This policy explains how Alternative Accounting Services (“we”, “us”) collects, uses and protects personal information in the course of providing bookkeeping and accounting services, including through the software tools we connect to our clients’ accounting systems.
1. Who we are
Alternative Accounting Services is the operating name of Choice Business Services Ltd., a bookkeeping and accounting firm located in Duncan, British Columbia. We are subject to the British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and, where applicable, the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
2. Our connected tools
To perform our services we use software tools, including an internal application registered with Intuit that connects to our clients’ QuickBooks Online company files through the Intuit API. These tools are used only by our own staff, only for clients who have engaged us, and only after the client (or our firm as the client’s authorised accountant user) has authorised the connection. They are not offered to the public and are not sold or licensed to third parties.
3. Information we collect
Through these connections we access the accounting records held in the client’s QuickBooks Online file, which may include customer, supplier and employee names and contact details, invoices, bills, payments, bank and credit-card transaction data, payroll data and tax information. We also receive data from other systems a client has authorised us to use (for example payment processors or point-of-sale and rental platforms) for the purpose of reconciling those records to the accounting file.
4. How we use it
We use this information solely to deliver the services set out in our engagement with each client: recording and reconciling transactions, preparing financial reports, preparing and filing tax and payroll returns, and answering client questions. We do not use client data for marketing, profiling or any purpose unrelated to the engagement, and we do not sell, rent or trade it.
5. Disclosure
We disclose personal information only (a) to the client it belongs to; (b) to government bodies where a filing is required or the law compels it; (c) to service providers we use to operate our practice (for example cloud storage and accounting software vendors) who are bound to protect it; and (d) as otherwise authorised by the client.
6. Storage and security
Client data is held in the client’s own QuickBooks Online file and in our firm’s secured working papers and cloud storage. Access is restricted to authorised staff using individual credentials and multi-factor authentication where available. API credentials for connected tools are stored securely, are never shared outside the firm, and can be revoked by the client at any time from their QuickBooks Online settings or by asking us to disconnect.
7. Retention
We retain working papers for the period required by the Income Tax Act and our professional obligations (generally six years after the end of the relevant tax year), after which they are securely destroyed unless the client instructs otherwise.
8. Your rights
Individuals may ask what personal information we hold about them, request corrections, or withdraw consent (subject to legal and contractual limits) by contacting us at the address below. Clients may disconnect our tools from their QuickBooks Online file at any time.
9. Contact
Privacy Officer, Alternative Accounting Services, 281 Canada Avenue, Duncan, BC V9L 1T6 · Telephone 250-709-3660 · or via the contact details on this website
10. Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always available at this address.
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