asks you to redact a copy, not to permanently alter the original.

Before uploading, you'll have to tick a box confirming that all documents are redacted under Rule 27, so check every page.

Step 2: Keep the STIN separate

The STIN is where your full identification number goes. Fill in the form, save it as its own PDF, and upload it only in the STIN step. Don't merge it with the petition or the notice. Mixing them would put your number in the public case record.

Step 3: Remove passwords

PDFs you download from online accounts sometimes come protected. If you have the right to use the file and know the password, Unlock PDF removes it along with owner restrictions. It doesn't guess passwords. DAWSON rejects encrypted files, so check every PDF before you start the filing.

Step 4: Sign correctly

The guide accepts several kinds of signature: imaged or digitized signatures on a PDF, a document printed, signed by hand and then turned into a PDF, and documents signed with authentication programs (with encryption removed before uploading). Your DAWSON username and password also serve as your signature as the filer. If both spouses are petitioners, the other spouse must sign before you upload. If you add a drawn or typed signature with Sign PDF, keep in mind that it's a simple visual electronic signature, not a certificate-based digital signature. The guide says stylized signatures such as "/s" or a cursive font are acceptable only when paired with the DAWSON login or with authorization under Rule 23(a)(3).

Step 5: Split only if you must

A petition PDF almost never comes close to 250 MB. If you're uploading a very large document later in the case, Split PDF can divide it by page ranges into several files, each under the limit, split at logical points.

Common mistakes

• SSN on the petition. It belongs only on the STIN.
• Unredacted notice copy. Check every page, including vouchers.
• Attaching evidence to the petition. The guide says not to attach tax returns or receipts.
• Encrypted PDFs. Remove protection first.
• Filing twice. The guide says to file once: not both electronically and by mail.
• Missing the deadline. In most cases the Court must receive an e-filed petition by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the last day to file.

Checklist

• Petition PDF with no SSN, account numbers or children's names.
• Redacted copy of each IRS notice.
• STIN as its own PDF.
• No encryption or passwords.
• Each file 250 MB or less.