Privacy Policy

Who we are

The Childcare Accountants Ltd is registered in England and Wales. Company No. 17402723. Registered office: 20 Nursery End, Stanford In The Vale, Faringdon, England, SN7 8PH.

Information we collect

For enquiries and quotes, we collect the contact details, business information, service choices, quote answers and messages you provide.

When you use the client portal, we also process your account and contact details, documents you upload or receive, forms, tax and accounting information, correspondence, service deadlines and task records. Where payroll is enabled, this includes employee names, pay, hours, deductions and the payroll instructions you submit.

Document signing records can include the signer's name and email address, their confirmation, the document version, the time of signing, IP address and browser information. We also keep records of relevant account, file and submission activity to protect access and establish what was submitted or agreed.

Information may come from you, an authorised business contact or employer, your advisers, or authorities such as HMRC where relevant to our work. Please only supply information about other people where you are entitled to do so and it is relevant to the service.

How and why we use information

• To answer enquiries, prepare quotes and deliver agreed accounting, tax, payroll and advisory work. We rely on taking steps towards, or performing, a contract with you where that applies.
• To manage client relationships, communicate with business contacts, operate the portal, prevent misuse and keep evidence of instructions and signatures. These support our legitimate interests in running and protecting our practice and providing our services.
• To carry out checks and keep or disclose records where legal or regulatory obligations require it.
• To send marketing updates where you have opted in. You can withdraw that consent at any time.

Some information is needed to verify access or carry out the services you request. If you do not provide it, we may be unable to grant access or complete that work.

Our role and payroll information

The Childcare Accountants Ltd is the controller for information used to manage our own client relationships, professional responsibilities and portal security. Where we process personal information on a client's instructions, such as payroll information on behalf of an employer, our role and responsibilities are also set out in the relevant engagement and data-processing terms. Employees can contact their employer about information supplied for payroll; we assist with requests where appropriate to our role.

Who information is shared with

Authorised members of our team and service providers receive information needed for their work. The portal uses Vercel for hosting, Supabase for its database and authentication services, and Resend to deliver service emails. Identity-check and payment providers may also receive information where those services form part of your onboarding or agreed work.

We may share relevant information with your authorised advisers, professional bodies, insurers, regulators, HMRC or other authorities where authorised, required or otherwise legally permitted.

Cloud suppliers may process information outside the UK. Where this happens, the applicable UK transfer requirements must be met, for example through an adequacy arrangement or approved contractual safeguards. Contact us for details of the processing locations and safeguards relevant to your information.

How long we keep information

We keep records for as long as needed for their purpose and our legal and professional responsibilities. The period depends on the service, applicable tax, accounting and payroll record-keeping requirements, the duration of our relationship, and any outstanding enquiry, complaint, investigation or legal claim. More specific retention arrangements may be provided with your engagement terms.

Signing out, removing portal access or archiving a client record does not automatically erase documents, payroll submissions or signing evidence. Contact us if you want to understand the retention period for a particular record or request its deletion.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you can request access to your personal information, correction of inaccurate information, deletion, restrictions on its use, or a portable copy. These rights can be limited where we need to retain or use information to meet legal obligations.

Your right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests and to the use of your information for direct marketing. You can also withdraw consent where we rely on it, without affecting processing that was lawful before withdrawal.

Email hello@thechildcareaccountants.co.uk to make a request. You can also raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office.

Cookies and portal access

Our Cookie Policy explains the sign-in cookie and browser storage used by the portal. Keep sign-in links private and tell us promptly if you think somebody else has accessed your account.

Contact

For privacy questions, email hello@thechildcareaccountants.co.uk or write to our registered office above.