Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Identity information: Full name, date of birth, PAN, Aadhaar number, gender, marital status
• Contact information: Email address, mobile number, residential address
• Financial information: Income details (salary, business/professional income, capital gains, rental income, etc.), Form 16, Form 26AS, bank account details, investment proofs, deduction and exemption claims, GST details (if applicable)
• Account credentials: Login ID and password for your ReturnKaro account
• Documents: Any documents you upload for the purpose of tax filing (Form 16, bank statements, investment certificates, etc.)
• Communications: Information you share when contacting our support team or assigned CA

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information (IP address, browser type, operating system)
• Usage data (pages visited, time spent, click patterns)
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 6)

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Data received from payment gateways for transaction verification
• Information from government portals (e.g., the Income Tax e-filing portal) where you authorize us to retrieve or file data on your behalf

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Prepare, verify, and file your Income Tax Return through our CA-assisted process
• Create and manage your ReturnKaro account
• Communicate with you regarding your filing status, deadlines, and document requirements
• Process payments for our Services
• Assign your case to a qualified Chartered Accountant partner
• Improve our website, tools, and Services
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations under Indian tax law
• Send service-related updates, and, where you have consented, promotional communications
• Detect and prevent fraud, unauthorized access, or misuse of our Services

We do not use your financial or identity information (PAN, Aadhaar, income data) for advertising or profiling purposes.

3. How We Share Your Information

We share your information only as necessary to provide our Services:

• Chartered Accountants (CAs) and tax professionals engaged by ReturnKaro to prepare and file your return
• Payment gateway providers to process your payments securely (we do not store full card or UPI credentials)
• Government portals (e.g., the Income Tax Department's e-filing system) as required to file your return
• Service providers who support our operations (e.g., cloud hosting, customer support tools), bound by confidentiality obligations
• Legal and regulatory authorities, where required by law, court order, or government request

We do not sell your personal or financial information to third parties.

4. Data Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organizational safeguards to protect your data, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Access controls limiting who can view your financial documents
• Secure storage of uploaded documents
• Regular review of internal access practices

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we work to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal and financial information for as long as necessary to:

• Complete the filing for which it was collected
• Comply with statutory retention requirements under Indian tax and accounting laws (typically several years after the relevant assessment year)
• Resolve disputes or enforce our agreements

You may request deletion of your data subject to these legal retention obligations (see Section 7).

6. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in to your account
• Understand how visitors use our website
• Improve site performance

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain features of the website.

7. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law (including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023), you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention requirements
• Withdraw consent for optional communications at any time
• Lodge a grievance regarding the handling of your data (see Section 9)

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in Section 10.

8. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., government portals, payment gateways). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies separately.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, contact us at:

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post the updated version on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use of our Services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.