Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

2. What Personal Data We Collect

When you use our contact form or enquire about our services, we may collect:

• Your full name
• Email address
• Phone number (if provided)
• Company or business name (if provided)
• The nature of your enquiry and the content of your message

When you book a consultation via our Calendly link, your booking data is collected and processed by Calendly, Inc. under their own privacy policy. We receive a copy of booking details to prepare for your appointment.

When you visit our website, our hosting infrastructure may automatically collect standard technical data such as your IP address, browser type, and the pages you visit. We do not use this data to identify you personally. See our Cookie Policy for more detail.

If you become a client, we collect additional personal and financial information necessary to provide our services, including identification documents, financial records, and HMRC reference numbers. We provide a separate client engagement letter and privacy notice at the start of our working relationship.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases (UK GDPR, Article 6):

• Legitimate interests — to respond to your enquiry and provide information about our accounting services, where those interests are not overridden by your rights
• Contractual necessity — where you become a client, to deliver the services we have agreed to provide
• Legal obligation — where we are required by law to process your data, including anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, HMRC reporting, and ICAEW professional standards
• Consent — where you have specifically opted in, for example to receive marketing communications

4. How We Use Your Data

We use the information you provide to:

• Respond to your enquiry or request for information
• Arrange and manage appointments and consultations
• Provide accounting, tax, bookkeeping, and advisory services to clients
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
• Improve our website and services based on aggregated, anonymous usage data

We will never sell your personal data to third parties, or use it for unsolicited marketing without your explicit consent.

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We share your data only where necessary and with appropriate safeguards in place:

• HMRC and regulatory bodies — where we are legally required to report or disclose information
• ICAEW — our professional body, in connection with quality reviews or regulatory matters
• Cloud software providers — such as Supabase (our database provider), accounting platforms (e.g. Xero, QuickBooks), and our website host, all acting as data processors under our instruction
• Calendly — when you book an appointment; their processing is governed by Calendly's own privacy policy
• Professional advisers — such as our own legal advisers or insurers, under strict confidentiality obligations

We do not transfer your data outside the UK or EEA without appropriate protections in place.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, or as required by law:

• Enquiry and contact data — up to 2 years if no client relationship is established, or until you ask us to delete it
• Client records — a minimum of 6 years from the end of the relevant tax year, in line with HMRC requirements and our professional obligations
• AML identity verification records — 5 years from the end of the business relationship, as required by the Money Laundering Regulations

After the applicable retention period, your data is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure — request deletion of your data where there is no lawful reason for us to continue holding it
• Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests, or for direct marketing purposes

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at inquiry@adamaccountingservicesltd.com. We will respond within 30 days and there is no charge for making a request.

8. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. Our website uses HTTPS encryption for all data in transit, and contact form submissions are stored in a secure, access-controlled database.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Cookies

Our website uses only essential cookies required for it to function. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. For full details, please read our Cookie Policy.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version will always be available on this page with the date it was last updated. Continued use of the website after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. How to Complain

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first and we will do our best to resolve the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator: