Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how IKM Accountants Ltd ("IKM Accountants", "we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, stores and protects personal data in connection with this website and enquiries made through it.

It also explains how we use cookies, analytics, advertising and similar technologies, including where we use online advertising platforms to promote our services.

Additional privacy information may apply to clients, employees, contractors or other individuals whose personal data we process in connection with our professional services.

IKM Accountants Ltd is a Chartered Management Accountancy practice based in Derby, England.

We are the data controller responsible for personal data processed through this website and in connection with enquiries made through it.

• Company number: 12687658
• Registered office: Rosehill Business Centre, Normanton Road, Room 23, Derby, England, DE23 6RH
• Registered in: England and Wales
• Email: info@ikmaccountants.co.uk
• Telephone: 01332 986 680

If you have any questions about how we process your personal data, you can contact us using the details above.

Depending on how you interact with our website and services, we may collect the following categories of personal data.

Information you provide to us

This may include:

• your name
• email address
• telephone number
• business name and business details
• information about the services you are interested in
• information you provide when arranging a consultation or appointment
• the contents of your enquiry
• any other information you voluntarily provide to us

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we may collect information such as:

• IP address
• approximate geographical location
• browser and device type
• operating system
• pages visited
• referring website or advertising source
• date and time of visits
• interactions with the website
• information relating to advertising and conversion activity

Some of this information may constitute personal data under applicable data protection law.

Correspondence and communications

We may keep records of communications with you, including emails, telephone calls, website enquiries and other correspondence.

Information obtained from other sources

Where permitted by law, we may receive personal information from other sources, such as existing clients, professional advisers, business partners, referral sources, publicly available sources or service providers.

Where we obtain personal data from another source, we will provide any additional privacy information required by applicable data protection law.

We may use personal data for the following purposes.

Responding to enquiries

We use information you provide to:

• respond to your enquiries
• provide information about our services
• arrange consultations or appointments
• communicate with you about an enquiry
• assess whether our services may be suitable for your requirements

Providing professional services

Where you become a client, we may process personal data to provide accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, tax and other professional services in accordance with the relevant engagement terms.

Additional privacy information may apply to the processing of personal data as part of our client engagements.

Legal and regulatory compliance

We may process personal data where necessary to:

• comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• comply with applicable tax and accounting requirements
• comply with anti-money laundering requirements
• respond to lawful requests from regulators, government bodies or law enforcement authorities
• maintain appropriate business and professional records
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims

Website operation and security

We may use personal data to:

• operate and maintain the website
• protect the security of the website and our systems
• detect and prevent fraud, abuse and security incidents
• troubleshoot technical problems

Website analytics

Where you give the required consent, we may use analytics technologies to understand how visitors use our website, including which pages are visited, how visitors arrive at our website and how visitors interact with it.

This helps us understand website performance and improve our content, user experience and marketing.

Advertising and remarketing

Where you give the required consent, we may use advertising and tracking technologies to:

• measure the effectiveness of our advertising
• understand which advertisements result in enquiries or other actions
• create or measure advertising audiences
• show relevant advertisements on third-party platforms
• carry out remarketing or retargeting campaigns
• understand how visitors interact with our website after viewing or clicking an advertisement

Depending on the advertising campaigns we run, these technologies may include services provided by platforms such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn Ads.

We will only use non-essential advertising or tracking technologies where the required consent has been obtained.

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data.

The lawful basis we rely upon depends on the purpose for which the information is being processed.

Enquiries and prospective clients

Where you contact us about our services, we may rely on legitimate interests or, where applicable, processing necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Our legitimate interests include responding to enquiries, communicating with prospective clients and operating and developing our business.

Provision of services

Where you become a client, we may process personal data where necessary for the performance of a contract with you.

Legal and regulatory obligations

Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement, we rely on legal obligation.

Website security and administration

We may rely on legitimate interests where processing is necessary to operate, secure and improve our website and systems.

Our legitimate interests include maintaining website security, preventing misuse and ensuring that our website operates effectively.

Analytics and advertising

Where non-essential cookies, pixels or similar technologies are used for analytics, advertising, remarketing or conversion measurement, we rely on consent where required by applicable law.

You can withdraw or change your consent through our cookie settings.

IKM Accountants may advertise its services through third-party advertising platforms.

