Privacy Policy

1 Introduction

NexPhase Accounting Ltd ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at www.nexphaseaccounting.com or engage with our services.

We are registered in England and Wales. As a provider of accountancy and financial services to businesses and individuals, we take our data protection responsibilities seriously and comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2 Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, NexPhase Accounting Ltd is the data controller in respect of the personal information we hold about you. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration number ZC048447.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at:

3 What Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process the following categories of personal data:

3.1 Data you provide to us directly

• Name and contact details (email address, phone number)
• Business information (company name, company number, VAT number)
• Financial and tax information relevant to the services we provide
• Any information you submit via our contact form or email sign-up

3.2 Data we collect automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical data including:

• Your IP address and browser type
• Pages visited and time spent on our website
• Referring website addresses
• Device and operating system information

This data is collected through Squarespace Analytics, which is built into our website platform. This data is used in aggregate and anonymised form to help us understand how visitors use our website and to improve our content and services.

4 Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — to improve your browsing experience and collect analytics data. We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Used by Squarespace Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. These collect anonymised data about page visits, traffic sources, and device types.

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. For more information about managing cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

5 How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries submitted via our contact form
• To send you email communications you have signed up to receive, including updates, news, and information about our services
• To provide and manage the accountancy services you have engaged us to deliver
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations as an accountancy firm
• To improve and develop our website and services
• To protect against fraud and ensure the security of our business

6 Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal grounds under UK GDPR:

• Contractual necessity: Where processing is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
• Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our website and responding to enquiries, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation: Where we are required to process your data to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, such as HMRC reporting requirements.
• Consent: Where you have given us your explicit consent, for example when signing up to receive our email communications. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us or clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send.

7 Email Communications

If you sign up to receive emails from us via our website, we will use your email address to send you relevant information about our services, news, and updates.

You can unsubscribe from our email communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email or by contacting us directly. We will not share your email address with any third parties for marketing purposes.

8 Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share your personal data with the following categories of third parties where necessary:

• HMRC and other regulatory bodies: Where we are legally required to share information as part of the accountancy services we provide on your behalf.
• Companies House: Where we file documents on your behalf as part of our services.
• Software providers: We use Xero and Link My Books to deliver our bookkeeping and accountancy services. These platforms have their own privacy policies and data protection measures in place.
• Squarespace: Our website is hosted on Squarespace, which processes limited technical data about website visitors through its built-in analytics.
• Professional advisors: Such as our own legal advisors or insurers, where necessary.

All third parties we work with are required to handle your personal data securely and in accordance with applicable data protection law.

9 International Data Transfers

Some of the third-party services we use (including Squarespace and Xero) may process data outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses, to protect your personal data in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.

10 How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements.

• Client data: We are required by law to retain certain financial and tax records for a minimum of 6 years from the end of the relevant tax year, in line with HMRC requirements.
• Contact form enquiries: Retained for 12 months following the date of your enquiry, unless you become a client.
• Email marketing data: Retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
• Website analytics data: Retained in accordance with Squarespace's data retention policies.

11 Your Rights

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

• Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data, subject to certain legal obligations.
• Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our legal basis.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where we process your data on the basis of consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at company@nexphaseaccounting.com. We will respond to your request within one calendar month. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

12 How We Protect Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Secure, encrypted connections (HTTPS) on our website
• Use of reputable, industry-standard software platforms with their own security measures
• Restricting access to personal data to authorised personnel only
• Regular review of our data handling practices

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the internet is entirely secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please contact us immediately at company@nexphaseaccounting.com.

13 Third Party Links

Our website may contain links to third party websites, including our social media profiles on LinkedIn and Discord. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third party websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

14 Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us at company@nexphaseaccounting.com and we will take steps to delete it promptly.

15 Complaints

If you have any concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us in the first instance at company@nexphaseaccounting.com so we can try to resolve the matter. If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

16 Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

Your continued use of our website following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.