Legal & Compliance
Privacy Policy
How we collect, use, and protect your personal information
This Privacy Policy explains how Shreem Accountants Limited (“Shreem Accountants”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when you use our services, visit our website at shreemaccountants.co.uk, or communicate with us. We are committed to safeguarding your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Please read this policy carefully.
Who We Are
Shreem Accountants Limited is an ACCA-certified accounting firm based in London, providing professional accounting, tax, payroll, and business advisory services to individuals and businesses across the United Kingdom.
For the purposes of data protection law, Shreem Accountants Limited is the Data Controller responsible for your personal data.
Data Controller Details
167-169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF, United Kingdom
sales@shreemaccountants.co.uk
0203 98 33689
Information We Collect
We collect and process various categories of personal data depending on the nature of our relationship with you and the services you engage with. This includes:
Identity and Contact Information
- Full name, title, date of birth, and gender
- Residential or business address, email address, and telephone number
- National Insurance number and Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)
- Company registration number and VAT registration number (where applicable)
Financial and Tax Information
- Income details, salary, dividends, rental income, and other earnings
- Bank account details, statements, and payment records
- Details of assets, liabilities, investments, and pensions
- PAYE records, payslips, P60s, P11Ds, and related payroll data
- Business financial records including invoices, receipts, and management accounts
- Corporation tax, VAT, and self-assessment records
Website and Technical Data
- IP address, browser type and version, time zone, and geographic location
- Pages visited, referral source, session duration, and clickstream data
- Device type and operating system
- Data submitted via our online contact and quotation forms
Communications Data
- Correspondence sent to us by email, telephone, or post
- Records of meetings, calls, and appointments
- Feedback, enquiries, and complaints
Special Category Data: We do not routinely collect special category data (such as health information or biometric data). Where such data is necessary to perform a specific service, we will obtain your explicit consent and handle it with additional safeguards.
How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data only for the specific purposes for which it was collected. These include:
Provision of Accounting and Professional Services
- Preparing and filing Self-Assessment tax returns, corporation tax returns, and VAT returns with HMRC
- Completing and submitting annual statutory accounts and confirmation statements to Companies House
- Managing payroll, PAYE submissions, and auto-enrolment pension obligations
- Providing bookkeeping, management accounting, and financial reporting
- Offering business advisory, tax planning, and company formation services
Client Account Management
- Setting up and maintaining your client file in compliance with professional standards
- Carrying out Anti-Money Laundering (AML) identity verification checks as required under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017
- Sending service updates, deadline reminders, and relevant correspondence
- Processing payments and managing billing for our services
Website and Marketing
- Responding to enquiries submitted through our contact and quotation forms
- Improving the functionality and user experience of our website
- Sending marketing communications about our services, where you have provided consent or where we have a legitimate interest to do so
- Analysing website traffic and usage patterns to develop our online presence
Legal and Regulatory Compliance
- Meeting our obligations under tax legislation, HMRC requirements, and
- Companies House regulations
Complying with ACCA professional standards and regulations - Responding to lawful requests from regulatory authorities, courts, or law enforcement
- Maintaining records required for audit, accounting, or legal purposes
Legal Basis for Processing
Under the UK GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis for processing your personal data. The bases we rely on are:
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Legal Basis
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When We Rely on It
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Performance of a Contract
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When processing is necessary to deliver the accounting or professional services you have engaged us to provide, or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.
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Legal Obligation
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When we must process data to comply with HMRC regulations, Companies House requirements, Anti-Money Laundering legislation, ACCA standards, or any other applicable law.
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Legitimate Interests
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When processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services, detecting fraud, managing client relationships, or communicating relevant service information — provided your interests and rights are not overridden.
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Consent
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When we send you marketing materials or use non-essential cookies. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us or clicking the unsubscribe link in marketing emails.
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Sharing Your Information
We treat your personal data with the utmost confidentiality. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We may, however, share your data in the following limited circumstances:
Regulatory and Government Bodies
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) — for tax return filing, VAT submissions, PAYE reporting, and other statutory obligations
- Companies House — for submission of annual accounts, confirmation statements, and company secretarial filings
- The Pensions Regulator — where required in connection with auto-enrolment payroll services
- ACCA — in our capacity as regulated members subject to professional oversight
Client Account Management
- Setting up and maintaining your client file in compliance with professional standards
- Carrying out Anti-Money Laundering (AML) identity verification checks as required under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017
- Sending service updates, deadline reminders, and relevant correspondence
- Processing payments and managing billing for our services
Service Providers and Software Platforms
We use trusted third-party software to deliver our services efficiently and accurately. These platforms may process your data on our behalf as Data Processors:
- IRIS, Sage, Xero, QuickBooks (Intuit), FreeAgent, Capium — accounting and tax software
- TaxCalc — tax return preparation software
- Cloud storage and document management providers
- Secure email and communication tools
- Website hosting and analytics providers
All third-party processors are carefully selected, contractually bound to protect your data, and are permitted to use your information solely for the specified purpose.
