Privacy Policy & Data Protection

We understand the sensitive nature of financial information. As a professional bookkeeping company serving Canadian businesses, we implement rigorous data protection measures that exceed industry standards. Our privacy policy reflects our commitment to maintaining the confidentiality and security of your financial data while providing comprehensive bookkeeping services.

This privacy policy applies to all clients, website visitors, and anyone who interacts with Far Beyond Bookkeeping. We comply fully with Canadian privacy law, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), ensuring your personal and business information receives the highest level of financial privacy protection available.

Our bookkeeping confidentiality approach extends beyond basic compliance. We treat your financial information with the same care and discretion we would our own. Every member of our team undergoes rigorous privacy training, understanding that maintaining financial privacy is fundamental to the trust our clients place in us daily.

To deliver comprehensive bookkeeping services, we collect various types of information necessary for accurate financial record-keeping and data protection. Our privacy policy ensures transparency about what we collect and how we safeguard it.

Business and Financial Information

Our data protection protocols cover all financial documents we process to provide exceptional bookkeeping services. We collect and process business registration documents, corporate information, bank statements, credit card statements, invoices, receipts, expense documentation, payroll records including employee information and compensation details, accounts payable and accounts receivable data, tax-related documents including GST/HST returns, QuickBooks access credentials provided securely by clients, financial statements and reports, vendor and customer contact information, and business identification numbers (BN, CRA account numbers).

Contact and Communication Information

For effective communication and bookkeeping confidentiality, we collect full name and title, business name and address, email address and phone numbers, preferred communication methods, and correspondence history and notes. All contact information receives the same data protection safeguards as your financial data.

Website and Technical Information

When you visit our website, our privacy policy allows us to automatically collect IP address and browser type, device information and operating system, pages visited and time spent on site, referring website information, and cookies and similar tracking technologies—all processed according to strict financial privacy standards.

We use the information we collect exclusively for legitimate business purposes, always maintaining financial privacy and adhering to our privacy policy. Every use of your information serves specific, documented purposes that benefit your business operations.

• Providing Bookkeeping Services: Reconciling accounts, recording transactions, preparing financial reports, and managing payroll with complete data protection
• Tax Compliance: Preparing and filing GST/HST returns, year-end financial preparation, and CRA compliance while maintaining bookkeeping confidentiality
• Communication: Responding to inquiries, providing updates, and maintaining professional communication respecting your privacy
• Service Improvement: Enhancing our services, developing new offerings, and improving customer experience
• Legal Compliance: Meeting obligations under Canadian privacy law, tax laws, accounting standards, and regulatory requirements
• Security: Protecting against fraud, unauthorized access, and malicious activities through robust data protection measures
• Analytics: Understanding website usage patterns to improve our online presence while preserving financial privacy
• Marketing: With your consent, sending newsletters, service updates, and promotional communications

Under PIPEDA and our privacy policy, we rely on the following legal bases for processing your information, ensuring comprehensive data protection while maintaining financial privacy:

• Consent: You provide explicit consent for us to process your information for service delivery and communication purposes under our privacy policy
• Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations as outlined in your service agreement
• Legal Compliance: We process information to comply with Canadian privacy law, tax laws, CRA requirements, and accounting standards
• Legitimate Interests: We process information for legitimate business interests such as fraud prevention and service improvement while maintaining bookkeeping confidentiality

Far Beyond Bookkeeping takes great care to protect your information. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal or business information. Our privacy policy strictly limits information sharing to circumstances that support your business operations while maintaining financial privacy.

Third-Party Service Providers

We engage reputable third-party service providers to assist with our operations, all bound by strict data protection agreements. These include QuickBooks and other accounting software platforms for service delivery, secure document sharing platforms (e.g., Dext, Hubdoc), cloud storage providers for data backup and storage, payment processors for transaction processing, and IT and cybersecurity services for data protection. All service providers are contractually bound to protect your information and are only permitted to use it for the specific purposes outlined in their agreements with us.

Professional Advisors

We may share information with your authorized professional advisors to maintain bookkeeping confidentiality while supporting your business. This includes tax accountants and CPAs for year-end tax preparation, legal advisors when required for business operations, and financial advisors with your explicit authorization.

Legal and Regulatory Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law or to protect our rights under our privacy policy. This occurs in response to legal requests from government authorities or courts, to comply with CRA investigations or audits, to enforce our terms of service or agreements, to protect against fraud or security threats, and to protect our rights, property, or safety and that of our clients and the public.

We implement comprehensive security measures exceeding Canadian privacy law requirements to protect your information. Our privacy policy mandates multiple layers of data protection ensuring your financial data remains secure at all times.

Technical Security Measures

• Encryption of data in transit using SSL/TLS protocols with data protection
• Encryption of data at rest using industry-standard encryption methods
• Secure authentication and access controls
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning
• Firewalls and intrusion detection systems
• Regular software updates and security patches
• Secure data backup and recovery procedures

Organizational Security Measures

• Staff training on data protection and privacy best practices
• Confidentiality agreements with all employees
• Background checks for personnel with access to sensitive data
• Access limited to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis
• Regular security awareness training
• Incident response procedures for data breaches

Under PIPEDA and our privacy policy, you have fundamental rights regarding your personal information. These rights ensure you maintain control over your data while receiving professional bookkeeping confidentiality services.

Access Rights

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you under our privacy policy
• Receive a copy of your information in an understandable format
• Request details about how we collect, use, and disclose your information with data protection

Correction Rights

• Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request that outdated information be deleted
• Add a statement of disagreement to your file if we refuse a correction request

Withdrawal of Consent

• Withdraw consent for processing of your information where legally permissible
• Opt-out of marketing communications at any time
• Request that we stop processing your information, subject to legal and contractual obligations

To exercise your rights under our privacy policy, please contact us. We will respond to your request within 30 days, subject to applicable legal requirements. We may request verification of your identity before providing access to your information to maintain data protection.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience and analyze website usage while maintaining financial privacy. Our privacy policy ensures transparent data protection for all tracking technologies.

Essential Cookies

Required for basic website functionality, these enable security features and login functionality. These cannot be disabled without affecting site operation, ensuring data protection for all users.

Analytics Cookies

These help us understand how visitors use our website, provide anonymized usage statistics, and help us improve website content and functionality while preserving bookkeeping confidentiality and financial privacy.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect website functionality and user experience.

We retain your information only as long as necessary for the purposes outlined in our privacy policy and as required by Canadian privacy law. Our retention periods balance business needs, legal requirements, and data protection principles.

• Financial Records: Retained for at least 7 years as required by CRA for tax purposes
• Payroll Records: Retained for 7 years as required by Employment Standards and CRA regulations
• Communication Records: Retained for the duration of the business relationship plus additional time as required
• Website Data: Retained for analytical purposes, with aggregated anonymized data kept longer

When retention periods expire, we securely dispose of information using appropriate methods such as shredding, deletion, or secure erasure, maintaining financial privacy throughout the disposal process.

Far Beyond Bookkeeping services are directed at businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately so we can take appropriate action.

Our services are exclusively provided to Canadian businesses and individuals. We do not transfer your personal information outside of Canada except as required by law or with your explicit consent for specific purposes. When data is transferred outside Canada, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with PIPEDA requirements and our privacy policy.

In the unlikely event of a data breach that poses a real risk of significant harm to you, we will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the scope of the breach, notify affected individuals as required by PIPEDA and applicable provincial laws, notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required, take appropriate steps to mitigate harm and prevent future breaches, and provide guidance on how to protect yourself from potential harm—all while maintaining data protection standards.