Introduction

This policy applies to Allied Business Accountants (we, us, our) along with any related entities.

Allied Business Accountants handles a lot of personal information due to the nature of our business.

As such, it is our utmost priority to ensure any personal information collected and stored in a secure manner, and only accessible to people who require the information for fulfilment of the service we provide.

By providing personal information to us you consent to our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We reserve the right to make amendments to this Privacy Policy at any time and will make available to you details of the changes we make. If you have objections to our Privacy Policy, you should notify us immediately and not submit personal information to us.

Why do we collect personal information?

Collecting personal information is crucial to the operation of our business and the delivery of the service we provide. The collection of personal information comes primarily from our individual clients, their businesses, and related persons/entities. Allied Business Accountants requires this information to carry out our duties to you as a client.

Commitment

As responsible data custodians we are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store and disclose your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles 2014 (APPs) established under the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act).

You can obtain further information regarding the APPs and your privacy rights at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

Who does Allied Business Accountants collect information about?

Allied Business Accountants generally collects and hold information about:

  • Individual clients
  • Their spouses/partners
  • Their dependent children
  • Business clients including:
    • Companies
    • Partnerships
    • Trusts
    • Superannuation Funds
  • Related persons and entities of clients

How does Allied Business Accountants collect personal information?

Our collection of information varies with the purpose of our relationship, however Allied Business Accountants collects most personal information directly from our clients. This information is often collected through the submission of forms,information provided through telephone calls and emails, face to face contact,information provided through documents to be used in tax returns/other services, information included within accounting software or information from a third party such as a bank, insurance agency, mortgage broker or lawyer.

Where required or reasonably practicable, Allied Business Accountants will obtain your consent before collecting information from a third party.

Another primary source of information for Allied Business Accountants is the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Through our correspondence with the ATO, Allied Business Accountants may obtain information to assist in the completion of a tax return. The ATO has very high standards of privacy, and we are only able to obtain this information once we have been engaged by you and you have provided various details for our use.

What information does Allied Business Accountants collect?

Allied Business Accountants collects the information necessary to carry out our duties to you as a client. Depending on the purpose of our relationship, Allied Business Accountants may collect:

  • Information used to identify you, including your name, date of birth, and gender.
  • Information used to contact you,including phone numbers, mailing and physical address, and email address. We may also use your mobile number to help us identify you in the case of two factor identification. See below for more.
  • Information necessary to complete a tax return, activity statement, or other service, this can include Tax File Numbers, ABNs, ACNs, financial information including annual payment summaries,other sources of income, mortgages and other debts, and previous tax returns from other accountants. This information is generally gathered from the client, from the client’s previous accountant with consent from the client, or from theATO.
  • Information relating to your current and historical employment
  • Information relating to yourcurrent and historical circumstances and financial information such as income,expenses assets and liabilities.

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

Disclosure

We may disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To enable us to provide services to you, and to enable you to access these services
  • To provide you with information relevant to your circumstances. This information may be general advice, specific advice, or may be information about other services or services providers.
  • For any purposes that you consent to or where you would reasonably expect such disclosure; and
  • Any circumstance otherwise authorised by the APPs and/or the Privacy Act

We will only use sensitive information for the primary purpose it was obtained for or for secondary purposes that are directly related to the primary purpose (orwhere otherwise required by law).

We may disclose your personal and sensitive information to trusted third parties, including the following entities:

  • The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
  • The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC)
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand (ICAANZ), if required, to meet our mandatory professional standards
  • Our employees, contractors, subcontractors, software providers and service providers to enable delivery of our services
  • Our employees, contractors, subcontractors, software providers and service providers for use in and the operation of our business
  • Specific third parties authorised by you to receive information held byus
  • Any body, tribunal, court  
  • As required by law or to any body, tribunal

Allied Business Accountants may disclose your information to third parties by various methods including, but not limited to:

  • Verbally in person or by telephone
  • Upload or entry into Internet portals
  • File storage and sharing services
  • Physical copies in person or by postal and courier services
  • Other electronic means such as email, SMS and messaging services

Allied Business Accountants takes measures it considers to be appropriate to secure your information when disclosing and transmitting information to third parties, but acknowledges that the above methods may not be secure. By providing your information to Allied Business Accountants, you agree that your information may be disclosed and transmitted using non-secure methods.

Storage and Access

Allied Business Accountants utilises various employees,contractors, subcontractors, software providers and service providers to operate our business and deliver services to our clients. In doing so, these parties have access to and may store your personal information. Access and storage of your information will occur both inside and outside of Australia.

Tax File Numbers (TFN)

As a TFN Recipient under the Privacy Act 1988 and the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015, Allied Business Accountants is subject to collection, storage, use, and disclosure requirements concerning TFNs. Allied Business Accountants collects your TFN primarily to communicate with the ATO, access ATO information and lodge tax returns in your name, all of which require a TFN. Certain documents, such as income tax returns and correspondence from the ATO contain your TFN. If you permit us to provide these documents to other parties, your TFN will be provided on those documents and may be transmitted by email or other non-secure form of communication.

Accessing your Personal Information

You may access your personal information at any time by requesting such information from our staff or by emailing privacy@alliedaccountants.com.au. Please note we may need to verify your identity before providing personal or sensitive information.