How we look after your information
This covers the Soames Associates client portal. Our full privacy notice is on our website.
Who we are
Soames Associates is your accountant and the data controller for what you share here. Questions: hello@soamesassociates.com.
What we collect and why
Your name, email and mobile so you can sign in; your business details; and the documents you send us, such as bank statements, accounts, VAT returns, ID and proof of address. We use them to prepare your accounts and tax, and to meet our anti-money-laundering duties.
Where it's kept
The portal's database and file storage are hosted in London (Supabase, on AWS). A copy of each document is filed in our secure Dropbox. Everything is encrypted in transit and at rest, and only the people we've added to your company, and our team, can see it.
Automatic document checks
When you upload a document, it's read automatically to check it's the one we asked for (for example, the right company and months) and to spot duplicates. This uses Anthropic's Claude service under a business agreement: your documents aren't used to train their models. A person on our team still reviews anything flagged, and nothing is decided about you automatically.
Who else sees it
Only the services that run the portal (Vercel for hosting, Supabase for storage, Dropbox for filing, Google for email, Slack for our internal alerts, and Anthropic for document checks), and HMRC or Companies House when we file for you. We never sell your data.
How long we keep it
For as long as you're our client, then for 6 years, as UK tax and anti-money-laundering rules require.
Your rights
You can ask for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to how we use it, by emailing us. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.