Privacy Policy

Athena Tax & Advisory

‍Last Updated: July 1, 2026

(CONFIRM before publishing: this document has not been reviewed by a licensed attorney. Given the sensitivity of tax and financial data this firm handles, legal review is not optional, it's required before this goes live.)

1. Who We Are

Athena Tax & Advisory ("Athena," "we," "us," or "our") provides bookkeeping, tax preparation, tax planning, and outsourced accounting services to small businesses in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information we receive through our website and in the course of providing services to clients.

(CONFIRM: legal business name, business address, and registered agent for service of process need to be inserted here.)

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

• Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address
• Business information (entity type, EIN, revenue figures, financial statements)
• Tax return information, including prior-year returns, W-2s, 1099s, and supporting documentation
• Banking and financial account information necessary to perform bookkeeping and accounting services
• Social Security Numbers or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, where required for tax preparation
• Communications you send us by email, phone, or through our client portal

Information collected automatically:

• IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited on our website, collected through standard analytics tools

(CONFIRM: list the specific analytics, advertising, or tracking tools actually in use, e.g. Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, so this section names them specifically rather than generically.)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Prepare and file tax returns on your behalf
• Perform bookkeeping, reconciliation, and financial reporting services
• Provide tax planning and advisory services
• Communicate with you about your account, services, and deadlines
• Comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including IRS recordkeeping requirements
• Improve our website and services

4. Tax Return Information (IRC Section 7216 Disclosure)

This section is legally required for any business that prepares tax returns, and the exact wording matters. Do not modify this section without attorney review.

Federal law, specifically 26 U.S.C. Section 7216 and its accompanying Treasury Regulations, restricts how tax return preparers may use or disclose information you provide in connection with the preparation of your tax return. Absent your written consent, we may only use your tax return information to prepare your return, and may only disclose it as specifically permitted by law (for example, to the IRS, or to other tax preparers within our firm working on your return).

If we ever request your consent to use your tax return information for any other purpose, such as offering you an additional service, that request will be presented to you separately, in the form required by law, and you will have the right to decline without affecting your ability to have your return prepared by us.

(CONFIRM: if Athena ever intends to use client tax data for any marketing, referral, or secondary purpose, a compliant IRC 7216 consent form, separate from this policy, is legally required before that happens. This is not optional and carries real penalties for noncompliance.)

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information with:

• Service providers who support our operations, such as our accounting software provider (e.g., QuickBooks Online), our secure document portal, and our email and scheduling tools
• Government agencies, such as the IRS or California Franchise Tax Board, as required to file returns or respond to a legal request
• Successor entities, in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of the business, subject to the same protections described here

(CONFIRM: list every third-party software or service provider that touches client financial data. Each one is a place client information physically resides, and each should be named specifically, not just described generically.)

6. Data Security

Because we handle sensitive financial and tax information, federal law (the FTC Safeguards Rule, part of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) requires us to maintain a written information security program appropriate to the size and complexity of our practice.

(CONFIRM: this policy should reference Athena's actual Written Information Security Program, WISP. If one does not yet exist, that is a separate, required document, not something this Privacy Policy can substitute for. Every paid tax preparer is legally required to have one.)

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect client information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

7. Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal obligation to retain tax records for the periods required by law
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (Athena does not sell personal information)
• Non-discrimination for exercising these rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected].

(CONFIRM: California's tax recordkeeping requirements, generally a minimum of several years, override a deletion request for tax records specifically. This section should state that clearly so clients understand deletion requests don't apply to records we're legally required to keep.)

8. Data Retention

We retain client tax records and financial information for the period required by applicable law, generally at least [CONFIRM: standard IRS/CTEC recordkeeping period], and may retain records longer where necessary for legal, tax, or business purposes.

9. Cookies and Website Tracking

(CONFIRM: describe actual cookie/tracking behavior once confirmed, and add a cookie banner/consent mechanism if required.)

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

11. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy can be directed to:

Athena Tax & Advisory, [email protected], (818) 640-6808

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