Privacy and confidentiality

Sidhu Accounting and Tax Services Inc. is an accounting, tax and bookkeeping firm in Calgary, Alberta. This policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information.

As a private business in Alberta, we follow Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). PIPA sets the rules for how we handle your personal information and gives you the right to see and correct it.

We only collect what we need to do the work you've asked us to do. Depending on the service, this can include:

• Your name, phone number, email and mailing address.
• Your Social Insurance Number, date of birth and marital status, when we prepare a tax return.
• Details about your spouse and dependants, when they affect your return.
• Income slips, receipts, bank and credit card statements, and other financial records.
• Business records such as sales, expenses, payroll and employee information.
• Notices and letters you've received from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Most of this comes straight from you. Sometimes, with your permission, we get it from the CRA or your bank.

We use your information to:

• Prepare and file your tax returns and other government filings.
• Keep your books, run payroll and prepare financial statements.
• Give you tax and business advice.
• Contact you about your file, appointments and deadlines.
• Send invoices and keep our own business records.
• Meet our legal obligations.

We won't use your information for any other purpose without asking you first. We never sell it, and we don't use it for third-party marketing.

Everything you share with us about your finances is treated as confidential. Only the people on our team who work on your file can see it.

We don't discuss your affairs with anyone else, including family members or business partners, unless you tell us we can or the law requires it.

We use physical, technical and administrative safeguards, including:

• Paper files kept in a locked office.
• Password-protected computers and accounts, with two-step sign-in where available.
• Secure cloud accounting and document tools, with access limited to staff who need it.
• Secure shredding of paper records we no longer need.

Some of the cloud software we use may store information on servers outside Canada, such as in the United States. When that happens, your information may be subject to the laws of that country. If you have questions about this, contact us and we'll explain which tools hold your information.

The CRA generally requires tax and business records to be kept for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. We keep your records for at least that long, and longer if a return is under review, under objection or appeal, or if another law requires it.

When we no longer need your information, we securely destroy paper records and permanently delete electronic files.

When you use the contact or booking form on this site, we collect your name, email, phone number and anything you write in the message. We use it only to reply to you and arrange your appointment.

Please don't send your Social Insurance Number or other sensitive financial details through the website forms or regular email. We'll give you a secure way to share documents once you become a client.

Our website uses only the basic cookies it needs to work. We don't use advertising cookies. Our office map is provided by Google Maps, which may set its own cookies when it loads.

We only share your information when it's needed to do your work, and only with:

• The CRA and other government bodies, and only with your authorization, for example when you sign a T183 to let us file your return or authorize us as your representative.
• Service providers we rely on, such as accounting software and secure file storage. They may only use your information to provide their service to us.
• Other people you ask us to deal with, such as your bank, lender or lawyer.

We may also disclose information when the law requires it, such as in response to a court order or a legal demand from the CRA.

Under PIPA, you have the right to:

• Ask to see the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct anything that's wrong or incomplete.
• Withdraw your consent, with reasonable notice. If you do, we may no longer be able to provide some services.

Send your request in writing using the details below. We'll respond within 45 days, as PIPA requires. If we can't give you access to something, we'll tell you why.

If you aren't satisfied with how we handle your request, you can contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

For any privacy question or request, contact our office:

• Email: info@sidhuaccounting.com
• Phone: +1 403 568 2667
• Mail: Sidhu Accounting and Tax Services Inc., 4656 Westwinds Dr NE #202, Calgary, AB T3J 3Z5