Privacy Policy

YOUtax Pty Ltd (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).  
 
You can obtain further information regarding the APPs and your privacy rights at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au. 

Our employees, contractors, consultants, partners, and any other third-party entities that at our direction have access to your personal information are bound by and must adhere to this Privacy Statement. 

Our privacy statement will be reviewed regularly to take account of changes in legislation, technology, and our operation and practices. As a result, from time to time we may change this privacy statement. 

This policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and manage personal information. 

We collect personal information necessary for providing our accounting and related services.  
This may include: 

• Name, address, and contact details 

• Tax file numbers (TFNs) 

• Occupations, memberships, qualifications, and other accreditations 

• Financial information 

• Employment details 

• Insurance particulars and insurance-related health information 

• Superannuation policy information 

• Additional information from you regarding family relationships and other business-related connections 

• Other relevant information required for our services 

While we may request details regarding certain identification numbers utilised by the government and other third parties, we only do so where it is necessary and lawful and we do not set out to use these identifiers as our own. 

We will usually collect your personal information directly from you; however, if that is not possible, we may collect your personal information from your personal representative or associate with your expressed consent.  

We may collect information that is available in the public domain where this information will assist us with the provision of services to our clients. Information may have been provided verbally or in writing (including via email or web forms).  

In some instances, you may provide us with information relating to an associate of yours. Please ensure that you are authorised by the associate to provide the information to us. 

We may collect personal information from you or from third parties by: 

• Having face-to-face meetings and telephone discussions with you 

• Asking you to complete client questionnaires 

• You using our website and interacting with our social media sites 

• You communicating with us through correspondence 

• Conferring with third parties such as financiers or the Australian Taxation Office on your behalf 

• Using “cookies” or other similar tracking technologies on our website that track website usage, preferences, and personal account information 

• Requesting information from a publicly available source 

• We may from time to time collect personal information from alternative sources. 
   

 Some examples of these alternative collection events are: 

• When we collect personal information about you from third parties including employers with your prior consent. 

• Concerning an associate of a client (e.g., spouse or child) where it is considered impracticable or unreasonable to seek this same information directly from the associate 

• When we collect personal information about you from publicly available sources including but not limited to social media platforms, court judgments, share registry, Australia Post, and Directories 

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse and loss, unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. All staff are subject to confidentiality clauses, and we implement stringent procedures to protect passwords and your personal information.  

We only collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information which is reasonably necessary to ensure that we are able to provide you with the products and services that are appropriate to your needs.  
 
These services will be outlined in the engagement letter. 
 
We collect personal information to: 

• Provide accounting, tax, and advisory services 

• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations 

• Communicate with clients and stakeholders 

• Improve our services 

We may disclose your personal information for the following purposes: 

• To enable you to access and use our services and in turn provide our services to you 

• To provide you with direct marketing materials that may be of interest to you such as articles or product brochures or correspondence from our business partners 

• For purposes that you consent to such disclosure or for a related purpose where you would reasonably expect such disclosure 

• Any circumstance otherwise authorised by the APPs and/or the Privacy Act 

• We will only use sensitive information for the primary purpose it was obtained for or for a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose (or where otherwise required by law). 

We may disclose your personal and sensitive information to trusted third parties, including the following entities: 

• Our representatives, advisers, employees, dealers, agents, and related bodies corporate 

• Third-party suppliers and service providers such as the providers for the operation of our website or business services 

• The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to meet ongoing compliance 

• The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) or Financial Planning Association (FPA) on request to meet ongoing compliance, mandatory professional standards, and other legal obligations 

• Specific third parties authorised by you to receive information held by us 

• As required by law or directed by legal decision/process 

• Any industry body, tribunal, court, or otherwise connected with any complaint regarding our services 

YOUtax Pty Ltd stores your personal information on infrastructure owned or controlled by us with a third-party service provider.  We only use third-party service providers who have taken reasonable steps to ensure they comply with the Australian Privacy Act.  
 
We utilise a number of different types of accounting software and online tools in the performance of our services. These applications may require the storage of personal data at non-Australian locations. These software providers are contracted with YOUtax Pty Ltd and your personal information remains under the effective control of YOUtax Pty Ltd. 

Please also note that there are occasions, we are able to facilitate offerings from third parties in order to provide a greater service to our clients without disclosing any of your personal information.  
 
We will always seek your permission prior to sharing information unless we are lawfully required to do so. 

If you subscribe to information on our website or are a client or contact of YOUtax Pty Ltd, then your email address and other personal information that you provide will be recorded. 
 
Your email address may occasionally be used to provide you with information about office news and other services that we offer. If you at any time do not wish to receive any information about these services, please feel free to contact us by email at hello@youtax.com.au or phone 07 5301 9217. You may also opt out upon receipt of such material. 

Data Security 

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. This includes implementing physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect. 
 
We take our data security obligations seriously and your personal information is regarded as confidential  
 
We are familiar with the requirements of the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme and YOUtax Pty Ltd are committed to responding to data breaches in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act.  We will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and you if there is unauthorised access to, unauthorised disclosure of, or loss of, personal information held by us and the access, disclosure or loss is likely to result in serious harm to any of the individuals to whom the information relates in accordance with the Privacy Act. 

Our website may contain links to external websites operated by third parties. The privacy polices of these other websites may not accord with this Privacy Policy and we cannot be held responsible and do not have control of the use of your personal information by these third parties. 

YOUtax Pty Ltd take seriously any breach of this Privacy Policy by our employees, contractors, consultants, partners and any other entity that at our direction have access to your personal information and will invoke disciplinary and possible legal action against the offending party. 

Access and Correction 

Individuals have the right to access and correct their personal information held by us. Requests for access or correction should be made in writing to our Privacy Officer at hello@youtax.com.au. 

Complaints 

If you have a complaint about how we handle your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer at hello@youtax.com.au or call us at 07 5301 9217. We will investigate your complaint and respond within a reasonable timeframe. 

Changes to This Policy 

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will be available on our website. 

Contact Us 

For any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, please contact: 

Privacy Officer 
YOUtax Pty Ltd 
hello@youtax.com.au 
07 5301 9217 

Version 5 – Last updated 18 November 2024