Legal — TaxMater Inc.
Last updated: April 20, 2026 · Effective immediately

Terms of Service Required

Governs your use of TaxMater products and services

1.1 Acceptance

By creating an account or using TaxMater (“the Service”), you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. TaxMater Inc. (“we”, “us”) reserves the right to update these Terms at any time. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

1.2 The Service

TaxMater is a document management and accountant collaboration platform. We help you organize, store, and share tax-related documents with your accountant. TaxMater does not prepare, file, or submit tax returns. We are not a tax preparation software and do not provide tax advice.

1.3 Accounts

You must provide accurate information when registering. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. One person per account. Sharing accounts is prohibited. You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service.

1.4 Acceptable Use

You agree not to: upload malicious files or malware; use the Service for money laundering, fraud, or illegal purposes; attempt to access other users’ data; reverse-engineer the platform; use automated tools to scrape or overload the Service; impersonate another person or entity.

1.5 Your Content

You retain all rights to documents and data you upload. We do not claim ownership of your content. By uploading, you grant us a limited license to store, process, and transmit your content solely to provide the Service. We will never sell your content or use it for advertising.

1.6 Accountant-Client Relationship

TaxMater facilitates document sharing between clients and accountants. We are not a party to the professional relationship between you and your accountant. We do not verify accountant credentials, certifications, or qualifications. The accountant-client relationship is governed by your own agreements and applicable professional standards.

1.7 Service Availability

We aim for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted service. We may perform maintenance, updates, or modifications that temporarily affect availability. We are not liable for any losses due to service interruptions.

1.8 Account Deletion

You may request the deletion of your account at any time through the Settings page in your portal. The process requires three steps for your protection:

Step 1: Type “DELETE-ME” in the confirmation field to initiate the request.

Step 2: A confirmation link is sent to your registered email address. You must click the link within 1 hour to confirm.

Step 3: Your account is immediately deactivated. All connections with accountants or clients are revoked. After a 30-day grace period, all data is permanently and irreversibly deleted, including uploaded documents, invoices, quiz responses, and personal information.

During the 30-day grace period, you may cancel the deletion request by contacting us or logging back in. All deletion requests are logged with your IP address, browser information, and timestamp for audit purposes.

1.9 Data Export (Download My Data)

You have the right to request a copy of all your personal data at any time through the Settings page. Upon request, TaxMater will prepare a downloadable ZIP archive containing your personal information (in JSON format) and all uploaded documents. You will receive a notification when the export is ready. Download links expire after 48 hours for security purposes. You may submit a new request at any time.

1.10 Limitation of Liability

TaxMater is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind. We are not liable for: tax filing errors, missed deadlines, or penalties; actions or omissions of accountants using the platform; data loss beyond our control; indirect, incidental, or consequential damages. Our total liability is limited to the fees you paid in the 12 months preceding the claim.

1.11 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of British Columbia, Canada. Disputes shall be resolved in the courts of British Columbia.

1.12 Plans & Features

TaxMater reserves the right to modify, add, remove, or reassign features across subscription tiers at any time, with or without prior notice. Features currently available on free plans may be moved to paid tiers at our sole discretion. Free plans are provided “as-is” with no guarantee of specific feature availability.

Changes to paid subscriptions will take effect at the next billing cycle. No data is deleted when a plan changes — your documents, invoices, and records remain intact regardless of tier changes. We will make reasonable efforts to notify users of significant changes via email or in-app notification prior to implementation.

Privacy Policy Required

How we collect, use, and protect your personal information

2.1 Information We Collect

Account information: Name, email address, phone number (optional), country of residence, user type (client or accountant), company name (accountants).

Documents you upload: Tax receipts, slips, invoices, and other files you choose to upload. We process these solely to provide the Service.

Financial data you enter: Transaction records (income/expense), invoice details, contact information for invoice recipients. This data is entered voluntarily and used only within the Service.

Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, timestamps. Collected automatically for security, rate limiting, and audit trail purposes.

2.2 How We Use Your Information

  • To provide, maintain, and improve the Service
  • To process your uploads and generate documents (invoices, exports)
  • To facilitate sharing between clients and accountants
  • To send transactional emails (verification, quiz notifications, password resets)
  • To maintain security through audit logs, rate limiting, and fraud prevention
  • To comply with legal obligations
We never: sell your data to third parties, use your data for advertising, share your data with anyone you haven’t explicitly authorized, or train AI models on your documents.

2.3 Data Sharing

Your data is shared only when you explicitly authorize it:

  • With your accountant: Only the categories you select (documents, tax info, finances, invoices, quizzes, checklists). You control permissions and can revoke access at any time.
  • With payment processors: See Section 4 — Payment Processing.
  • With law enforcement: Only when required by valid legal process (court order, subpoena).

2.4 Data Retention

Active accounts: Data retained as long as your account is active. Deleted documents: Soft-deleted for 30 days (recoverable), then permanently removed from disk. Closed accounts: All data permanently deleted within 30 days of account closure. Audit logs: Retained for 90 days for security purposes, then automatically purged.

2.5 Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including: HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit; file obfuscation at rest (proprietary file format with hashed naming); JWT-based authentication with cryptographically signed tokens; server-side file validation and secure storage outside the web root; rate limiting to prevent brute-force attacks; complete audit trail of all sensitive operations; CSRF protection on all administrative operations.

2.6 Your Rights

You have the right to:

Access: View all data we hold about you through your portal dashboard.

Export: Request a complete copy of your data through the “Download My Data” button in Settings.

Correct: Update inaccurate information through your profile settings at any time.

Delete: Request permanent deletion of your account and all associated data through the “Delete My Account” button in Settings.

Withdraw consent: Revoke accountant access at any time through “My Accountants”. Disconnect is immediate.

2.7 Cookies

TaxMater uses session tokens (stored in sessionStorage) for authentication. We do not use tracking cookies, analytics cookies, or advertising cookies. No third-party tracking scripts are loaded.

2.8 Data Location

Your data is stored on servers located in the United States (Virginia), operated by our hosting provider. While our servers are outside Canada, all data handling complies with PIPEDA requirements for cross-border transfers.

2.9 Privacy Officer

TaxMater has designated a Privacy Officer responsible for compliance with PIPEDA. See Section 8 for contact details.

2.10 Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, contact our Privacy Officer (Section 8). We will respond within 30 days. You may also file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca or 1-800-282-1376.

Payment Processing Information

How subscription payments are handled

4.1 Payment Processor

All payment processing is handled by industry-leading third-party payment processors (such as Stripe). These processors are PCI DSS Level 1 certified.

TaxMater never stores, processes, or has access to your credit card numbers, bank account details, or any financial payment credentials.

4.2 What We Receive

After a successful payment, the payment processor sends us: the email address associated with the payment; the subscription plan selected; the payment status; and a transaction reference ID.

4.3 Subscription Management

Subscriptions are managed through the payment processor’s portal. You can cancel, upgrade, or downgrade at any time. Upon cancellation, your account reverts to the free tier at the end of the current billing period. No data is deleted when downgrading.

4.4 Refunds

Refund requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact us within 30 days of payment for refund consideration.

PIPEDA Compliance Canada

Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act

5.1 Overview

TaxMater Inc. is a Canadian company committed to complying with PIPEDA, which governs how private-sector organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information.

5.2 The 10 Fair Information Principles

1. Accountability: TaxMater Inc. is responsible for personal information under our control. See Section 8.

2. Identifying Purposes: We identify purposes for collecting information at or before the time of collection. See Section 2.2.

3. Consent: We obtain meaningful consent. You consent by creating an account and can withdraw consent at any time.

4. Limiting Collection: We collect only information necessary for identified purposes.

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention: Information is used only for purposes for which it was collected. Automated deletion schedules apply.

