Privacy Notice – January 2026

Our contact details

Name: Elmden Bookkeeping Services
Email: hello@elmden.co.uk

The type of personal information we collect

We collect and process personal information that may include:

  • Names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers
  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance numbers
  • UTRs and tax reference numbers
  • Identification documents (such as passports or driving licences)
  • Financial information, including bank details, income, expenses, and transaction data
  • VAT records and supporting documentation
  • Company details, including director and beneficial owner information
  • Correspondence and communications
  • Website enquiry information

How we get your personal information and why we collect it

Most of the personal information we process is provided directly by you when you:

  • engage us for bookkeeping or related services
  • complete onboarding and compliance checks
  • provide accounting records and financial information
  • communicate with us by email, phone, or other means

We may also receive personal information indirectly from:

  • HMRC (where we are authorised to act as your agent)
  • your accountant or other professional advisers
  • banks, payment providers, or software platforms (such as Xero), where access has been authorised by you

We use this information to:

  • provide bookkeeping and related professional services
  • maintain accounting records
  • prepare VAT returns and Making Tax Digital submissions
  • meet legal, regulatory, and professional obligations
  • carry out identity verification and anti-money laundering checks
  • communicate with you regarding our services

We may share personal information with:

  • HMRC
  • our professional body and supervisor, the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB)
  • software providers used in delivering our services (e.g. accounting platforms)
  • our professional indemnity insurers
  • other third parties where required by law or where you have given explicit consent

Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing your personal information are:

  • Contractual obligation – where processing is necessary to fulfil our agreement with you
  • Legal obligation – where we are required to comply with legal or regulatory requirements
  • Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for the operation of our business, provided it does not override your rights
  • Consent – where required, and you may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us

How we store your personal information

Your information is securely stored using password-protected systems and secure cloud-based storage.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, regulatory, and professional requirements. In most cases, records are retained for up to six years after the end of our engagement.

We securely delete or destroy personal data once it is no longer required, unless we are legally required to retain it for longer.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

  • Right of access – to request copies of your personal information
  • Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Right to erasure – to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances
  • Right to restrict processing – to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
  • Right to object – to object to processing in certain circumstances
  • Right to data portability – to request transfer of your data to another organisation or to you

You are not required to pay a fee to exercise your rights. We have one month to respond to a valid request.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details above.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us in the first instance so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

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