1. Introduction
At DTM Income Tax (“we,” “us,” or “our”), safeguarding your privacy is our top priority. As a tax preparation firm, we are entrusted with highly sensitive financial and personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, protect, and disclose your data when you use our website, communicate with us, and utilize our tax preparation and filing services.
2. Information We Collect
To provide you with accurate tax preparation services, we must collect non-public personal information. This includes:
- Identity Data: Full name, Date of Birth, Social Security Number (SSN), or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for you, your spouse, and your dependents.
- Contact Data: Mailing address, email address, and phone numbers.
- Financial & Tax Data: Information about your income, expenses, deductions, banking details (for direct deposit of refunds or payment of taxes owed), W-2s, 1099s, prior year tax returns, and other related financial documents.
- Digital & Communication Data: Information submitted through our website forms, SMS/text message consent records, and email correspondence.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information strictly for the purposes of fulfilling our professional duties to you, including:
- Preparing and electronically filing (e-filing) your federal, state, and local tax returns.
- Communicating with you regarding your tax returns, missing documents, or necessary signatures.
- Processing payments for our services or facilitating tax-related bank products (e.g., refund transfers).
- Sending appointment reminders, tax deadline alerts, and, with your explicit consent, promotional materials.
4. SMS/Text Messaging Policy
If you have opted in to receive SMS/text messages from DTM Income Tax, we collect your phone number and consent records. We use this to send you transactional updates and marketing communications as outlined in our Terms & Conditions.
Strict Privacy for SMS Data: We will absolutely never sell, rent, or share your mobile number or SMS opt-in consent with any third parties or affiliates for their own marketing or promotional purposes. Your mobile information is kept strictly confidential.
5. Information Sharing and Disclosure
As tax preparers, we are bound by strict federal laws (including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and IRC Section 7216) regarding the disclosure of your tax return information. We will not disclose your personal information except as follows:
- To Taxing Authorities: We transmit your prepared tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and applicable state/local tax agencies.
- With Your Consent: We will only share your information with third parties (such as mortgage brokers, financial advisors, or audit protection services) if you provide explicit, written consent.
- Service Providers: We may share necessary data with trusted third-party software providers (e.g., secure tax software portals) strictly to process and file your returns. These providers are also bound by strict confidentiality and data security laws.
- Legal Obligations: We may disclose information if required to do so by a court order, subpoena, or other legal process.
6. Data Security
We implement robust physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your non-public personal information. We utilize secure file-sharing portals, encrypted software, and secure network protocols to protect your data from unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure.
7. Record Retention
We are required by law and professional standards to retain records relating to our services. We typically retain copies of your tax returns and supporting documentation for a minimum of three to seven years, depending on IRS and state regulations, after which they are securely destroyed.
8. Your Privacy Rights
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, request corrections to any inaccurate data, and request the deletion of your data (subject to our legal requirements to retain certain tax records). You may also opt-out of any marketing communications or SMS messages at any time by replying “STOP” to a text or clicking “Unsubscribe” in an email.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a new “Effective Date.”