Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are
 

TrustPoint Accounting Services Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a firm of licensed accountants registered in England and Wales.
 

For the purposes of applicable data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018, we are the Data Controller of the personal data we process.
 

Registered Office: 134 Oak Road, Bishops Waltham, Southampton, SO32 1EQ
Company Number: 16697347
VAT Number: GB 500 9773 96
Email: info@trustpointaccounting.co.uk
Telephone: 02380 016019

Data Protection Lead (DPL): Stanislav Olestsenko

The DPL can be contacted at info@trustpointaccounting.co.uk.
 

We are committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and safeguard your data when you visit or use our website and engage with us for professional services.

 

Clients who engage us for professional services will also receive a more detailed privacy notice applicable to their circumstances as part of our engagement process. Where there is any difference, that more specific privacy notice will apply to the relevant professional services.

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2. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in the following ways:
 

• When you contact us through our website, social media, email or telephone

• When you engage us to deliver professional services

• When we receive information from third parties such as your customers, advisers or authorised representatives, HMRC, Companies House, banks or financial institutions, the Electoral Register, credit reference agencies, local authorities, or software providers

• Through cookies and analytics tools on our website (see Cookies and Website Analytics and our Cookies Policy)
   

Where we act as a data processor on your behalf (for example, payroll processing), an additional schedule or data processing agreement will be provided.

3. Types of Data We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
 

• Contact and identity information, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, National Insurance number and identification documents.

• Business and professional information, including company details, directorships, ownership, employment and other connections with an organisation.

• Financial, accounting and tax information, including income, expenditure, assets, liabilities, bank details, tax references, VAT information and records received from HMRC.

• Payroll, employment and pension information where relevant to the services we provide.

• Property, investment and business records.

• Information collected for identity verification and anti-money laundering checks.

• Correspondence, instructions, signed documents and records of the services we provide.

• Technical and security information, including IP address, browser type, device type and website activity.

• In limited circumstances, special-category personal data such as health or disability information where relevant to the services we provide.
   

We only collect information necessary for legitimate business purposes and to meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

4. Purposes and Legal Bases for Processing

We process personal data for:
 

• Responding to enquiries and taking steps at your request before entering into a contract.

• Providing professional accounting, tax, payroll and related services.

• Carrying out identity verification, anti-money laundering and other required checks.

• Complying with legal, regulatory and professional obligations.

• Managing client relationships, billing, record-keeping and fee queries.

• Preventing fraud, protecting our systems and managing the security of our practice.

• Investigating and responding to complaints, disciplinary matters and legal claims.

• Improving our website, communications and services.

• Contacting you about other services where you have consented to receive such communications.

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Our lawful bases include:
 

• Pre-contractual steps: where processing is necessary to respond to your request before entering into a contract.

• Contract: where processing is necessary to provide services under our agreement with you or the entity we act for.

• Legal obligation: where processing is necessary to comply with tax law, anti-money laundering requirements, regulatory obligations or other legal duties.

• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, including managing and protecting our practice, maintaining appropriate business and professional records, preventing fraud, recovering unpaid fees, and establishing, exercising or defending legal claims, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

• Consent: where you have given consent, including for certain marketing communications or the processing of special-category personal data where explicit consent is the appropriate condition.

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We do not rely on consent as the main basis for our core professional services.

5. How We Store and Protect Your Information

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We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

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The systems and service providers we use include Microsoft 365, Xero, FreeAgent, BrightPay, InformDirect, Xama AML, Engager.app, Apron, Adfin, Google, OpenAI and Anthropic, where relevant to the services we provide.

Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel and service providers who require it for legitimate business purposes.

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We use measures such as multi-factor authentication, access controls, password security, encryption where available, secure devices and staff procedures.

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Our current website is hosted by Wix, which may process technical, security, cookie, analytics and website enquiry data on our behalf.

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Some service providers may process personal data outside the UK or EEA, as explained in Section 8.

6. Data Retention

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We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet our legal, regulatory, professional and contractual obligations.

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Our usual retention periods are:

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Client records: while we act for you or the entity concerned, and normally for 7 years after the relationship ends.

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Tax return records: normally for 7 years from the end of the relevant tax year.

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Ad hoc advisory work: normally for 7 years after the engagement ends.

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Anti-money laundering records: normally for at least 5 years after the end of the client relationship and, where required by law or our regulator, for up to 10 years.

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Enquiry data that does not lead to an engagement: normally deleted within 12 months.

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Website and technical data: retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for security, analytics and website administration, subject to the settings and retention periods of the relevant service provider.

