Privacy Policy

We may collect the following categories of information:

• Personal Identifiers: Name, address, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), Employer Identification Number (EIN), passport number, and other government-issued identification numbers required for tax preparation and compliance.
• Financial Information: Income records, bank account details, investment statements, real estate records, business financial statements, payroll data, and other financial documents necessary to provide accounting and tax services.
• Health and Benefits Information: To the extent required for tax filings (e.g., Form 1095, HSA contributions, medical expense deductions), we may collect limited health-related information. This information is handled in accordance with applicable HIPAA guidelines where applicable.
• Contact Information: Email address, phone number, and mailing address used to communicate with you about your engagement.
• Website Usage Data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on our site, collected via analytics tools (Google Analytics 4) subject to your consent.

As a tax preparation firm, we are subject to Internal Revenue Code § 7216 and its regulations, which govern the use and disclosure of tax return information. We will not use or disclose your tax return information for any purpose other than preparing your tax return without your express written consent, except as permitted or required by law.

Specifically, under IRC § 7216:

• We will not disclose your tax return information to third parties for marketing purposes without your prior written consent.
• We will not sell your tax return information under any circumstances.
• We may share your information with third-party service providers (e.g., tax software vendors, cloud storage providers) who assist in preparing your return, provided those providers are bound by confidentiality obligations consistent with § 7216.
• We may disclose information as required by law, court order, or IRS summons.

Any consent we request under § 7216 will be provided in a separate written disclosure that clearly identifies the purpose, recipient, and duration of the consent.

While Autarky Tax and Accounting is primarily a tax and accounting firm and not a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in most circumstances, we recognize that certain tax-related engagements may involve limited protected health information (PHI) — for example, medical expense deductions, health savings account (HSA) reporting, or self-employed health insurance deductions.

To the extent we receive or handle PHI in connection with our services:

• We use PHI solely for the purpose for which it was provided (i.e., completing your tax return or financial analysis).
• We do not disclose PHI to unauthorized third parties.
• We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect PHI from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
• We retain PHI only as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected or as required by applicable law.

If you believe your health information has been improperly used or disclosed, please contact us immediately using the information in Section 10 below.

We use the information we collect to:

• Prepare federal, state, and local tax returns and related filings.
• Provide accounting, bookkeeping, cost segregation, estate and trust, and international tax services.
• Communicate with you regarding your engagement, deadlines, and IRS or state agency correspondence.
• Respond to your inquiries submitted through our website contact form.
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including IRS requirements, state tax authority requirements, and professional standards set by the AICPA and applicable state CPA boards.
• Improve our website and services through aggregated, anonymized analytics data.

We do not use your personal or financial information for advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties.

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We engage trusted third-party vendors (e.g., TaxDome for client portal and document management, cloud storage providers) who process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality agreements.
• Tax Authorities: We transmit your return information to the IRS and applicable state and local tax authorities as part of our filing services.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or government regulation, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Autarky, our clients, or others.
• Professional Referrals: With your written consent, we may share information with attorneys, financial advisors, or other professionals as part of a coordinated engagement.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, client information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to equivalent confidentiality protections.

We will never sell your personal information to third parties.

We implement industry-standard administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encrypted transmission of data (TLS/SSL) for all website communications.
• Secure client portal (TaxDome) with multi-factor authentication for document exchange.
• Access controls limiting staff access to client information on a need-to-know basis.
• Regular review of our data security practices and procedures.

Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.

We retain client records, including tax returns and supporting documents, for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of filing, consistent with IRS guidance on the statute of limitations for tax assessments. Records related to employment taxes are retained for at least four (4) years. In certain circumstances (e.g., fraud, substantial omission of income), we may retain records longer.

Website inquiry data (contact form submissions) is retained for a period sufficient to respond to your inquiry and for a reasonable follow-up period, after which it is securely deleted.

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve user experience and analyze site traffic. Specifically:

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): We use GA4 to collect anonymized data about how visitors interact with our site (pages visited, session duration, referral source). This data is aggregated and does not identify individual users. GA4 tracking is only activated after you provide consent via our cookie consent banner.
• Google Ads: We may use Google Ads conversion tracking to measure the effectiveness of our advertising. This is also consent-gated.
• Essential Cookies: Certain cookies are necessary for the website to function properly and are not subject to consent requirements.

You may withdraw your consent to analytics cookies at any time by adjusting your browser settings or using a cookie opt-out tool. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out prior to withdrawal.

Depending on your state of residence, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations (including IRS record-keeping requirements).
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your information in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format where technically feasible.
• California Residents (CCPA/CPRA): California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, including the right to know, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
• Arizona and Texas Residents: Residents of Arizona and Texas may have additional rights under applicable state privacy laws. Please contact us to exercise any such rights.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 10. We will respond to verified requests within the timeframe required by applicable law.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about how your information has been handled, please contact us:

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable law, or regulatory requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website or services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Autarky Tax and Accounting operates in compliance with the following professional and regulatory frameworks governing client confidentiality:

• Internal Revenue Code § 7216 — Disclosure or use of information by preparers of returns.
• IRS Publication 4600 — Safeguarding Taxpayer Data: A Guide for Your Business.
• Treasury Circular 230 — Regulations governing practice before the IRS.
• AICPA Code of Professional Conduct — Rule 1.700 (Confidential Client Information).
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) — Financial privacy and safeguards rules applicable to tax preparers.
• HIPAA — Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, to the extent PHI is incidentally received in connection with tax services.
• Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-749 — Confidentiality obligations for Arizona CPAs.
• Texas Occupations Code § 901.457 — Confidentiality obligations for Texas CPAs.