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    Privacy Policy

    Last updated: October 2025

    1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

    Personal Finance Calculators Ltd values your privacy. We collect as little information as possible and never sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties.

    We process your information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our lawful bases for processing data include user consent, legitimate interests, and contractual necessity (to provide your account services).

    2. What Data We Collect

    We design our calculators to run entirely in your browser. All calculations happen on your device.

    Standard web hosting logs may record anonymised technical information (e.g. browser type, device, and time of access) for security and maintenance purposes. These logs do not include names, emails, or personal identifiers.

    We do not automatically store:

    • Calculator inputs you enter (unless you explicitly save them - see below)

    2.4 Disclaimer Acknowledgments & IP Address Collection

    When you acknowledge our educational disclaimer on calculator pages, we record your acknowledgment for legal compliance purposes. This includes:

    • IP address: to identify unique acknowledgments
    • User agent: browser and device information
    • Session identifier: a temporary session ID
    • Timestamp: when the acknowledgment was made
    • Calculator type: which calculator the disclaimer applies to
    • User ID (if logged in): to link the acknowledgment to your account

    Lawful basis: We process IP addresses under the lawful basis of legitimate interest— specifically, to maintain records that demonstrate users have been informed that our calculators are educational tools, not regulated financial advice. This protects both you and us in the event of any legal investigation.

    For anonymous users, we store acknowledgments against your IP address. If you later create an account, we automatically associate recent acknowledgments (within 30 days) with your user ID.

    IP address hashing: To enhance your privacy, we store a hashed version of your IP address rather than the raw IP. This one-way hash cannot be reversed to identify you personally.

    Data retention: Disclaimer acknowledgment records are automatically deleted after 18 months from the date of acknowledgment. This ensures we maintain necessary legal records while respecting GDPR principles of storage limitation and data minimisation.

    2.5 Optional Account Features

    You may choose to create an account to save your calculations and return to them later. When you create an account, we securely store:

    • Email address: used for login, authentication, and password recovery
    • Saved calculations: calculator inputs, outputs, custom scenario names, and timestamps
    • Chat conversation history: only if you interact with the AI assistant while logged in, to maintain context
    • ✓ All saved data is protected with role-based and row-level security controls
    • ✓ Only you can access your saved scenarios when logged in
    • ✓ You can delete your saved calculations or your full account at any time

    Account creation is entirely optional — you can use all calculators without signing up.

    Lawful basis: We process this information under the lawful basis of contractual necessity, as it enables your account and saved-scenario functionality.

    We may collect limited, anonymised data to improve the site:

    • Feedback forms: optional comments or star ratings you choose to submit (stored anonymously)

    3. How We Use This Information

    • To improve site performance and understand which calculators are most useful
    • To respond to user feedback (if you provide contact details voluntarily)
    • To maintain website security and functionality

    We do not use data for targeted advertising or profiling.

    If you choose to create an account, we use your email address solely to authenticate you, send password resets, or inform you about significant updates to your account (e.g. security or policy changes). We do not send marketing emails or share your data with third parties for advertising.

    4. Cookies and Analytics

    We currently do not use any tracking or analytics cookies.

    If we introduce privacy-friendly analytics in the future (such as Plausible or Google Analytics with IP anonymisation), we will:

    • Display a clear cookie banner before any data is collected
    • Update this policy and specify what information is gathered

    Essential local storage and cookies are used only to:

    • Maintain your login session
    • Temporarily store unsaved calculation data
    • Keep the site secure and responsive

    These mechanisms are required for the service to function and cannot be disabled without affecting core site functionality.

    5. Feedback Submissions

    Feedback forms are optional. If you include contact details, we'll only use them to respond to your query and will delete them once the conversation is complete.

    6. Data Storage and Retention

    6.1 Data Location and Security

    • All account and scenario data is stored on secure servers within the UK or EU
    • Data is encrypted in transit (via HTTPS) and at rest (via database encryption)
    • We maintain access controls to prevent unauthorised access

    6.2 Retention Periods

    • Saved calculations: retained until you delete them
    • Chat history: retained only while your account exists
    • Account data: deleted within 30 days of your deletion request
    • Feedback: stored anonymously for improvement purposes
    • Logs: rotated and deleted regularly (typically within 30 days)

    You have full control over your saved data and can delete it at any time through your account settings.

    7. Your Rights Under UK Data Protection Law

    We will respond to all verified data access or deletion requests within 30 days, as required by law.

    You have the right to:

    • Request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
    • Request correction of any inaccurate data
    • Request deletion of your account and all associated data
    • Export your saved calculations at any time
    • Object to processing of your personal data
    • Lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

    For account holders: You can delete individual saved calculations through your account dashboard. For full account deletion or data export requests, please contact us using the details below.

    To exercise these rights, email info@personalfinancecalculators.co.uk.

    8. Third-Party Links and Embedded Content

    Some articles may link to trusted third-party sites (e.g. HMRC or Bank of England). We're not responsible for their privacy practices or content — please review their policies directly.

    9. Children's Privacy

    This site is intended for adults managing personal finances. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.

    10. Changes to This Policy

    We may update this policy periodically. The "Last updated" date above shows the latest revision. If we make significant changes affecting your account or data rights, we will notify you by email or through your account dashboard before the updates take effect.

    11. Contact Us

    For privacy queries, data requests, or general enquiries, contact us at:

    📧 info@personalfinancecalculators.co.uk