BabyFileCab 2.3.0

A fresh look and a tidier way to find things, plus more protection for client data.

New look

• Purple is now the standard theme: a deep purple title bar with soft lavender accents. Light and Dark are still there if you prefer them.

Settings in one place

• Settings now opens a single window instead of a long menu. Your password, theme, lock timer and keyboard shortcuts are together under My Account, with separate pages for Users, Data & Backups, Security, and Updates & About.
• The Tools menu is grouped into Workflow, Billing & Letters, and Tax.

Protecting client data

• Scans are encrypted as soon as they arrive. While BabyFileCab is open, new files in your scan inbox folder are encrypted within a few seconds and the unencrypted originals are deleted. Unwanted scans can be discarded to the Recycle Bin.
• Encryption check (Settings › Security, administrators) finds files that were copied into the data folder by hand and encrypts them.
• Security plan (Settings › Security, administrators) prepares your Written Information Security Plan as a PDF or Word file, filled in with your users, encryption, sign-out and backup settings. Every paid preparer needs one, and your answers are saved for next year's review.
• Only one copy of BabyFileCab can be open at a time. Opening it again brings the open window to the front.

Time Sheet

• Start a timer when you begin work for a client and stop it when you're done; the time is filled in for you. A clock in the title bar shows it's running.
• Repeat copies an earlier entry so regular work is quick to log.

Fixed

• The Firm Calendar week view no longer cuts off Sunday on smaller windows.

Downloads

• Windows: BabyFileCab-v2.3.0-Windows-x64-Setup.exe (installer) or the Portable zip
• Mac: macOS-AppleSilicon.zip for M1 and newer, macOS-Intel.zip for older Macs
• Linux: unpack the tar.gz and run ./install.sh

If BabyFileCab is open when you update, close it first.

The Windows and Mac builds aren't code-signed yet, so you'll see a warning the first time you open them. The README explains how to get past it.

BabyFileCab 2.2.0

A bigger update to the tools that sit alongside your client files: billing, the calendar, the tax calculator and engagement letters.

Invoices

• As many lines as you need on one invoice.
• Invoice numbers run in order (INV-2026-0001, 0002…) and start over each year.
• Pull unbilled hours straight from the Time Sheet.
• New Invoices list (Tools › Invoices) to see what's unpaid or overdue and mark payments.
• Invoices are saved in the client's folder and show up in the client list.

Time Sheet

• Everyone, staff included, enters and edits their own time per client. Type it as 1.5, 1:30 or 90m.
• Week, month and year views with totals per client, plus a client filter.
• Administrators can see everyone's time.
• Export to a spreadsheet.
• Billed hours show the invoice number and are locked.

Firm Calendar

• Federal filing deadlines show on the right days, moved for weekends and holidays.
• New statuses: Extension Filed, E-filed, Accepted and Rejected. Needs Attention flags rejected returns, e-files with no acceptance after three days, and extended returns from September 15.
• The week arrows carry on from December 2026 into 2027.

Federal Tax Calculator

• 2024 added.
• Itemized deductions and the extra standard deduction for 65+ and blind.
• The 2025–2028 senior, tips and overtime deductions.
• QBI for self-employment income, qualified dividends, the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax and the $500 credit for other dependents.
• The prior-year safe harbor for quarterly payments.

Engagement Letters

• More services: 1040-X, 990, 709, 706 and state returns.
• Administrators can rewrite the letter wording for the whole firm.
• Letters are saved in the client's tax-year folder.

Currency Converter

• Treasury December 31 rates for FBAR and Form 8938, alongside the IRS yearly averages.

Permissions

• Only administrators can delete a client or empty the Recycle Bin. Staff can still delete to the Recycle Bin and restore.

Downloads

• Windows: BabyFileCab-v2.2.0-Windows-x64-Setup.exe (installer) or the Portable zip
• Mac: macOS-AppleSilicon.zip for M1 and newer, macOS-Intel.zip for older Macs
• Linux: unpack the tar.gz and run ./install.sh

The Windows and Mac builds aren't code-signed yet, so you'll see a warning the first time you open them. The README explains how to get past it.

BabyFileCab 2.1.2

New app icon. The BabyFileCab file cabinet now shows on Windows, Mac and Linux in place of the old placeholder "W". On Linux the window and taskbar use it too.

Nothing else changed since 2.1.1. See the 2.1.1 notes for the recycle bin, scan inbox, previous versions, automatic backups and the built-in PDF viewer.

Downloads

• Windows: BabyFileCab-v2.1.2-Windows-x64-Setup.exe (installer) or the Portable zip
• Mac: macOS-AppleSilicon.zip for M1 and newer, macOS-Intel.zip for older Macs
• Linux: unpack the tar.gz and run ./install.sh

The Windows and Mac builds aren't code-signed yet, so you'll see a warning the first time you open them. The README explains how to get past it.

BabyFileCab 2.1.1

BabyFileCab is a document management system for tax preparers, accountants and small firms. Every client gets their own encrypted filing cabinet on your computer, with tools for the rest of the tax office built in: a firm calendar, engagement letters, invoices, a time sheet and a quick federal tax estimator.

