Privacy Policy

NorthPine Tax & Accounting ("NorthPine," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and recognizes the importance of protecting your personal and financial information.

NorthPine operates an online platform that connects individuals and businesses seeking tax, accounting, bookkeeping, and related professional services with independent CPAs, accounting professionals, and bookkeepers located in the United States.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you visit our website, create an account, post a request for services, create a professional profile, communicate through our platform, or otherwise use NorthPine's services.

By using NorthPine, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with NorthPine.

Information You Provide to Us

We may collect information such as:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Mailing or business address
  • Account login information
  • Business name and business information
  • General location, including city and state
  • Information included in service requests or job postings
  • Communications sent through the NorthPine platform
  • Customer service inquiries and communications
  • Reviews, ratings, and feedback
  • Payment and transaction-related information

If you register as an accounting professional or service provider, we may also collect:

  • Professional or business name
  • CPA license information
  • Professional certifications and credentials
  • Bookkeeping certifications or qualifications
  • Professional experience
  • Services offered
  • States or geographic areas served
  • Professional biography
  • Business contact information
  • Profile photographs
  • Pricing or rate information
  • Other information used to create or verify your professional profile

2. Sensitive Financial and Tax Information

NorthPine recognizes that tax preparation and accounting services may involve highly sensitive financial and personal information.

Depending on how our platform is configured, users may communicate or exchange information with accounting professionals through third-party technology providers or services integrated with NorthPine.

NorthPine is a connection platform and is not the CPA, accountant, bookkeeper, or tax preparer providing professional services unless expressly stated otherwise.

Users should only provide sensitive tax or financial documents through secure methods specifically designated for that purpose.

We strongly discourage users from sending Social Security numbers, tax identification numbers, bank account information, tax returns, or other highly sensitive financial documents through ordinary email or unsecured communication channels.

Your CPA, accounting professional, or bookkeeper may have separate privacy policies, data-security procedures, engagement agreements, document portals, and legal obligations governing the information you provide directly to them.

3. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit or use NorthPine, certain information may be collected automatically, including:

  • IP address
  • Browser type
  • Device type
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited
  • Referring website
  • Date and time of visits
  • General geographic information
  • Interactions with website features
  • Cookie and similar technology information

We may use this information to operate the platform, improve user experience, understand how visitors use NorthPine, maintain security, and measure website performance.

4. How We Use Your Information

We may use information we collect to:

  • Create and manage user accounts
  • Operate and maintain the NorthPine platform
  • Connect individuals and businesses with accounting professionals
  • Allow users to post requests for tax and accounting services
  • Allow professionals to create profiles and respond to opportunities
  • Facilitate communication between users and professionals
  • Process or facilitate payments
  • Verify professional credentials where applicable
  • Prevent fraud, misuse, and unauthorized activity
  • Provide customer support
  • Send administrative and service-related communications
  • Send marketing communications when permitted by law
  • Improve NorthPine's website and services
  • Analyze platform usage and performance
  • Enforce our Terms of Service and other policies
  • Comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements
  • Protect NorthPine, our users, and others

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information for money.

We may disclose information in the following circumstances.

With Accounting Professionals

When you request services, respond to a professional, or choose to work with a professional, certain information may be shared with that professional as necessary to facilitate the connection and provide the requested services.

With Clients

If you are a CPA, accountant, bookkeeper, or other professional using NorthPine, information included in your public or searchable professional profile may be visible to prospective clients.

With Service Providers

We may use third-party companies to help operate NorthPine, including providers of:

  • Website hosting
  • Marketplace technology
  • Payment processing
  • Email services
  • Customer support
  • Security and fraud prevention
  • Analytics
  • Cloud storage
  • Communications
  • Professional credential verification

These companies may process information as necessary to provide services to NorthPine and are subject to their own contractual and legal obligations.

