1. Purpose of this Privacy Policy

HY Professionals is a registered tax agent providing taxation, accounting and related advisory services.

This Privacy Policy explains how HY Professionals collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, and applicable rules relating to tax file numbers and taxation records.

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected through this website, by email, telephone, online forms, client portals, in person, and in the course of providing professional services.

2. Personal information we collect

The types of personal information we may collect depend on the nature of our relationship with you and the services we are providing to you. The personal information we collect may include:

1. Identity information, including your name, date of birth, address and contact details.
2. Taxation information, including your tax file number, Australian business number, income details, deductions, tax residency information and ATO correspondence.
3. Financial information, including bank account details, income records, business records, payment summaries, payroll information, superannuation information and investment information.
4. Business information, including business structures, company, trust, partnership or sole trader records, financial statements, BAS records and bookkeeping records.
5. Employment information, including salary, wages, PAYG withholding, employment contracts and employee records.
6. Identification documents, including copies of driver licences, passports, Medicare cards or other identity verification documents where required.
7. Sensitive information, where relevant to the services provided, such as health information for taxation claims or information about memberships, dependants or family circumstances.
8. Website and technical information, including IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referral source and cookies.

We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our functions or activities, including providing tax agent services and complying with our legal and professional obligations.

3. Tax file numbers

We may collect, use and disclose tax file numbers where necessary to provide taxation services or where authorised or required by law.

Tax file numbers are handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015.

You are not required by law to provide your tax file number to us. However, if you do not provide it, we may be unable to provide some taxation services or may be limited in the assistance we can provide.

4. How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information:

1. directly from you, including through meetings, telephone calls, emails, online forms, document uploads and client portals;
2. from your authorised representatives, including employees, directors, partners, trustees, bookkeepers, lawyers, financial advisers or family members;
3. from government agencies, including the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Services Australia and state revenue authorities;
4. from banks, financial institutions, employers, superannuation funds and investment platforms;
5. from publicly available sources, including business registers and professional registers;
6. through accounting, taxation, payroll, bookkeeping or practice management software; and
7. through this website, including by cookies and analytics tools.

Where practicable, we collect personal information directly from you.

5. Website forms and online communications

If you submit information through our website, email us or complete an online enquiry form, we may collect your name, contact details and the content of your enquiry.

Information sent over the internet may not be secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect information submitted through our website, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted electronically before it reaches us.

You should not submit highly confidential information, identity documents or tax file numbers through website contact forms unless the form is specifically designed for secure document transmission.

6. Cookies and analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, analyse website traffic and understand how visitors use the website.

A cookie is a small data file stored on your device. You may disable cookies through your browser settings, although this may affect the functionality of the website.

We may use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to collect aggregated information about website usage. This information may include IP addresses, device information and browsing activity.

7. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information

We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for a variety of purposes including:

1. providing taxation, accounting, bookkeeping, compliance and related advisory services;
2. preparing and lodging income tax returns, BAS, financial statements and other taxation documents;
3. communicating with you and responding to enquiries;
4. verifying your identity and authority to act;
5. managing client relationships and maintaining client files;
6. administering billing, payment and debt recovery;
7. complying with obligations under taxation, corporations, superannuation, anti-money laundering, professional standards and record-keeping laws;
8. communicating with government agencies, regulators and professional bodies;
9. maintaining the security and integrity of our systems;
10. improving our website and services;
11. sending updates or information about our services, where permitted by law; and
12. any other purpose for which you have consented or which is permitted or required by law.

8. Disclosure of personal information

We may disclose personal information to:

1. the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Services Australia, the Queensland Revenue Office and other government agencies;
2. the Tax Practitioners Board or other regulators, where required;
3. our employees, contractors and authorised representatives;
4. accounting, tax, payroll, document management, identity verification, electronic signature, client portal and practice management software providers;
5. cloud storage, IT, cybersecurity and data hosting providers;
6. banks, superannuation funds, employers, financial institutions and investment providers;
7. auditors, insurers, legal advisers, debt recovery providers and professional advisers;
8. your authorised representatives, including directors, officers, trustees, attorneys, bookkeepers, financial advisers or lawyers;
9. third parties involved in business transfers, mergers, restructures or sale of practice assets; and
10. any other person or organisation where required or authorised by law.