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We may retain information for longer where necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement, respond to a complaint, or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

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7. Sharing Personal Data

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We may share personal data where necessary with:

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• HMRC, Companies House and other governmental, regulatory or public authorities;

• our professional body, AAT, and bodies involved in professional or regulatory monitoring, including OPBAS;

• subcontractors, cloud software providers and other service providers supporting our operations;

• an alternate appointed under our Continuity of Practice arrangements;

• tax insurance providers;

• professional indemnity insurers, legal advisers and compliance advisers;

• your employer, the entity we act for, or an authorised representative where relevant to the services we provide;

• law enforcement agencies, courts, tribunals and the Information Commissioner’s Office where required or permitted by law; and

• other persons where you or the entity we act for have authorised us to share the information.

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Service providers acting on our behalf are required to handle personal data appropriately and, where applicable, are subject to confidentiality and data-processing obligations.

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We do not sell or trade personal data.

8. International Transfers

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Some of our service providers may store or process personal data outside the UK or EEA.

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Where this involves a restricted international transfer, we use an appropriate legal mechanism. This may include:

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• UK adequacy regulations;

• the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;

• the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses; or

• another safeguard or exception permitted under data protection law.

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Where required, we also assess whether additional contractual, technical or organisational protections are needed to protect the information.

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9. Your Rights

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You may have the following rights, depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which we process your personal data:

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• access to the personal data we hold about you;

• correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;

• erasure of personal data where we are not legally required or otherwise entitled to retain it;

• restriction of processing in certain circumstances;

• data portability where applicable; and

• withdrawal of consent at any time where we rely on consent.

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To exercise any of these rights, contact our Data Protection Lead at info@trustpointaccounting.co.uk. We will normally respond within one month, although the law allows this period to be extended in certain circumstances.

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Your right to object

Where we process your personal data on the basis of legitimate interests, you have the right to object to that processing in certain circumstances. If we use your personal data for direct marketing, you have the right to object at any time. You may make an objection verbally or in writing by contacting our Data Protection Lead.

 

Complaints

If you believe we have not handled your personal data properly, you can make a data protection complaint to us by emailing info@trustpointaccounting.co.uk. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 30 days. Without undue delay, we will take appropriate steps to investigate the complaint, keep you informed of its progress where necessary, and tell you the outcome.

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If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk.

10. Anti-Money Laundering

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We are supervised by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) for compliance with UK anti-money laundering requirements.

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We are legally required to carry out customer due diligence, which includes verifying the identity of clients and, where applicable, beneficial owners, and retaining appropriate records.

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We may obtain information from public registers, credit reference agencies, identity-verification providers, banks, advisers and other appropriate sources.

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Where required or permitted by law, we may disclose relevant personal data to AAT, HMRC, the National Crime Agency, law enforcement agencies or other competent authorities.

11. Cookies and Website Analytics
 

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our website securely, remember preferences and understand how visitors use the website.

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Essential cookies may be set where they are necessary for the website to function properly.

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Analytics, functionality and other non-essential cookies are only used where you have given consent through our cookie banner.

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Our cookie consent banner is provided by Usercentrics and allows you to accept, reject or manage different categories of cookies.

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You can review or change your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie settings available on our website.

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Further information about the cookies used on our current Wix website, their purposes and retention periods is available in our Cookies Policy.

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12. Updates to This Policy

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We review this Privacy Policy regularly and may update it to reflect changes in law, regulatory guidance, technology, our services or the way we process personal data.

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The latest version will be published on this page and will show the date it was last updated.

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Where a change materially affects how we use personal data, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected individuals before the new processing begins, where required.

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Accessibility Statement
 

TrustPoint Accounting Services Ltd is committed to ensuring that our website is accessible, user-friendly and inclusive for all visitors. We want everyone to be able to access the information and services we provide, regardless of their device, abilities or assistive technologies.
 

Our Commitment
 

We aim to follow recognised best practices for usability and accessibility, including:
 

• Designing pages to be clear, consistent and easy to navigate

• Using readable fonts, high-contrast colours and responsive layouts

• Designing our site to be compatible with screen readers and keyboard navigation tools

• Ensuring images include descriptive alternative text where appropriate

• Reviewing accessibility considerations as part of our ongoing website updates
   

Feedback and Support
 

If you experience any difficulty accessing any part of our website, or need information in an alternative format (such as PDF, large print or accessible text), please contact us:
 

• Email: info@trustpointaccounting.co.uk

• Telephone: 02380 016019
   

We will respond promptly and do our best to provide the information you need.
 

Continuous Improvement
 

We are committed to ongoing improvement of our website accessibility and review accessibility as part of our wider commitment to clarity and user experience.