Privacy Policy

Who we are

Ledger Desk (legal entity name, "we", "us") is a tax preparation firm based in California. We prepare and file federal and state tax returns for individuals and businesses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our address is mailing address.

Because we prepare tax returns, the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act treats us as a financial institution. We follow the Federal Trade Commission's Privacy Rule and Safeguards Rule, and the IRS rules that apply to paid tax return preparers.

Information we collect

Information you give us

• Account details: your name, email, mobile phone, mailing address, password and the way you prefer us to contact you. We store your password only in a protected form that can't be read back.
• Identity details: your Social Security number or ITIN, date of birth and, when we confirm your identity before you sign, your photo ID.
• People on your return: names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of your spouse and dependents, when they belong on your return.
• Your answers: the tax year, your state and your answers about your work, income, home and family in that year.
• Your documents: files you upload, such as W-2s, 1099s, 1098s, last year's return, bank and brokerage statements, and business records.
• Bank details: the account and routing number you give us for a direct-deposit refund or a payment to a tax agency.
• Business details: for business returns, the business name, EIN, owners, and financial records.
• Messages: what you and our team send each other in the portal, by email, by text or by phone.
• Signatures: your electronic signature on your e-file authorization (IRS Form 8879 and state forms).

Information we collect automatically

• Sign-in and security data: sign-in times, IP address, browser and device type, and failed sign-in attempts.
• Portal activity: which documents were uploaded, viewed or changed, and by whom. We keep this record to protect your file.

Information from others

• Identity verification: our verification partner tells us whether your identity check passed. If the check compares a photo of you with your ID, the partner does that comparison. We receive the result, not a face template.
• Tax agencies: the IRS and state agencies tell us whether your e-filed return was accepted or rejected, and may send notices about it.
• People you authorize: for example, your spouse on a joint return or someone you name as your representative.

How we use it

• To prepare, review, sign and e-file your federal and state returns.
• To decide which documents your return needs and to answer your questions about it.
• To confirm your identity before you sign and to prevent identity theft and tax fraud.
• To show the status of your return and send you updates you asked for.
• To help you if you get a notice from a tax agency about a return we prepared.
• To keep the portal secure, investigate problems and keep records the law requires.
• After the launch offer ends, to bill you for services you agreed to.

We use sensitive information, such as your Social Security number, ID and bank details, only for these purposes. We don't use it to learn things about you that have nothing to do with your return.

Your tax return information

Section 7216 of the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations protect the information you give us to prepare your return. We use and share that information only to prepare and file your return, and as the law otherwise allows.

If we ever want to use or share your tax return information for any other purpose, we will ask you first, on a separate consent form that explains exactly what we want to do. You don't have to agree. Saying no doesn't change the service we give you.

Who we share it with

• Our team. Your accountant, a reviewer if your return is reviewed, and the staff who run the service. Everyone on our team is bound by confidentiality.
• Tax agencies. The IRS and the state agencies where you file, when we file your return or answer a notice for you.
• Service providers. Companies that host the portal and store files, send our emails and texts, verify identity, collect electronic signatures and transmit e-filed returns. They may use your information only to provide their service to us, under contracts that require them to protect it.
• People you authorize. For example, your spouse on a joint return, or a representative you name on IRS Form 2848 or 8821.
• When the law requires it. For example, to answer a valid subpoena or court order, or to report a crime against us or our clients.
• If our business changes. If Ledger Desk merges with or is sold to another firm, your information may move to that firm. The protections in this policy and in federal law go with it.

No selling, no ads

We don't sell your personal information. We don't share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we don't show ads in the portal. We don't share your information with other companies for their own marketing.

Cookies and browser storage

We use only what the site needs to work: keeping you signed in, remembering your settings (for example, whether notification sounds are on) and protecting your account. We don't use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.

If we ever add website analytics, we will update this policy first, and we will respect your browser's Global Privacy Control signal.

Emails, texts and WhatsApp

We email you about your account and your return, such as confirmation codes, requests for documents and when your return is filed. These emails are part of the service.

Texts and WhatsApp messages are optional. If you turn them on, we send them only about your account and your return.

• How often: only when something about your return needs your attention, or for sign-in codes.
• Message and data rates may apply.
• Reply STOP to stop texts at any time, or HELP for help. You can also change this in your account settings.
• We don't share your phone number with anyone for their marketing.

We will never ask you for your password, a sign-in code or a payment by text, email or phone call.

How we protect it

We keep a written information security program, as the FTC Safeguards Rule requires, and follow IRS guidance for tax professionals (Publication 4557). It includes:

• encryption of your information in transit and in storage;
• two-step sign-in for client accounts, and required two-step sign-in for our staff;
• an identity check before you sign your return;
• access limited to the people who need it, with every access logged;
• background checks, confidentiality agreements and security training for our team;
• a plan to respond to security incidents.

No system is perfectly secure. If a security breach affects your information, we will notify you and the authorities as the law requires. You can help by using a strong, unique password and turning on two-step sign-in.

How long we keep it

• Returns and supporting documents: seven years after the return is filed, then we delete them. Federal law requires preparers to keep a copy or record of each return for at least three years.
• Messages and activity records: as long as the return they belong to.
• Sign-in and security logs: up to two years.
• Accounts with no submitted return: deleted after two years without activity.

If you ask us to delete your account, we delete what we can right away and keep only what the law requires, for as long as it requires.

Your choices and rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

• tell you what personal information we have about you and how we use it;
• give you a copy of your information and documents;
• correct information that's wrong;
• delete your information, unless the law requires us to keep it.

To make a request, write to us using the contact details below. We will confirm your identity before we act, usually by asking you to sign in or to confirm details we already have. You can let someone act for you if you give them written permission. We will answer within 45 days. If we need more time, we will tell you why.

We will not charge you more or treat you differently for using these rights.

California residents

The California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, gives California residents the rights listed above, plus the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and to limit the use of sensitive personal information. We don't sell or share personal information, and we use sensitive personal information only for the purposes the law allows, so there is nothing you need to opt out of.

Some of the information we handle is also covered by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. We still honor your requests for it under this policy.

In the past 12 months we collected the following categories of personal information:

We don't collect precise location data or biometric information. Under California's "Shine the Light" law, you can ask whether we shared your information with others for their direct marketing. We don't.

Residents of other states

Several states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, Texas and Virginia, give residents privacy rights similar to the ones above. We offer the same rights to everyone. If we turn down your request, you can appeal by replying to our answer. We will respond to your appeal within the time your state's law requires. If you are not satisfied, you can contact your state attorney general.

Children

Accounts are for people 18 and older. We don't knowingly collect information directly from children. When a child is your dependent, we collect the details your return needs from you, the parent or guardian.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top. If a change affects how we use or share your information, we will email you before it takes effect, and ask for your consent where the law requires it.

Contact us

• Email: privacy email
• Phone: toll-free number
• Mail: legal entity name and mailing address

If you think someone used your information to file a tax return, also see the IRS identity theft page at irs.gov/identitytheft.