Your privacy is very important to us here at Kotter Tax & Accounting. We take privacy very seriously and want to ensure you that we will keep your information confidential. The purpose of this policy is to inform you of how we gather and use your confidential information, and the limited times that we may share it with others. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please refrain from disclosing your information to us or use us in providing you services.
We collect from you information that you provide such as from your submitted online forms, telephone calls, organizers, and other documents provided by you via mail, email, electronic portals, etc. In addition, we may obtain information from communication with you in person, phone, text, email, etc. Other times we may request from other parties with your approval such as the bank, investment advisors, etc. Finally, we may obtain transaction information related to our billing and payment for our services and/or bank information used to pay your taxes or other licensing fees requested to be completed by our firm. This information may include payment history with us, billing records, and any collection efforts by us to obtain payment for our services. Information received allows us to proceed with our various services offered as part of our professional relationship.
Nonpublic information about you that we have obtained is never shared to any outside organization without our client’s specific authorization or in other situations as permitted by law. Information that is shared is limited to employees of the firm to perform the services that you have engaged our firm to provide. In addition, our firm may contract service providers such as computer consultants that may have access to certain documents in the normal course of business.
We may also share your information with other parties as may be required or allowed by law such as:
- Complying with legal action subpoenaed or summoned by law,
- During a review of our firm’s practices as is required through our state board of accountancy,
- Initiating a complaint or responding to an inquiry involving the AICPA, an applicable State Board of Accountancy, or another state society,
- A review of our practice in conjunction with a prospective sale or merger of all or part of our firm so long as appropriate precautions are taken such as obtaining a signed confidentiality agreement,
- Participating in or responding to legal proceedings initiated by or against our firm so long as we take appropriate precautions to ensure the information disclosed does not become a matter of public record,
As tax preparers, we are prohibited by Internal Revenue Code Section 7216 from disclosing your income tax return information without your consent, other than for the specific purpose of preparing, assisting in preparing, or obtaining and providing services in connection with the preparation of an income tax return for you.
We retain records relating to the professional services that we provide so that we are better able to assist you. In doing so, we follow standard industry practices to actively protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of your personal information. We maintain physical, electronic, and other safeguards that comply with federal regulations and protect your data. Our employees are bound by internal confidentiality policies and are subject to disciplinary action for any noncompliance. Should you become an inactive client or should our relationship end, we will continue to protect the confidentiality and security of your personal information.
Please call if you have any questions, because your privacy, our professional ethics, and the ability to provide you with quality financial services are very important to us.