Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

TaxMaster, Inc. ("TaxMaster," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through taxmasterinc.com (the "Site"), why we collect it, and the choices you have. It applies to this website only, not to the confidential client information we hold in connection with tax preparation, accounting, or IRS representation engagements, which is governed by separate professional confidentiality obligations and any engagement letter you sign with us.

2. Information we collect

Information you provide directly. When you use a contact or consultation-request form on this Site, we collect what you enter, typically your name, phone number, email address, and the message or details you provide about your situation.

Information collected automatically. If you accept analytics cookies through our cookie banner, Google Analytics collects information about your visit, such as the pages you view, how you arrived at the Site, your general device and browser type, and an approximate location derived from your IP address. We do not use this information to identify you personally.

3. Cloudflare Turnstile (form security)

Our contact and consultation forms are protected by Cloudflare Turnstile, a service that helps us tell real visitors apart from automated spam and bots without showing you a traditional CAPTCHA puzzle. Turnstile is provided by Cloudflare, Inc. and is designed not to track you across other websites. Turnstile may process limited technical signals from your browser and device to make this determination. It runs on every form submission as a security measure and is not something you can opt out of while still submitting a form, since it protects both our office and our other visitors from abuse. You can read more in Cloudflare's Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).

4. How we deliver your messages (SMTP2GO)

When you submit a form on this Site, the message is transmitted to our office through SMTP2GO, a third-party transactional email delivery service. SMTP2GO's role is limited to reliably delivering your submission to our inbox; we do not use SMTP2GO to send you marketing email, and SMTP2GO does not use your submission to market to you on its own behalf. You can read more in SMTP2GO's Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).

5. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics (GA4) to understand how visitors use our Site, such as which pages are most helpful and how people generally find us, so we can improve the Site over time. Google Analytics is only activated after you accept analytics cookies through the cookie banner that appears on your first visit; if you decline, Google Analytics does not load. You can change your choice at any time using the "Cookie Preferences" link in our footer. For more detail on how Google handles this data, see Google's Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab). You can also install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (opens in a new tab) for additional control across sites that use Google Analytics.

6. Google Maps

Our Contact page includes embedded Google Maps showing the location of each of our offices. Loading a page with an embedded map may allow Google to collect technical information about your visit, such as your IP address and general device information, independent of whether you interact with the map itself. This can occur whether or not you have a Google account. You can read more in Google's Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).

7. Customer Reviews (Elfsight)

Our Testimonials page displays client reviews using a widget provided by Elfsight, LLC. Elfsight's role is limited to retrieving and displaying review content for each office; loading the widget may allow Elfsight to collect limited technical information about your browser and device. You can read more in Elfsight's Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).

8. Newsletter Sign-Up (Mailchimp)

If you subscribe to our newsletter using the sign-up form on our Contact page, the name and email address you provide are sent to and stored by Mailchimp (The Rocket Science Group LLC), our email marketing platform, so we can send you the updates you've requested. Mailchimp may also process standard technical information about your browser as part of handling the submission and preventing abuse. We use your information only to send the newsletter you signed up for; we do not use it to market services to you outside of that newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link included in every email we send. You can read more in Mailchimp's Privacy Statement (opens in a new tab).

9. Cookies

This Site uses a small number of cookies, described in detail in our Cookie Policy. In short: cookies required for basic security (like Cloudflare Turnstile) are always active, and cookies used for analytics (Google Analytics) are only set if you accept them.

10. How we use your information

• To respond to inquiries submitted through our contact or consultation forms
• To schedule and prepare for consultations or appointments
• To send newsletter updates to visitors who sign up to receive them
• To understand, in aggregate, how visitors use the Site so we can improve it
• To maintain the security and proper functioning of the Site

11. Data sharing

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes. We share limited information with the service providers described above (Cloudflare, SMTP2GO, Mailchimp, and, if you consent, Google) solely so they can perform the services we use them for. Some pages also include content from Google Maps and Elfsight, described above, which may independently collect limited technical information when their content loads on those pages. We may also disclose information if required to do so by law or to protect our legal rights.

12. Data security

We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information submitted through this Site, consistent with New York's Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act (the "SHIELD Act"). No method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Data retention

We retain information submitted through contact and consultation forms for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to your inquiry and, where a client relationship results, in accordance with our professional recordkeeping obligations. Newsletter subscriber information is retained until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove it. Analytics data collected by Google Analytics is retained according to the settings on our Google Analytics account, consistent with Google's standard retention practices.

14. Your choices

New York does not currently have a comprehensive consumer privacy law giving general rights to access or delete personal information, comparable to laws in some other states. That said, you can always:

• Accept or decline analytics cookies through our cookie banner, or change your choice later using "Cookie Preferences" in the footer
• Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link in any email we send
• Contact us at info@taxmasterinc.com with any question about information you've submitted to us, and we will respond as reasonably as we're able

15. Children's privacy

This Site is intended for adults seeking tax, accounting, and related services, and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the services we use, or applicable law. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

17. Contact us

Questions about this Privacy Policy can be directed to info@taxmasterinc.com, our Glendale office at 7935 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385 (718-326-0500), or our Melville office at 608 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747 (631-673-0617).