1. Purpose of This Notice

This Privacy Notice explains how Zerde Accountancy Ltd collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal data when providing accountancy, taxation, payroll and related professional services.

We process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended.

This notice explains what information we collect, why we use it, our lawful bases for processing, who may receive it, how long we retain it and the rights available to individuals.

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2. About Us

Business name: Zerde Accountancy Ltd

Business address: 42 Chorlton Road, Manchester, M15 4AU

Email: info@zerdeaccountancy.com

Zerde Accountancy Ltd acts as a data controller when determining the purposes and means of processing personal data. In certain circumstances, we may act as a data processor on behalf of another organisation, for example when providing payroll services. Where applicable, our responsibilities will be set out in the relevant agreement.

We have designated Zenabou Adamou as our Data Protection Contact. This person handles enquiries about this Privacy Notice and our use of personal data. This designation does not mean that we have formally appointed a Data Protection Officer.

You can contact our Data Protection Contact using the details in Section 13.

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3. Whose Personal Data Do We Process?

Depending on the services we provide, we may process personal data relating to:

• Individual clients and prospective clients.

• Directors, shareholders, partners and employees of business clients.

• Employees and workers whose payroll or tax affairs we manage.

• Sole traders, landlords, subcontractors and other self-employed individuals.

• Suppliers, business contacts and representatives of organisations.

• Individuals who contact us with enquiries, complaints or requests.

Where we provide services to a business, we may process information about individuals connected with that business.

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4. Personal Data We Collect

The information we collect depends on our relationship with you and the services we provide. It may include:

Identity and contact information: name, address, date of birth, email address, telephone number and identification documents where required.

Tax and financial information: National Insurance numbers, Unique Taxpayer References (UTRs), tax returns, income, expenses, bank details, pension information, benefits, capital gains, tax reliefs and other financial records.

Employment and payroll information: salary, working hours, tax codes, National Insurance contributions, pension contributions, P45s, P60s and other payroll-related information.

Business information: company details, financial statements, accounting records, invoices, contracts, ownership information and information obtained from Companies House or other relevant sources.

Professional communications: emails, letters, telephone notes, engagement letters, records of advice, enquiries, complaints and feedback.

Compliance information: identity-verification results and other information required for legal, regulatory, professional or anti-money-laundering purposes.

Technical and website information: where applicable, information collected through our website, such as IP addresses, device information and cookie data, in accordance with our cookie arrangements.

We may also process sensitive personal data or criminal-offence data where necessary and lawful, for example where specific information is relevant to a tax matter or a legal or regulatory obligation.

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5. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

• Contact us or request a quotation.

• Engage us to provide professional services.

• Complete forms or provide documents.

• Communicate with us by email, telephone, post or other communication channels.

• Use our website, where applicable.

We may also receive personal data from third parties, including:

• Your employer, employees or business representatives.

• Our business clients, where we provide services involving their employees, suppliers or customers.

• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Companies House.

• Banks, pension providers and other relevant financial institutions.

• Identity-verification and compliance service providers.

• Other professional advisers or organisations authorised to provide information.

• Publicly available sources where relevant to our services or legal obligations.

Where we obtain personal data from another source, we will provide the required privacy information in accordance with applicable law, subject to any relevant legal exceptions.

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6. Why We Use Personal Data and Our Lawful Bases

We only process personal data where we have an appropriate lawful basis and a legitimate purpose.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR.

6.1 Performance of a Contract

We process personal data where necessary to enter into or perform an engagement with you, including to:

• Prepare accounts and financial statements.

• Prepare and submit tax returns.

• Provide bookkeeping, payroll and tax advisory services.

• Communicate with you about your engagement.

• Manage invoices and payments.

• Fulfil our contractual responsibilities.

Where you are an employee, subcontractor or other individual connected with a business client, our processing may be necessary to provide the services agreed with that client.

6.2 Legal Obligations

We may process personal data to comply with legal obligations, including those relating to:

• Taxation and accounting.

• Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing requirements.

• Record keeping and reporting.

• Court orders, lawful requests and other legal requirements.

• Applicable professional and regulatory obligations.

Where the law requires us to retain or disclose information, we will do so in accordance with our legal obligations.

6.3 Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Our legitimate interests may include:

• Managing and developing our practice.

• Maintaining accurate business records.

• Protecting our business, systems and professional interests.

• Handling enquiries, complaints and disputes.

• Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

• Improving our services and internal procedures.

• Promoting relevant services where permitted by law.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on individuals and the safeguards needed to protect their rights.

6.4 Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional marketing activities or where consent is specifically required by law.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

We may continue processing the relevant information where another lawful basis applies.

6.5 Special-Category and Criminal-Offence Data

If we process special-category personal data or criminal-offence data, we will do so only where permitted by law and where the applicable additional conditions are satisfied.

The relevant condition will depend on the circumstances and may include legal obligations, employment or social-protection requirements, or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

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7. What We Use Personal Data For

We may use personal data to:

• Provide the services agreed in our engagement letter.

• Prepare accounts, tax returns, payroll and financial reports.

• Communicate with clients and relevant third parties.

• Verify identities and carry out required compliance checks.

• Submit information to HMRC or other authorities where authorised or legally required.

• Manage billing, payments and outstanding fees.

• Respond to complaints and resolve disputes.

• Maintain professional, financial and regulatory records.

• Protect our systems and prevent fraud or unlawful activity.

• Improve our services and business operations.

• Send relevant information about our services where permitted by law.

We will not use personal data for an unrelated new purpose unless doing so is permitted by law. Where required, we will provide additional information before undertaking the new processing.

If you do not provide information that is necessary for our engagement or required by law, we may be unable to provide some or all of our services or comply with our legal obligations. We will explain this where appropriate.

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8. Marketing Communications

We may use your contact details to provide information about our services where permitted by applicable law.

Where consent is required, we will obtain it before sending the relevant marketing communications. Where another lawful basis is permitted, we will explain the relevant basis and respect your rights.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions provided or contacting us at info@zerdeaccountancy.com.

Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending essential communications about an existing engagement, legal obligations or other non-marketing matters.

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9. Who We Share Personal Data With

We may share personal data where necessary to provide our services, meet legal obligations, protect legitimate interests or comply with your instructions.

Recipients may include:

• HMRC and other relevant public authorities.

• Banks, pension providers and other financial institutions where necessary.

• Third-party accounting, tax, payroll and document-management software providers.

• Cloud-storage, IT support, electronic-signature and communications providers.

• Identity-verification and anti-money-laundering service providers.

• Other professional advisers and authorised representatives.

• Our professional body, the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), where required for regulatory, professional or practice-assurance purposes.

• Professional indemnity insurers and relevant legal advisers.

• Courts, tribunals, regulators and law-enforcement authorities where legally required or permitted.

• Successors or prospective purchasers in connection with a genuine business sale or restructuring, subject to appropriate safeguards.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that service providers handling personal data on our behalf are subject to appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security obligations.

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

Where we act as a data processor for a business client, we process personal data in accordance with the applicable agreement and the client's documented instructions, subject to our legal obligations.

10. International Transfers

We use professional software and service providers to operate our accountancy practice. Depending on the provider and the services used, personal data may be stored or accessed in countries outside the United Kingdom.

We will check the arrangements of our relevant service providers and will only make international transfers where permitted by applicable data protection law.

Where a transfer requires safeguards, we will use an appropriate legal transfer mechanism, such as applicable UK adequacy regulations or an approved contractual safeguard, and undertake any additional assessments required by law.

If you would like further information about an applicable international transfer or its safeguards, please contact us using the details in Section 13.

Important: This section must reflect your actual software providers and their data locations. Do not publish a statement that no international transfers occur until you have verified this.

11. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality obligations, system security measures and appropriate procedures for handling personal data.

Access to personal data is restricted to people who need it for legitimate business, professional or legal purposes.

Where a personal data breach occurs, we will assess it and notify the ICO and affected individuals where required by law.

No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

12. How Long We Keep Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, regulatory, professional, accounting and reporting requirements and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Our retention periods depend on the type of record, the services provided and the applicable obligations.

Our current retention policy generally provides for the following:

• Tax returns and related records: normally seven years from the end of the relevant tax year, subject to applicable requirements.

• Ad hoc tax and advisory work: normally seven years from the end of the relevant tax year, subject to applicable requirements.

• Ongoing client relationships: records needed for continuing tax compliance, such as capital gains base costs, claims and elections, may be retained throughout the relationship and normally for seven years after it ends, where appropriate.

• Accounting and company records: retained for the period required by applicable law and our professional obligations.

• Complaints, engagement and compliance records: retained in accordance with applicable legal, regulatory, insurance and professional requirements.

These periods are general retention guidelines, not an assurance that every record will be retained for exactly seven years. We may retain records for longer where legally necessary, including where a matter remains unresolved or a legal claim may arise.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, destroy or anonymise it where appropriate.

Where we act as a data processor, we will return or delete personal data in accordance with the applicable agreement and the relevant controller's instructions, subject to any legal retention obligations.

Clients should also retain copies of their own tax and accounting records for the periods applicable to them.

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13. Your Data Protection Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, our processing of personal data or your data protection rights, please contact:

Data Protection Contact: Zenabou Adamou
Business: Zerde Accountancy Ltd
Address: 42 Chorlton Road, Manchester, M15 4AU
Email: info@zerdeaccountancy.com

Zenabou Adamou is the designated contact for data protection enquiries. This role should not be understood as a formal appointment as Data Protection Officer.

14. Your Data Protection Rights

Subject to applicable law and the circumstances of the processing, you may have the right to:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

• Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

• Erasure: ask us to delete personal data where the legal conditions are met.

• Restriction: ask us to restrict certain processing.

• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests or to certain other processing where the law gives you this right.

• Data portability: receive certain personal data in a commonly used, machine-readable format or request its transfer to another controller where the legal conditions are met.

• Withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, withdraw it at any time.

• Complain: lodge a complaint with the ICO.

These rights are not absolute. For example, we may need to retain certain tax, accounting or anti-money-laundering records even if you request their deletion.

You may exercise your rights by contacting us at info@zerdeaccountancy.com. We may request additional information where reasonably necessary to verify your identity or clarify your request.

We will normally respond to a valid request within one calendar month, subject to applicable legal rules. In certain circumstances, the law permits an extension or other limitations.

You will not normally have to pay a fee to exercise your rights. A reasonable fee may be charged, or a request refused, where the law permits this, such as for a manifestly unfounded or excessive request.

14.1 Automated Decision-Making

We do not currently intend to make decisions about individuals solely by automated means that produce legal or similarly significant effects, or to carry out profiling of that kind.

If our practices change, we will update this notice and provide any information required by law.

15. Cookies and Website Technologies

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to support its operation, understand website usage or provide particular features.

Where required, we will obtain consent before placing non-essential cookies or using similar technologies. You can manage your cookie preferences through the controls provided on our website, where available.

If our website uses analytics, advertising or other third-party technologies, we will ensure that our cookie information and consent arrangements accurately reflect their use.

16. Complaints About Our Use of Personal Data

If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first using the details in Section 13. We will consider your concerns and respond appropriately.

You also have the right to complain directly to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

Postal address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Telephone: 0303 123 1113.

You can contact the ICO even if you have not first complained to us.

17. Changes to This Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice to reflect changes to our services, data-handling practices, technology or legal obligations.

The latest version will be published on our website, with the date of the most recent update.

Last updated: 09/10/2026                     

SK9 5AF
Telephone – 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745
Website – https://ico.org.uk/concerns