Privacy policy

Emerald Tally helps self-employed people and small businesses keep their books, track mileage and plan for taxes. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to the Emerald Tally website, web app and mobile app.

What we collect

• Account details: your name, email address, phone number (if you add one), time zone, and the businesses and tax details you enter, such as filing status and EIN. EINs are encrypted.
• Bank data from Plaid: when you connect a bank or card, our partner Plaid shares account names, account types, the last four digits of account numbers, balances, and transactions (date, amount, merchant, category and location where available). We never see or store your bank username or password.
• Location: only if you turn on automatic mileage tracking in the mobile app, so trips can be logged. You can turn it off at any time.
• Receipts and documents you upload, email or text to us, and the messages you send to the in-app assistant.
• Technical data: sign-in records, device type and basic logs we need to keep the service secure and working.

How we use it

Only to provide Emerald Tally to you: sorting transactions into business and personal, logging trips, matching receipts, building reports, estimating taxes, and sending the questions and reminders you have asked for. We also use it to secure your account, prevent fraud, and meet legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, share it for advertising, or use your financial data to train AI models.

Connecting your bank through Plaid

We use Plaid Inc. ("Plaid") to connect your financial accounts. By connecting an account, you agree that Plaid may collect and share your data with us as described in the Plaid End User Privacy Policy. Our access is read-only: Emerald Tally can never move money. You can disconnect a bank at any time in Accounts; when you do, we remove the connection at Plaid and delete its access token.

AI processing

To categorize transactions and answer your questions, we send the minimum needed (such as merchant names, amounts and your question) to our AI provider, Anthropic. Under our agreement, Anthropic processes it only to return results to us and does not use it to train its models.

Who we share it with

• People you invite, such as your accountant, can see only the businesses you share, with the access level you choose. You can remove them at any time.
• Service providers who run parts of the service for us, under contracts that require them to protect your data and use it only for us: Plaid (bank connections), Vercel (hosting and file storage), Neon (database), Anthropic (AI processing), Resend (email), Twilio (text messages) and Stripe (billing; Stripe handles your card details, not us).
• When the law requires it, such as a valid subpoena, or to protect someone's safety. If a business sale or merger happens, your data would move only under this policy, and we would tell you first.

How we protect it

All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2 or higher) and at rest. Bank access tokens get an extra layer of AES-256 encryption and are never shown to anyone, including you. Access inside our company is limited to the people who need it and protected by multi-factor authentication. You can turn on two-factor sign-in for your own account in Settings → Security. For more detail, and the full retention schedule, see our Security & data retention page.

Text messages

We text you only after you opt in with this consent:

By checking this box you agree to receive automated texts from Emerald Tally about your trips, expenses, and tax deadlines. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

Mobile numbers and opt-in records are never shared with third parties for marketing.

How long we keep it

• Your books, receipts and mileage logs are kept for 7 years, the period the IRS can generally ask about, unless you delete your account sooner.
• When you delete your account, we wait 30 days so you can change your mind or export, then permanently delete your data. The only exception is billing records we are legally required to keep.

Your rights and choices

• Access and export: download everything at any time from Settings → Data, on every plan.
• Correct: edit your details and records directly in the app, or ask us.
• Delete: delete your account in Settings → Data, or email us and we will do it for you.
• Withdraw consent: disconnect banks, turn off location tracking, reply STOP to texts, or turn off notifications in Settings at any time.

Depending on where you live (for example, California under the CCPA), you may have additional rights, such as knowing what we collect and not being discriminated against for using your rights. We honor these requests for everyone. Email privacy@emeraldtally.com and we will respond within 30 days, after confirming it is you.

Children

Emerald Tally is for adults running a business. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

Changes to this policy

If we make a material change, we will tell you by email or in the app before it takes effect. The date at the top shows the latest version.

Contact

Questions or requests: privacy@emeraldtally.com