This release is mostly about keeping your documents safe and making filing faster.

What's new in 2.1.1

• PDF previews work on Windows and Mac. PDFs now open in a viewer built into BabyFileCab, so previews and Find in PDF work everywhere without installing anything. As a bonus, PDFs are decrypted in memory only and never written to a temporary file.
• Recycle Bin. Deleting a file, tax year or client now moves it to File › Recycle Bin, where you can restore it for 30 days, descriptions and Done marks included.
• Previous versions. Upload a file with the same name as an existing document and BabyFileCab keeps the old copy as a previous version instead of creating "W-2 (2).pdf". Open or restore it from Document Properties.
• Scan inbox. Go to Settings › Scan Inbox Folder and choose the folder your scanner or phone app saves to. New scans show up under an Inbox button at the top; pick the client and folder, rename it if you like, and click File. The scan is encrypted into the vault and removed from the inbox folder.
• Automatic backups. Settings › Automatic Backups saves a copy of everything, still encrypted, to an external drive or network folder every day or week. Each backup is checked after it's written and older ones are cleaned up. To restore, use "Restore from a backup" on the sign-in screen; your current data is set aside, never deleted.
• Update notice. BabyFileCab now lets you know when a newer version is out. It only looks at this page's public releases, once a day, and you can switch it off under Settings › Check for Updates.

Also: the yearly tax figures now live in one file with instructions for updating them, and the GitHub build pipeline is up to date.

Downloads

System	File
Windows 10 / 11	BabyFileCab-v2.1.1-Windows-x64-Setup.exe (installer) or …-Portable.zip
macOS, Apple Silicon (M1 and newer)	BabyFileCab-v2.1.1-macOS-AppleSilicon.zip
macOS, Intel	BabyFileCab-v2.1.1-macOS-Intel.zip
Linux x64	BabyFileCab-v2.1.1-Linux-x64.tar.gz

Windows: run the Setup file. The app isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may show a warning. Click More info and then Run anyway.

macOS: unzip and drag BabyFileCab into Applications. The first time, right-click it and choose Open, since it isn't notarized yet.

Linux: extract the archive and run ./install.sh. BabyFileCab shows up in your applications menu under Office. PDF previews no longer need poppler-utils.

Upgrading? Back up your BabyFileCabData folder first, including the .vault-keys folder inside it. After upgrading, turning on Automatic Backups takes care of this for you.

Full list of changes in CHANGELOG.md. Checksums for every download are in SHA256SUMS.txt.

BabyFileCab 2.1.0

BabyFileCab is a document management system for tax preparers, accountants and small firms. Every client gets their own encrypted filing cabinet on your computer: a Permanent Folder, a folder for each tax year, and whatever sections you like inside them. You can preview PDFs, Word, Excel and email files without opening them, search across the whole firm, and see who changed what in the audit trail.

On top of that it has the tools a tax office uses every day: a firm calendar, engagement letters, invoices, a time sheet and a quick federal tax estimator.

Downloads

System	File
Windows 10 / 11	BabyFileCab-v2.1.0-Windows-x64-Setup.exe (installer) or …-Portable.zip
macOS, Apple Silicon (M1 and newer)	BabyFileCab-v2.1.0-macOS-AppleSilicon.zip
macOS, Intel	BabyFileCab-v2.1.0-macOS-Intel.zip
Linux x64	BabyFileCab-v2.1.0-Linux-x64.tar.gz

Windows: run the Setup file. The app isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may show a warning. Click More info and then Run anyway.

macOS: unzip and drag BabyFileCab into Applications. The first time, right-click it and choose Open, since it isn't notarized yet.

Linux: extract the archive and run ./install.sh. BabyFileCab will show up in your applications menu under Office. It needs WebKitGTK 4.1, and poppler-utils for PDF previews.

Upgrading? Back up your BabyFileCabData folder first, including the .vault-keys folder inside it.

What's new in 2.1.0

• Needs Attention. When you sign in, BabyFileCab lists returns that have been waiting on reports, an 8879 or a signature for a week or more, signed returns that haven't been filed yet, and clients whose scheduled date has passed. Click Open to jump right to that client on the calendar.
• A cleaner look. New colors, a smaller header, proper icons in the client tree, a one-row toolbar, and matching dialogs in light and dark mode.
• Stronger passwords. New passwords need at least 12 characters, and a meter shows how strong yours is as you type. Your existing password still works.
• The calendar keeps going. The Firm Calendar always covers this year and the next two, and invoices and engagement letters offer every tax year up to the current one.
• Linux app menu. The Linux download now comes with an installer that adds BabyFileCab to your applications menu.

Fixes

• People upgrading from the original unencrypted version couldn't sign in. The first administrator to sign in now sets up the vault and can enroll everyone else.
• Windows: saving to the vault could fail with "Access Denied".
• Windows: opening a document with & in its name could start a second program.
• Invoices and engagement letters picked tomorrow's date in the evening.
• Searching a PDF for several words could mess up the highlighted text.

Full list of changes in CHANGELOG.md. Checksums for every download are in SHA256SUMS.txt.