We do not sell personal information.

9. Overseas disclosure

Some of our service providers may store or process information outside Australia. This may include our overseas support office in China, cloud-based software, data hosting, email, backup, analytics or technical support services.

Where personal information is disclosed overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient handles the information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles, unless an exception under the Privacy Act applies.

10. Direct marketing

We may use your contact details to send newsletters, taxation updates, business alerts or information about our services where permitted by law.

You may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe function in the communication or by contacting us at info@hyprofessionals.com.

We will not use tax file numbers or sensitive information for direct marketing.

11. Security of personal information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

These steps may include:

1. secure client portals and encrypted communications where appropriate;
2. password protection and access controls;
3. multi-factor authentication;
4. secure document storage and file management;
5. staff confidentiality obligations and training;
6. data backup and cybersecurity measures;
7. secure destruction or de-identification of records when no longer required; and
8. limiting access to personal information to personnel who require access for legitimate business purposes.

No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. However, we maintain safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information we hold.

12. Retention of records

We retain personal information for as long as required for the purposes for which it was collected, including to comply with legal, taxation, professional and regulatory record-keeping obligations.

Taxation and accounting records are generally retained for at least the period required by taxation law and applicable professional obligations. Some records may be retained for longer where necessary for legal, audit, insurance, dispute resolution or regulatory purposes.

When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it securely.

13. Access to personal information

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the details below.

We may need to verify your identity before providing access. We will respond within a reasonable period.

In some circumstances, access may be refused or limited where permitted by law, including where providing access would:

1. pose a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any person;
2. unreasonably affect another person’s privacy;
3. reveal commercially sensitive evaluative information;
4. prejudice legal proceedings or negotiations;
5. be unlawful; or
6. be otherwise permitted to be refused under the Privacy Act.

If access is refused, we will provide written reasons unless it would be unreasonable to do so.

14. Correction of personal information

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, up to date, complete, relevant and not misleading.

If you believe that personal information we hold about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request correction by contacting us.

Where appropriate, we will correct the information or associate a statement with the record noting your requested correction.

15. Client obligations to provide accurate information

You are responsible for providing complete and accurate information relevant to the services requested.

If you provide personal information about another person, you must ensure that you are authorised to do so and that the person has been informed of the matters set out in this Privacy Policy, where practicable.

16. Notifiable data breaches

If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information, we will assess whether the breach is likely to result in serious harm.

Where required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

17. Complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about how we have handled your personal information, you may contact us using the details provided below.

We will acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable period and aim to respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5288
Sydney NSW 2001, Australia
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Telephone: 1300 363 992

You may also have rights to contact the Tax Practitioners Board in relation to the conduct of registered tax practitioners.

18. Links to third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of those websites.

You should review the privacy policies of third-party websites before providing personal information to them.

19. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

We may use AI tools, including generative AI tools, to assist with administrative, analytical, drafting, research, document review, workflow and practice management tasks.

Where we propose to disclose identifiable client information to a third-party AI provider, we will seek the client’s specific written consent before that use.

When using AI tools, we will take reasonable steps to protect client confidentiality and personal information. This includes:

1. minimising the amount of client information used or disclosed where reasonably practicable;
2. de-identifying or anonymising client information;
3. avoiding the entry of client information into unapproved public consumer AI tools; and
4. where reasonably available, using service settings, enterprise arrangements, contractual protections or other controls intended to prevent client information from being used to train publicly available AI models.

For the purposes of this clause, “identifiable client information” means information about a client, or information relating to a client’s affairs, from which the client is identified or reasonably identifiable. This may include personal information, taxation information, financial information, business records, identity documents, tax file numbers and information subject to professional confidentiality obligations.

We will maintain internal approval, security and governance processes for AI tools used in our practice and will review those processes from time to time.

20. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

The current version will be published on our website and will take effect from the date shown at the beginning of the policy.

21. Contact details

For privacy enquiries, access requests, correction requests or complaints, please contact:

Privacy Officer
Hypro Financial Services Pty Ltd trading as HY Professionals
Suite 73, Level 1, 8 Clunies Ross Court
Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113, Australia
Email: info@hyprofessionals.com
Telephone: 0433 412 271