Privacy Policy

QC Tax and Accounting Inc. (“QC Tax,” “we,” “us”) is a tax preparation, bookkeeping and accounting firm located at 800 S Barranca Ave, Ste 250, Covina, CA 91723. We handle some of the most sensitive information people have, and we treat it that way. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, how we protect it, and the choices you have.

1. Scope

This policy applies to qctaxpro.com, our client portal and upload links, and the tax, bookkeeping, payroll and advisory services we provide. When you become a client, your engagement letter also governs our services. If this policy and a signed engagement letter conflict about your client information, the engagement letter controls.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us. When you book a consultation or contact us: your name, email, phone number, and anything you choose to write to us. When you become a client: identity details (including Social Security or taxpayer identification numbers and copies of identification), income, bank and financial account information, business records, tax returns, IRS and state correspondence, and information about your spouse, dependents, employees, owners or others that you provide so we can do our work.

Information collected automatically. When you visit our website: device and browser type, IP address, pages viewed, links clicked and the site that referred you, through cookies and similar technology (see section 7).

Information from others, with your authorization. For example, IRS and California Franchise Tax Board transcripts and notices, records from your bank, payroll provider or bookkeeping software, and details from the person who referred you.

Please do not send Social Security numbers, tax documents or bank details through our website forms, email or text or chat apps. Use your secure client portal or upload link.

3. How we use information

• To respond to you and schedule consultations.
• To prepare and file tax returns, keep books, run payroll filings, respond to tax notices and provide the services you engage us for.
• To verify identity and prevent fraud, including tax-related identity theft.
• To send service messages, such as document requests, deadline reminders and status updates.
• To bill for our services and keep business records.
• To improve our website and understand which pages help people reach us.
• To comply with law, professional standards and requests from tax authorities, and to protect our rights.

4. Tax return information

Information we obtain to prepare your tax return is “tax return information” protected by federal law (Internal Revenue Code section 7216). We do not use or disclose it for any purpose other than preparing and filing your return and providing the services you engaged us for, unless the law allows it or you give us separate written consent that meets IRS requirements. We never use your tax return information to market unrelated products or services, and we never sell it.

5. How we share information

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We share information only as follows:

• Tax and government agencies, such as the IRS, the California Franchise Tax Board, CDTFA and the Secretary of State, when we file or respond on your behalf or when the law requires.
• Service providers that help us operate, under confidentiality obligations and only for our purposes, including professional tax software and e-file providers, our secure client portal and cloud hosting (Supabase and Render), our booking and customer-relationship system (HubSpot), website analytics (Google Analytics), email, payment processing and bookkeeping software you authorize.
• People you authorize, such as a spouse, business partner, lender, attorney or financial adviser you ask us to work with.
• Legal and safety reasons: to comply with a subpoena, court order or other legal process, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our clients, our firm or others.

6. How we protect information

We maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect client information. These include encrypted connections, a secure client portal instead of email attachments, two-step sign-in for our staff, access limited to the team members who need it, and training on confidentiality and tax-related scams. No system is completely secure; if a breach affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by law.

7. Cookies, analytics and “Do Not Track”

We use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages help people book a consultation or call us. It uses cookies and collects information such as pages viewed and links clicked; it does not receive your tax information. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install Google’s opt-out add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Our website does not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals. We honor Global Privacy Control signals as a request to opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information, which we do not do. We do not use advertising cookies or allow third parties to collect information on our site for cross-context advertising; if that changes, we will update this policy first.

8. Emails and text messages

We send service emails to clients about their work, such as document requests and deadline reminders. If you agree to receive text messages, we may also send those reminders by text; reply STOP to opt out at any time, and message and data rates may apply. We send marketing messages, such as newsletters or tax tips, only if you agree, and each one includes a way to unsubscribe.

9. How long we keep information

We keep client files for as long as needed to provide our services and as required by law and professional standards, which for tax records generally means several years after a return is filed. Consultation inquiries that do not lead to an engagement are kept for a shorter period. When we no longer need information, we delete or securely destroy it.

10. Your choices and rights

You may ask us to tell you what personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. We will respond within a reasonable time; some records must be kept by law or professional rules, and we will tell you if that applies.

California residents. You may review and request changes to the personal information you submitted through our website by contacting us. Under California’s “Shine the Light” law, you may ask whether we disclosed personal information to third parties for their direct marketing; we do not. To the extent the California Consumer Privacy Act applies to us, you also have the rights it provides, including to know, delete and correct personal information and to limit the use of sensitive personal information, and we will not discriminate against you for using them.

To make a request, contact us using the details below. We will verify your identity before acting on a request.

11. Children

Our website is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect information from them through it. We receive information about minors only when a parent or guardian provides it to us, for example to claim a dependent on a tax return.

12. Other websites

Our website links to services run by others, such as our booking calendar and client portal providers. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date above shows when it last changed. If we make a material change, we will post the new policy here and, for current clients, tell you by email or through the client portal.

14. Contact us

QC Tax and Accounting Inc.
800 S Barranca Ave, Ste 250, Covina, CA 91723
contact@qctaxpro.com · (626) 331-9168

If this policy is translated, the English version controls.