These may include, depending on the campaigns we run:

• Google Ads
• Meta Ads, including Facebook and Instagram
• Microsoft Advertising
• LinkedIn Ads
• other advertising or analytics platforms we may use in the future

We may use tracking pixels, tags, cookies and similar technologies to measure advertising performance, record conversions, understand website activity and create or use advertising audiences.

For example, if you visit our website after clicking one of our advertisements, an advertising platform may use information about your interaction with our website to help us determine whether the advertisement resulted in an enquiry or other action.

Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before activating non-essential advertising or tracking technologies.

You can refuse or withdraw consent to non-essential cookies and similar technologies through our cookie settings.

Third-party advertising platforms may process personal data in accordance with their own privacy policies. You should review the privacy information provided by those platforms for further information about their processing.

We may contact you about our services where permitted by applicable data protection and electronic marketing laws.

This may include information about our accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, tax and other professional services.

Where consent is required for electronic marketing, we will obtain that consent before sending marketing communications.

Where applicable law allows us to rely on another lawful basis or a permitted exception, we may communicate with you without obtaining separate consent, provided that the relevant legal requirements are satisfied.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option provided in the communication or by contacting us.

We will not use consent to receive marketing communications as a condition of providing a service where consent is not necessary for that service.

If we use a third-party marketing provider or agency, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the relevant marketing activity is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection and electronic marketing laws.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies may be used for:

• essential website functionality
• security
• remembering preferences
• analytics
• advertising
• remarketing
• measuring advertising conversions

Some cookies are strictly necessary for the operation or security of the website and cannot be disabled through our cookie consent mechanism.

Non-essential cookies, including analytics and advertising cookies, will only be activated where the required consent has been obtained.

Our cookie banner allows you to accept or reject non-essential cookies.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time using the Cookie Preferences link in the footer of this website.

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Depending on the services and technology we use, these may include:

• website hosting and technical service providers
• CRM and customer management platforms
• email and communication providers
• appointment scheduling providers
• cloud accounting and document management providers
• secure document storage providers
• analytics providers
• advertising and remarketing platforms
• IT and cybersecurity providers
• professional advisers
• regulators and professional bodies
• HMRC and other government authorities
• law enforcement agencies where legally required
• other service providers acting on our behalf

Where a third party processes personal data on our behalf, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the processing is subject to appropriate contractual and security arrangements.

We do not sell personal data.

Some of the third-party providers we use may process personal data outside the United Kingdom or may provide access to personal data from other countries.

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful and that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection law.

Depending on the circumstances, these safeguards may include an adequacy decision, UK International Data Transfer Agreement, UK Addendum to standard contractual clauses, or another legally recognised transfer mechanism.

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including where necessary to meet legal, regulatory, accounting, tax, professional or reporting requirements.

Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

For example:

• website enquiry information may be retained for an appropriate period after an enquiry has been dealt with, particularly where it is necessary to maintain a record of communications or consider a future relationship
• information relating to clients may be retained for the periods required by applicable legal, regulatory, professional and accounting requirements
• marketing preferences and records of consent may be retained for as long as necessary to demonstrate compliance and respect your preferences

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it where appropriate.

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include:

• access controls
• secure passwords and authentication measures
• encryption where appropriate
• secure data transmission
• restricted access to personal data
• appropriate security procedures
• secure storage arrangements
• due diligence and contractual controls relating to relevant service providers

No method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

Depending on the circumstances and the legal basis on which we process your personal data, you may have rights under UK data protection law, including the right to:

• request access to personal data we hold about you
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data
• request deletion of your personal data where there is no lawful reason for us to continue processing it
• request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• object to processing in certain circumstances, including direct marketing
• request the transfer of certain personal data to you or another organisation in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format where the right to data portability applies
• withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent
• object to certain automated decision-making or profiling where applicable

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions, so they will not apply in every circumstance.

If you would like to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us at info@ikmaccountants.co.uk.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

We will respond to valid requests within the time period required by applicable data protection law.

If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.

Further information about making a complaint is available from the ICO.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our website, services, technology, legal requirements or data-processing practices.

The latest version will be published on this page and the "Last updated" date will be amended when changes are made.

We recommend checking this page periodically for the latest information.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how IKM Accountants processes personal data, please contact us at:

IKM Accountants Ltd

Rosehill Business Centre, Normanton Road, Room 23

Derby, England, DE23 6RH

Email: info@ikmaccountants.co.uk

Telephone: 01332 986 680

Company number: 12687658

Registered in England and Wales