TaxGuard Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 23, 2026

So Smart Apps LLC ("we", "our", "us") operates TaxGuard, a business finance and tax compliance application. This Privacy Policy explains what information TaxGuard collects, how we use it, and how we protect it.

Information We Collect

Account information:

• Email address and name when you create an account (via email/password, Google Sign-In, or Sign in with Apple, where available).
• Business profile information you provide (business name, EIN, address, business type, filing status).

Financial data you enter or import:

• Expense records (vendor, amount, date, category, receipt images, notes).
• Income records (source, amount, date, type, notes).
• Invoice details (client information, line items, amounts, dates).
• Tax payment records (amount, date, quarter, payment method).
• Reminders you set and your answers to in-app questions about your business.

Bank and card statements you import:

• TaxGuard's main way to bring in bank and card activity is statement import. You choose a CSV or PDF statement file from your device; TaxGuard reads the transactions (date, description, amount) and shows them to you to review before they count toward any deduction.
• Imported transactions are stored in your account. We do not receive your bank login credentials through statement import.
• PDF statements are read by a TaxGuard cloud function, which extracts the transaction lines.

Optional bank linking (not currently available in the app):

• We have built an optional bank-linking feature that would use Stripe Financial Connections, but it is turned off and cannot be used in the current version of TaxGuard. We have never received data through it. This policy will be updated before it is turned on.
• TaxGuard no longer uses Plaid. Any data from earlier versions that connected through Plaid is deleted when you delete your account.

Mercury banking connection (optional):

• If you choose to connect a Mercury account in Settings, you enter a Mercury API token. TaxGuard stores the token in your device's secure storage and uses it to read your Mercury account balances and transactions.

Location data:

• TaxGuard collects location data only when you start a business trip for mileage deductions. Location is recorded while a trip is running and is not collected otherwise.
• While a trip is running, recording continues if you switch apps or lock your phone. On Android this uses a foreground service with a visible "TaxGuard is recording your trip" notification. On iPhone it uses the location background mode, with the system location indicator shown.
• Trip routes and distances are stored in your account for your mileage log. The in-progress route is also kept on your device so a drive is not lost if the app is closed.
• We do not use location for advertising and we do not sell it.

Camera, photos and files:

• TaxGuard accesses your camera or photo library when you choose to scan or attach a receipt, invoice, check, or job-assignment screenshot.
• To read these images, TaxGuard sends the image to our cloud function, which uses Anthropic's Claude AI service to extract fields such as vendor, date, and total. The result is returned to you to review before it is saved. Images you save are stored in your account via Firebase Storage.
• TaxGuard reads files you pick (for example statement CSV or PDF files) only when you pick them.

AI features (Money Coach and document reading):

• When you use the Money Coach chat, TaxGuard sends your message, a summary of your TaxGuard financial figures computed by the app, and a short list of facts the coach has noted about you to our cloud function, which sends them to Anthropic's Claude AI service to produce a reply. Your chat messages are stored in your account.
• AI features are metered. If you add your own Anthropic API key in Settings, it is stored encrypted on our servers and used only for your requests; you can remove it at any time.
• AI output is for information only and is not tax, legal or accounting advice. Confirm with a licensed tax preparer before filing.

Purchases:

• You can buy AI-credit packs in the app. Purchases are processed by Apple or Google. We use RevenueCat to manage purchases; RevenueCat receives your TaxGuard account ID and purchase information. We record your credit balance and credit history in your account.
• We do not receive your payment card number.

HomeVault connection (optional):

• If you also use HomeVault, another So Smart Apps app, you can allow it to read your business purchases so you can attach a purchase and its receipt to a home inventory item. This is off by default and nothing is shared until you turn on sharing with HomeVault in TaxGuard Settings and turn on "Link receipts from TaxGuard" in HomeVault.
• HomeVault can read the merchant, date, amount, category and business-use percentage of a purchase, plus a short-lived (about 15 minutes) link to its receipt picture, but only for a HomeVault account that signed in with the same verified email address as your TaxGuard account. A hidden (private relay) or unverified email does not match.
• HomeVault copies the receipt picture you pick into your HomeVault account. It never changes amounts, categories or tax settings in TaxGuard. It only tells TaxGuard which HomeVault item (its name) a purchase was linked to, and TaxGuard stores just that name and id on the purchase.
• You can turn sharing off at any time in TaxGuard Settings, which stops future reading. Copies already made in HomeVault stay there until you delete them in HomeVault.

Apex Life connection (optional):

• If you also use Apex Life, another So Smart Apps app, you can choose "Connect Apex Life" in TaxGuard. Nothing is sent to Apex Life unless you connect.
• If you connect, TaxGuard sends a sign-in token and your email address to Apex Life. Apex Life returns your off-duty job income, W-2 baseline and mileage data so TaxGuard can estimate your taxes. You can disconnect at any time, and your connection choice is cleared when you sign out or delete your account.

Notifications:

• If you allow notifications, TaxGuard uses local notifications and Firebase Cloud Messaging for tax deadline reminders and the notifications you configure.

Feedback and bug reports:

• If you send a bug report from inside the app (for example by shaking your phone), the report text, app and device details (model, OS and app version) and your email, if you provide it, are sent to our bug-report system.
• TaxGuard does not record audio in the background. A voice note, if offered in the bug-report form, is recorded only when you start it.

Device and crash information:

• Device model, OS version, app version and crash details for crash reporting (Firebase Crashlytics).

TaxGuard does not use advertising identifiers and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.

How We Use Your Information

• To provide expense tracking, income tracking, mileage logging, invoicing, and tax reporting features.
• To categorize imported statement transactions for Schedule C tax reporting, for your review.
• To read receipts and documents and to power the Money Coach.
• To generate tax summaries and exportable reports.
• To send tax deadline reminders and notifications you configure.
• To process purchases of AI credits.
• To fix bugs and improve reliability through crash reports and the feedback you send.

Data Storage

TaxGuard uses Google Firebase for authentication, data storage, file storage, cloud functions, messaging and crash reporting. Data is encrypted in transit (TLS), and Google encrypts Firebase data at rest. Your data is stored under your account and our database rules allow only your signed-in account to read it. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Sharing

We do not sell or rent your personal or financial data. We share it only with service providers that help us run TaxGuard, and as required by law:

• Google Firebase — authentication, database, file storage, cloud functions, messaging and crash reporting.
• Anthropic — receives the images and chat content described above when you use AI features, to generate results for you.
• RevenueCat, Apple and Google — process and record in-app purchases.
• Stripe — only if the optional bank-linking feature is turned on in a future version; not used today.
• Apex Life (So Smart Apps) — only if you choose to connect it.
• Mercury — only if you choose to connect your Mercury account.
• Legal requirements — if required by law, subpoena, or valid legal process.

Data Retention and Deletion

Your data is kept as long as your account is active. You may delete your account at any time from Settings > Delete Account (you will be asked to sign in again to confirm). Deleting your account in the app removes your sign-in (Firebase Authentication account), your profile, and the records you entered or imported: expenses, income, trips, invoices, tax payments, reminders, imported transactions and business profiles, plus the receipt, invoice and export files you stored. It also clears TaxGuard data on your device. If you installed an earlier version that connected through Plaid, that stored data is removed as well.

The in-app Delete Account does not yet automatically remove the following items. We will delete them promptly if you ask: your Money Coach chat messages and the facts the coach has remembered, your AI credit balance and credit history, your own Anthropic API key (stored encrypted), your saved merchant rules, your finance summary, and any linked bank records. To have them deleted, email [email protected] from the address on your TaxGuard account. We are working to make the in-app deletion remove these items too.

You can also request deletion of everything at sosmartapps.app/delete-account/taxguard or by email. Some information may remain briefly in backups, and we may keep records we are legally required to keep, such as purchase records held by Apple, Google and RevenueCat under their own policies. Data already sent to our AI provider (Anthropic) or to RevenueCat is also subject to their own retention practices.

Your Rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your data at any time by using the in-app features or contacting us at [email protected].

Children's Privacy

TaxGuard is intended for adult business users and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted here.

Contact Us

So Smart Apps LLC
[email protected]
sosmartapps.app