Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Vite Accounting ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other applicable Canadian privacy laws.

By engaging our tax preparation and accounting services, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

To provide professional tax and accounting services, we collect the following types of personal information:

• Identification Information: Name, date of birth, Social Insurance Number (SIN), address, phone number, email address
• Financial Information: Income statements (T4, T5, etc.), investment income, rental property information, business income and expenses, bank account information for direct deposit
• Tax-Related Information: Previous tax returns, RRSP contributions, medical expenses, charitable donations, education expenses, employment expenses
• Business Information: Business registration numbers, corporate documents, payroll information, business financial statements
• Communication Records: Correspondence via email, phone calls, and in-person meetings related to your tax affairs

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Preparation and filing of your income tax returns (personal and corporate)
• Providing tax planning and advisory services
• Bookkeeping and payroll processing
• Business incorporation services
• Responding to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) inquiries and audits on your behalf (when authorized via Form T183 or through the Represent a Client portal)
• Communicating with you about your tax affairs and our services
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
• Maintaining business records as required by law

4. Consent

We obtain your consent to collect, use, or disclose your personal information except where we are authorized or required by law to do so without consent. Consent may be express (such as signing Form T183 for electronic tax filing) or implied through your actions (such as providing information for tax preparation).

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. However, withdrawal of consent may impact our ability to provide services to you.

5. Disclosure of Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:

• Canada Revenue Agency (CRA): Electronic filing of tax returns and responding to CRA inquiries when authorized
• Provincial Tax Authorities: Filing provincial tax returns as required
• Service Providers: Cloud accounting software providers (e.g., QuickBooks, Xero) and secure document storage services that assist in delivering our services
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government authority
• Professional Advisors: With your consent, to other professionals (lawyers, financial advisors) as part of comprehensive planning

All third-party service providers are required to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

6. Data Retention

In accordance with the Income Tax Act and CRA requirements, we retain your personal information and tax documents for a minimum of six (6) years following the tax year to which they relate. This retention period is necessary to:

• Comply with CRA record-keeping requirements
• Respond to potential CRA audits or reviews
• Provide historical information for future tax filings
• Protect both your interests and ours in the event of disputes

After the required retention period, we securely destroy personal information that is no longer needed, unless we are required by law to retain it longer.

7. Security Safeguards

We implement appropriate physical, technical, and administrative security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These measures include:

• Secure cloud storage with encryption
• Password-protected systems and files
• Secure communication channels (encrypted email, secure client portals)
• Limited access to personal information (only authorized personnel)
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Secure destruction of documents containing personal information

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will notify you of any breach that poses a real risk of significant harm.

8. Access to Your Information

You have the right to access your personal information in our possession and to request corrections if it is inaccurate or incomplete. To request access or corrections, please contact us using the information provided below.

We will respond to your request within 30 days. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before providing access. There may be limits to access where providing access would reveal confidential commercial information or where the information is protected by solicitor-client privilege.

9. Website and Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and understand how visitors interact with our site. Cookies are small data files stored on your device.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our site, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve our website. When you accept cookies through our consent banner, Google Analytics collects information such as:

• Pages you visit and time spent on each page
• How you arrived at our site (search engine, direct link, etc.)
• Your approximate geographic location (city/country level)
• Device type and browser information

Privacy Protection: We have implemented IP anonymization, which means Google Analytics masks the last portion of your IP address to protect your privacy. Analytics data is used solely to improve our website functionality and user experience. We do not use this data to identify individual users.

Your Cookie Choices

When you first visit our website, you'll see a cookie consent banner. You have the following options:

• Accept: Cookies and Google Analytics will be enabled
• Decline: Only essential website functionality cookies will be used; no analytics tracking

You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or delete existing cookies. Note that disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

For more information about how Google collects and processes data, please review Google's Privacy Policy.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised.

We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on our website. Your continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Officer:

We will investigate all complaints and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

12. Office of the Privacy Commissioner

For more information about privacy rights in Canada or to file a complaint: