Protecting your personal information is important to us. The following guidelines set forth our general privacy practices and principles that apply to information we collect through the following products and services.
• our online and software tax preparation products and services;
• our websites and the products and services offered through those websites; and
• our mobile applications that incorporate this privacy notice.
We utilize administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information. We protect information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it.
This privacy notice also details choices available to you regarding the use of, your access to, and how to update and correct your personal information.
Special Note to Parents: Because of the nature of the services we provide, we do not market our services to children under the age of 13, nor do we knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13.
As part of providing products and services to you, we may collect information data that can be used to identify you, personal information, about you, your spouse, your dependents, or your business when you use our services.
You provide all of the information we collect. We also receive information through certain digital technologies when you interact with us. Finally, other companies and government entities may share information with us.
We collect information directly from you.
To deliver the products and services you request, customize your experience, and better serve you, we collect information you voluntarily provide as part of using or requesting our products and services. This information includes information you provide as part of preparing your tax return, electronically filing your tax return, setting up an online account, authenticating your identity, applying for or purchasing a product or service, or applying for employment. It also includes information from documents you choose to upload to your account. If you choose not to provide certain information we request, we may be unable to serve you as our products, services, tools or calculators may rely upon this information.
Our websites may offer publicly accessible blogs or community forums. You should be aware that any information you provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others who access them. To request removal of your personal information (e.g., name and city) from our blog or community forum, you can contact us. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.
We collect information when you use our services.
We collect certain information and usage data whenever you interact with us, whether online, through a mobile application, or through an email. This data may include which websites you visit, what you click on, and when you performed those actions. These activities may be performed by us or a service provider acting on our behalf.
We utilize certain web and wireless technologies to collect this information. These technologies include cookies and web beacons. Please see "What types of web and wireless technologies (including cookies) do we use?" for an in-depth discussion of these technologies and how to opt-out.
We collect information from other companies and government entities.
We also collect information when you request services or information from us. To improve the security of our services, to protect your identity, and to protect your information, we may verify your personal information by matching the information you provide against other publicly available information that we obtain from identification verification companies.
We use your information to provide you the products and services you request. We may also use your information, as permitted by law, including: to service and report on your account; offer you relevant information, products, or services; and enhance our products and services. These activities may be performed by us or a service provider acting on our behalf.
• Offer you products and services. We may use your information to contact you about products and services offered by us. This may include delivery of newsletters or publications. We may also use aggregated and anonymized information to identify individuals to offer our products and services.
• Geo-Location Uses. We may use your location to provide you a list of nearby offices, assess the level of interest in our services in a particular area, and enhance the services we are providing you and other clients. You may at any time revoke our collection of this information by turning this off at the device level and not using our locator.
• Mobile Devices. Subject to your control, our mobile services may request permission to dial a phone number, access your camera or photo library, access the internet, access your calendar, send you push notifications, wake/lock your mobile device, or authorize in-app purchases.
• User Account. We may use your information to set up an online account or authenticate your identity when you request certain services from us. We may use your email address as your online username. When you add documents to your account, we might access them to assist you with tax preparation or enhance its services. We may retain your documents as allowed or required by law.
• Security Enhancements. We may use your information to improve the security of our services, protect your identity, and protect your information.
• Unique Identifiers. We may assign you a unique identifier when you use our services. This unique identifier allows us to match information collected through our other various products and services. Generally, we use this information to help us better understand your use of our products and services and to customize your experience and better serve you.
• Calculators and Tools. When you use our calculators and other tools, we may collect non-identifiable data, such as the number of people that use a certain tool. We may also set cookies or clear gifs based upon your use so you do not have to re-enter your information in a later visit and to help us customize offers and tools to your particular interests. For our calculators and other tools that require registration or ask for your contact information, we may contact you directly with relevant services and offers.
• "Send a Friend," "Tell a Friend," and Similar Programs. If you choose to use one of our referral services, we may ask for your friend’s name and contact information, including email address. Depending on the particular referral service, we may contact your friend inviting him or her to visit our website, come in for tax preparation, or take our income tax training course. We do not store or use this information except as part of our referral programs. You may or Your friend may contact us to request that we remove your friend’s information from our systems.
• Automated Decision Making. We do not use automated decision making with respect to your information.
