Introduction
Tidball Accountancy Pty Ltd respects your privacy and understands the importance of protecting the personal, financial and business information entrusted to us.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use, disclose and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, subscribe to our communications, download resources or engage Tidball Accountancy to provide professional services.
Our Privacy Commitment
Tidball Accountancy complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
As a registered tax agent, we also have specific obligations relating to the handling and protection of Tax File Number information.
Where we provide services regulated by Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws, we may also be required to collect, verify, retain and disclose certain information in accordance with those laws.
What Personal Information We Collect
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us and may include:
- your name, address, email address and telephone number;
- business and employment details;
- date of birth;
- Tax File Number and other government identifiers;
- identification and identity verification information;
- bank account and payment details;
- income, expenses, assets, liabilities and investment information;
- taxation records and correspondence;
- accounting, bookkeeping and financial information;
- superannuation and payroll information;
- company, trust, partnership and ownership information;
- information about directors, shareholders, trustees, beneficiaries and beneficial owners;
- information required for customer due diligence or AML/CTF compliance;
- information submitted through our website, forms or communications; and
- other information reasonably necessary for us to provide our services or meet our professional and legal obligations.
Where relevant, we may also collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for our services and permitted by law.
How We Collect Personal Information
We generally collect personal information directly from you, including when you:
- contact us;
- complete a form or questionnaire;
- book a consultation;
- engage us to provide professional services;
- provide documents or financial records;
- communicate with members of our team;
- subscribe to our newsletter;
- download a resource, including our Greener Business Checklist; or
- otherwise interact with us online.
Where authorised, necessary or permitted by law, we may also collect information from other sources, including your authorised representatives, the Australian Taxation Office, ASIC, financial institutions, superannuation funds, previous accountants or bookkeepers, professional advisers, government agencies, software platforms and publicly available registers.
Why We Collect and Use Personal Information
We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:
- respond to enquiries;
- assess whether we can provide services to you;
- establish and manage our professional relationship;
- provide accounting, taxation, bookkeeping, advisory and related services;
- prepare and lodge taxation and regulatory documents;
- communicate with the ATO, ASIC and other authorities on your behalf;
- manage accounting and business software;
- verify identity and conduct customer due diligence;
- comply with taxation, AML/CTF, professional, regulatory and other legal obligations;
- process payments and manage accounts;
- maintain appropriate business and professional records;
- operate and improve our business, systems and website;
- protect our clients, systems and business from fraud, misuse or security threats;
- provide resources you request;
- communicate relevant taxation, accounting and business information; and
- comply with lawful requests or requirements from regulatory, government or law enforcement authorities.
If you do not provide information that we reasonably require, we may be unable to provide some or all of our services.
Tax File Numbers and Government Identifiers
Tidball Accountancy may collect and handle Tax File Numbers and other government identifiers where authorised or required for taxation, superannuation or related purposes.
We only collect, use and disclose Tax File Number information as permitted by law and do not use Tax File Numbers as a general means of identifying our clients.
AML/CTF and Identity Verification
Certain services provided by Tidball Accountancy may be subject to Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.
Where these obligations apply, we may be required to collect and verify information relating to clients, representatives, beneficial owners, business structures, transactions and other relevant matters.
We may also be required by law to retain information, undertake customer due diligence and provide information to AUSTRAC or other authorised government or law enforcement bodies.
In some circumstances, the law may restrict what we are permitted to tell you about information provided to regulatory or law enforcement authorities.
Disclosure to Third Parties
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to provide our services, operate our business or comply with our professional or legal obligations.
This may include disclosure to:
- the Australian Taxation Office;
- ASIC;
- AUSTRAC and other government or regulatory authorities where required;
- our employees and contractors;
- accounting and bookkeeping software providers;
- practice management and document management providers;
- cloud storage and information technology providers;
- electronic signing and identity verification providers;
- email and communication providers;
- payment processors and financial institutions;
- professional advisers, insurers, auditors and consultants;
- other accountants, bookkeepers, solicitors or advisers where authorised by you; and
- other parties where you have consented or disclosure is authorised or required by law.
We do not sell your personal information or our mailing list to third parties.
Third-Party Software and Overseas Data
Tidball Accountancy uses third-party software and cloud service providers to operate our business and provide our services.
Some providers may store or process personal information outside Australia or provide access to information from overseas locations. Depending on the provider and service used, this may include the United States and other overseas locations.
Further information about software providers and relevant data locations may be provided to clients through our engagement documentation.
Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps as required by Australian privacy law to ensure that the information is appropriately handled.
Newsletter, Resources and Marketing
You may choose to subscribe to Tidball Accountancy communications or request resources through our website.
Where you provide your email address for these purposes, we may use it to deliver the requested resource and send our newsletter and other relevant taxation, accounting, business or sustainability information.
We use third-party email marketing software to manage our subscriber communications.
You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time using the unsubscribe link contained in our emails.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications will not prevent us from sending communications reasonably necessary to provide professional services to you or comply with our legal obligations.
Website, Cookies and Analytics
Our website may use cookies, analytics tools and similar technologies to support website functionality, understand how visitors use our website, improve our services and measure website performance.
Information collected through these technologies may include browser, device, website usage and general technical information.
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Some website functionality may be affected if cookies are disabled.
Security of Personal Information
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
We use administrative, technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to our business, including secure cloud-based systems, access controls and multi-factor authentication where available.
Access to client information is restricted to people who require it to perform their work.
While we take reasonable precautions, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
If a data breach occurs, we will investigate and respond in accordance with our obligations under applicable privacy laws, including notification requirements where they apply.
Retention and Disposal
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services and meet taxation, accounting, professional, AML/CTF and other legal or regulatory record-keeping requirements.
Some information must be retained for prescribed periods after our professional relationship has ended.
When personal information is no longer required to be retained, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it where appropriate.
Accessing and Correcting Your Information
You may request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
We may ask you to verify your identity before providing access or making a correction.
There may be circumstances where the law permits or requires us to refuse access to particular information. Where appropriate and permitted, we will explain the reason.
Privacy Complaints
If you believe we have mishandled your personal information or have concerns about our privacy practices, please contact us using the details below.
We will consider your complaint and respond within a reasonable period. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, services, technology or legal obligations.
The current version will be available on our website and will show the date it was last updated.
Contacting Us
Tidball Accountancy welcomes your comments regarding this Privacy Policy. For privacy enquiries, requests to access or correct personal information, or privacy complaints, please contact:
Attention: Privacy Policy
Tidball Accountancy
PO Box 1849
Penrith, NSW 2751
AUSTRALIA
Email: admin@tidballaccountancy.com.au
Phone: 1300 074 074