Because your retirement accounts hold sensitive financial and personal information, Guideline requires two-factor authentication (2FA) to provide an additional layer of security.

Here are resolutions to common 2FA issues that can help you regain access to your account.

First, double check that the code you entered exactly matches the code you received or see within your authenticator app with no dashes or spaces.

If you’re using an authenticator app, note that codes are only valid for a short period. If you enter a code after it has expired, revisit the app and enter the new code displayed. If you access other sites using the same authenticator app, also confirm that you’re entering the code displayed for Guideline, Inc.

There are a few reasons why you may not be getting verification code texts:

You chose to receive 2FA codes through an authenticator app: In this case, codes will not pop up or be sent to you. Instead, you’ll need to visit the app (such as Google Authenticator or Authy) on your phone to get the codes for Guideline, Inc.

Your phone number is incorrect or has changed: You’ll need to contact us to reset your account. You can then update the phone number or 2FA options by following these instructions.

Your network connection was down or disabled: If an outage occurs or your phone is on airplane mode, you may not receive text communications. Try going back to the login page and requesting a text message code again once connection is restored. If the outage is for an extended period, contact us for assistance.

Your phone is set to block messages from unknown senders: Turn this option off within your phone or text message settings. Then, go back to the main login page and request a new text code.

If you’re still not receiving your 2FA code via text messages, please contact support and we can help reset your account. You will be asked to provide personal or account information for verification and security purposes.

Follow the instructions below based on your 2FA method.

As long as you keep the same phone number you entered when activating 2FA, you should still receive the security notifications to your new device. As a result, there should be no interruption in your 2FA capabilities.

If you got a new phone number, then you’ll need to contact us to reset your 2FA access. For verification and security purposes, you will be asked to provide personal or account information.

If you enabled 2FA through an authenticator app, you’ll need to download the app on your new device. You should then be able to log in to the authenticator app using your phone number or username and password. If you need help restoring and accessing your authenticator account, please see the directions provided by Google Authenticator, Authy, or the app that you use.

If you tried the above remedies and still can’t access your account, contact support for assistance. For verification and security purposes, you will be asked to provide personal or account information.

If your authenticator app is not working properly, go to your mobile app store and confirm that you have the latest version. If you don’t, update the app and try again.

If you can’t log into your authenticator app and need help restoring your access, please see the directions provided by Google Authenticator, Authy, or the app that you use. Otherwise, feel free to contact us and we can reset your account. You can then reconfigure your 2FA options within your dashboard.

To set up or make changes to 2FA within your Guideline dashboard, see our guide here.

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