The privacy and security of your information is important to us. We may disclose your information as permitted by law or with your consent to provide products and services that may benefit you.
We, and our service providers, use commonly-used technologies, such as cookies or similar technologies, to remember you and to personalize your experience with features and advertisements. We, and our service providers, use these technologies to help us know your usage patterns, track your preferences, and analyze how you use our services. We may receive reports on an individual or aggregate basis based on these technologies. You may opt-out of some of these technologies.
• Cookies. Cookies are a commonly-used software technology that allow us to customize our websites for you by placing small files on your computer or mobile device as you visit various components of our websites. The purpose of cookies is to make your experience more convenient and personal. For example, knowing what products interest you helps us tailor your experience to meet your needs. Cookies are small alphanumeric identifiers that a web server transfers to your computer via your Internet browser. When your Internet browser visits a web page, a cookie is set with a unique number. This number is recorded in a small text file that is transmitted to your computer and stored in the cookie directory of your hard drive. Then, when you visit each webpage on which the cookie technology is enabled, the website can recognize your browser as a unique user. Through the use of cookies, we can display only those items that may be of interest to you, make it easier for you to access your account information, or measure the number of unique visitors that have viewed a particular ad or visited a particular web page. We may also use cookies, and similar technologies, to provide you with enhanced online advertising tailored to your interests. You may also adjust your browser settings to accept or deny all cookies, or to request your permission each time a site attempts to set a cookie. Although cookies are not required for some parts of our services, our services may not work properly if you disable cookies entirely. Clearing cookies from your web browser may revoke a prior opt-out you have selected.
• Traffic Data. We collect information relating to traffic on our website. We may collect and record information on pages visited, mouse movements and clicks, scrolling activity, keystroke data that you voluntarily enter on our website, HTML data on a page visited, IP address or information your browser provides to our web server, such as, browser type, operating system, language, screen resolution, referring URL, etc. We utilize this data to improve our website and the products and services offered to you.
• Online Behavioral Advertising. We allow third-party companies, such as Google, to serve ads and collect certain pseudonymous information when you visit our websites. These companies may use this information (e.g., click stream information, browser information, time and date, device ID, geo-location, IP address, or subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over), during your visits to our websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you and to enhance your consumer experience across the different devices that you use. These companies typically use a cookie or third-party web beacon to collect this information. We may engage different providers to provide similar services from time to time.
The security of your personal information is important to us. We utilize administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information.
We protect information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. Nevertheless, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with applicable law and federal standards and that are designed to restrict access to your information. These safeguards include programs and specifications for physical security and records retention and disposal; computer and communication security measures reflected in system design, password protection, and data management practices; and other measures to restrict access to the data we hold in physical and electronic forms.
In accordance with applicable laws, we keep your information for as long as needed to serve you, maintain your account, as needed to operate our business, or to improve our offerings or develop new ones.
We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We may retain or use your information as necessary to comply with our policies, legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
It is our policy that if you start, but do not complete, a tax return in our online tax programs, we will generally keep the tax return information you provide until filing deadline, after which it will be deleted from our system.
This Privacy Notice does not apply to products or services offered by third-party providers on or through our services (such as third-party payment providers).
Our services may contain links to third-party providers' websites or offers for services from business partners. This Privacy Notice does not apply to those products or services. You should carefully read the privacy notices of the business partners providing such products or services and any terms and conditions applicable to such products or services.
You may contact us regarding your information. If you are a user of our online tax return preparation products, you may access your information through those services and, where available, update that information.
You can delete your account through the account management and settings. The types of information that you can access and update may change over time. Remember, some of the information we collect does not identify you personally or is not stored in an online accessible format and thus, may not be accessible.
If an unauthorized profile has been created about you, please contact us by immediately. We will respond to requests within a reasonable timeframe.
The profile you create on our Community page will be publicly accessible unless otherwise indicated. You may change the privacy settings of your profile through your account portal.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Notice, contact us by clicking here.
We may update this Privacy Notice to reflect changes to our information practices. If we make a material change to this Privacy Notice, including a material change in the way we use any personal information collected, we will notify you by using one of the following methods at least thirty (30) days prior to the effective date of such change: (1) we will post a notice on our website describing the change; or (2) we will send you an email notifying you of the change.