6. Accuracy: You can update your information at any time through Settings.

7. Safeguards: We protect information with security safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity. See Section 2.5.

8. Openness: Our privacy policies are readily available through this document.

9. Individual Access: You can access and export your data through the Service at any time.

10. Challenging Compliance: You may challenge our compliance by contacting our privacy officer.

5.3 Cross-Border Data

Your data is stored on servers in the United States (Virginia). Canadian privacy laws, including PIPEDA, apply to your data as our Service is operated from Canada.

5.4 Breach Notification

In the event of a privacy breach posing real risk of significant harm, we will: notify affected individuals as soon as feasible; report to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada; maintain a record of the breach as required by PIPEDA.

SOX Principles Governance

Sarbanes-Oxley inspired internal controls and data integrity

6.1 Overview

While TaxMater Inc. is not subject to SOX, we voluntarily adopt key SOX principles to maintain the highest standards of data integrity and internal controls.

6.2 Document Integrity

Every document receives a SHA-256 cryptographic hash upon upload. Validated documents receive an additional integrity hash creating a tamper-evident chain of custody.

6.3 Audit Trail

All sensitive operations are logged including: document uploads, validations, and deletions; invoice creation and status changes; account access and authentication events; accountant-client relationship changes. Audit logs are retained for 90 days.

6.4 Access Controls

Role-based access: Clients access only their own data; Accountants access only explicitly shared client data; Administrators view aggregate statistics only.

6.5 Data Retention Controls

Automated processes manage data lifecycle: soft-deleted files purged after 30 days; expired rate limits cleaned daily; audit logs older than 90 days automatically removed.

6.6 Invoice Immutability

Once issued, invoices cannot be edited. Only the status can change (issued → paid → cancelled). Corrections require cancelling the original and creating a new invoice.

CRA / IRS Guidelines Tax Compliance

How TaxMater supports Canadian and US tax compliance requirements

7.1 Important Disclaimer

TaxMater is not a tax preparation or filing service. We do not calculate taxes, prepare tax returns, or file returns with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). TaxMater is a document management and accountant collaboration platform. For tax preparation and filing, consult a qualified tax professional or use certified tax filing software.

7.2 CRA Record-Keeping Requirements

The CRA requires taxpayers to keep supporting documents for at least 6 years. TaxMater helps you comply with secure, organized, long-term document storage with integrity verification.

Our built-in tax info forms (T1 General, T2125, T776) are organizational tools. These are not official CRA forms and should not be submitted to the CRA.

7.3 IRS Record-Keeping Requirements

The IRS generally requires records for 3 to 7 years. TaxMater supports US-based users with multi-currency tracking (CAD/USD).

7.4 Electronic Records

Both CRA and IRS accept electronic copies of supporting documents. TaxMater stores documents in their original format (JPEG, PNG, PDF) without compression or quality reduction.

7.5 NETFILE / EFILE

TaxMater is not NETFILE or EFILE certified. We do not file tax returns. Use CRA-certified software or have your accountant file on your behalf.

7.6 Auto-Fill My Return (AFR)

TaxMater does not integrate with CRA’s AFR. TaxMater complements AFR by helping you organize documents not available through AFR (medical receipts, donations, business expenses).

7.7 Tax Categories

TaxMater provides categories aligned with common CRA/IRS tax lines. These are for organizational purposes and do not constitute tax advice.

Contact & Data Requests Support

How to reach us and exercise your rights

8.1 General Inquiries

TaxMater Inc.
Email: [email protected]
Website: taxmater.com

8.2 Privacy Officer

For privacy-related inquiries, data access requests, or to challenge our compliance with PIPEDA:
Email: [email protected]

8.3 Data Requests

To request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information, email us from the address associated with your TaxMater account. We will respond within 30 days.

8.4 Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.