For Legal and Safety Reasons

We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:

  • Comply with applicable law
  • Respond to lawful government requests
  • Comply with court orders or legal processes
  • Investigate fraud or illegal activity
  • Protect the security of NorthPine
  • Protect the rights or safety of NorthPine, our users, or others
  • Enforce our agreements and policies

Business Transactions

If NorthPine is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, sale of assets, or similar business transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

6. CPAs and Bookkeeping Professionals

CPAs, accounting firms, bookkeepers, and other professionals using NorthPine are independent service providers unless explicitly stated otherwise.

When you engage a professional through NorthPine, that professional may independently collect and process personal, tax, business, and financial information necessary to provide their services.

The professional's handling of information may be governed by:

  • Their own privacy policies
  • Professional standards
  • CPA licensing requirements
  • Federal and state laws
  • Tax-preparer regulations
  • Their engagement agreement with you

NorthPine is not responsible for an independent professional's privacy or security practices outside of the NorthPine platform.

We encourage users to review the professional's engagement agreement, privacy practices, and data-security procedures before providing sensitive financial or tax information.

7. USA-Based Professionals

NorthPine is designed to connect U.S. individuals and businesses with accounting professionals located in the United States.

Professionals offering services through NorthPine are required to meet our platform eligibility requirements regarding U.S. location and any applicable professional credentials.

However, users should independently evaluate and verify that a professional's qualifications, licensing, experience, and services are appropriate for their specific needs.

8. Payment Information

Payments made through NorthPine may be processed by third-party payment processors.

NorthPine may not directly store complete credit card or bank account information when payment information is collected and processed directly by our payment provider.

Payment processors maintain their own privacy and security practices.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

NorthPine may use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Keep users signed in
  • Remember preferences
  • Maintain website functionality
  • Improve website performance
  • Analyze website traffic
  • Understand how visitors use the platform
  • Prevent fraud and enhance security
  • Measure marketing effectiveness

You may be able to control certain cookies through your browser settings or through cookie preference tools provided on our website.

Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

10. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, misuse, or destruction.

However, no website, electronic transmission, storage system, or internet-based service can guarantee absolute security.

Users are responsible for protecting their account credentials and should immediately contact NorthPine if they believe their account has been compromised.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

  • Provide our services
  • Maintain user accounts
  • Complete transactions
  • Resolve disputes
  • Prevent fraud
  • Enforce agreements
  • Meet legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements

When information is no longer reasonably required, we may delete or anonymize it in accordance with applicable law and our data-retention practices.

12. Your Privacy Choices

Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have rights regarding your personal information, which may include the right to:

  • Request access to certain personal information
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of certain information
  • Obtain information about how your information is used or disclosed
  • Opt out of certain marketing communications
  • Opt out of certain sales or sharing of personal information where applicable
  • Limit certain uses of sensitive personal information where applicable
  • Exercise applicable privacy rights without unlawful discrimination

California law, for example, provides qualifying consumers with rights that can include access, deletion, correction, opting out of certain sales or sharing, and limiting certain uses of sensitive personal information, subject to applicable requirements and exceptions.

To submit a privacy request, contact us using the information provided in the Contact Us section below.

We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.

13. Marketing Communications

If you receive promotional emails from NorthPine, you may unsubscribe by following the unsubscribe instructions included in the communication.

You may continue to receive non-promotional communications necessary to operate your account, provide services, maintain security, or communicate important changes.

14. Children's Privacy

NorthPine is intended for adults seeking or providing professional tax, accounting, and bookkeeping services.

Our services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child in violation of applicable law, we will take appropriate steps to delete the information.

15. Third-Party Websites and Services

NorthPine may contain links to third-party websites or integrate with third-party services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any third-party website or service they use.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our services, technology, business practices, or applicable laws.

When we make changes, we will update the Last Updated date at the top of this policy.

If changes are material, we may provide additional notice as required by applicable law.

17. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, NorthPine's privacy practices, or wish to submit a privacy-related request, contact us at:

NorthPine Tax & Accounting Email: rkreider@northpinetax.com Phone: 814-396-2151 Mailing Address: 15 Glenn Bridge Road, Unit F, Arden, NC 28704