Professional Advisers
- Solicitors, barristers, or other legal advisers — where instructed in connection with your matter
- Banks and financial institutions — where necessary to fulfil a professional engagement
Legal Requirements
- We may disclose personal data if required to do so by law, court order, or at the request of a competent regulatory or law enforcement authority
- We may also disclose data where necessary to protect the vital interests of an individual or to prevent serious harm
Your Confidentiality Matters: As a regulated ACCA firm, we are bound by strict professional confidentiality obligations. Our staff members are contractually required to maintain client confidentiality at all times.
International Transfers of Data
We store and process your personal data primarily within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area (EEA). Some of the third-party software providers we use may process data in countries outside the UK or EEA.
- Transfers to countries with UK adequacy decisions
- Use of the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
- Binding Corporate Rules approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
You may request further information about international data transfers by contacting us using the details in Section 14.
Retention of Data
We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our standard retention periods are as follows:
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Data Category
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When We Rely on It
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Basis
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Client accounting and tax records
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6 years from the end of the relevant tax year
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HMRC / legal requirement
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Company statutory records
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6 years from the date of filing
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Companies Act 2006
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Payroll records
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6 years from the end of the tax year
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HMRC / PAYE requirements
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AML identity verification
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5 years after the end of the business relationship
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Money Laundering Regulations 2017
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Website enquiry / contact forms
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12 months from submission
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Legitimate interest
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Marketing preferences and records
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Until consent is withdrawn or 3 years of inactivity
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Consent / legitimate interest
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Where your data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised in accordance with our data retention and disposal procedures.
Your Rights Under UK GDPR
Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have a number of important rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are outlined below:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 14. We will not charge a fee for dealing with your request unless it is manifestly unfounded or excessive, and we will respond within one calendar month of receipt.
Cookies
Our website (shreemaccountants.co.uk) uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and to help us understand how visitors use our site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.
Types of Cookies We Use
- Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for the website to function correctly. These cannot be disabled without affecting site functionality.
- Analytics Cookies: Used to collect anonymised information about how visitors interact with our website (e.g. pages visited, time spent, referring URLs). We use this data to improve our website and content.
- Functional Cookies: These allow the website to remember choices you make, such as form preferences, to provide a more personalised experience.
- Marketing Cookies: Used only with your consent, to measure the effectiveness of any online marketing campaigns we may run.
You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. For more information on cookies and how to control them, visit allaboutcookies.org.
Security of Your Personal Data
We take the security of your personal data very seriously. We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or disclosure. These measures include:
- Secure, encrypted communication channels for transmitting sensitive financial documents
- Password-protected and encrypted storage systems for client files and records
- Restricted access to personal data on a strict need-to-know basis
- Regular staff training on data protection obligations and best practices
- Use of industry-standard, reputable accounting software platforms with their own security protocols
- Regular review and update of our security measures
While we take all reasonable precautions, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you have any concerns about the security of data you have shared with us, please contact us immediately.
Data Breaches: In the unlikely event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours and, where required, inform you directly without undue delay.
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to external websites, including government portals (such as HMRC’s online services), accounting software providers, and other professional resources. These websites have their own privacy policies, and we have no control over or responsibility for their content or how they collect and use your data.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit via links on our site before providing any personal information.
Children's Privacy
Our services are intended for businesses and adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect or process personal data from individuals under the age of 18 without parental or guardian consent.
If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal data from a minor, please contact us immediately so that we may take appropriate steps to remove such information from our records.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal and regulatory obligations. All updates will be posted on this page with a revised “Effective Date” at the top.
Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to notify you — for example, by placing a prominent notice on our website or by emailing registered clients. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
Your continued use of our services following any update constitutes your acknowledgement of the revised policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, or have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please do not hesitate to get in touch:
Get in Touch with Shreem Accountants
sales@shreemaccountants.co.uk
0203 98 33689
167-169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF, United Kingdom
We aim to respond to all data protection enquiries within 5 working days and will resolve Subject Access Requests within one calendar month.
