Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you contact us, fill a consultation form, or engage our services, we may collect:

• Identity data: Full name, PAN, Aadhaar, DIN, and related KYC documents.
• Contact data: Mobile number, email address, business and GST-registered address.
• Financial data: Bank account details, income and expense records, GST transaction data, TDS certificates, investment proofs, and P&L statements.
• Business data: Incorporation documents, ROC filings, MOA/AOA, LLP agreements, MSME certificates, and project reports.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, and pages visited (via standard server logs).
• Communication data: Records of emails, WhatsApp messages, or calls you initiate with us for service delivery.

2. How We Use Your Information

Your data is used exclusively for the following purposes:

• Preparing and filing ITR, GST returns, TDS returns, and other statutory documents on your behalf.
• Completing business registrations including Private Limited Company, LLP, MSME (Udyam), and GST registration.
• Conducting tax audits, statutory audits, or certification assignments as engaged.
• Providing accounting, payroll, MIS, and advisory services under your engagement.
• Responding to notices from the Income Tax Department, GST Department, or other government bodies on your behalf.
• Sending deadline reminders, compliance alerts, and service updates relevant to your engagement.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

• Contractual necessity: Processing required to perform services you have engaged us for.
• Legal obligation: Compliance with Income Tax Act 1961, GST Act 2017, Companies Act 2013, and ICAI directives.
• Legitimate interest: Maintaining accurate business records and communicating service-related updates.
• Consent: Where you have explicitly provided consent for a specific purpose.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or share your personal or financial data with any third party for commercial purposes. Data is shared only in these limited circumstances:

• Government portals: Income Tax Portal, GST Portal, MCA21 portal, EPFO/ESIC portals — strictly for filing on your behalf.
• Banks and financial institutions: Only when you explicitly authorise us for loan assistance or account-opening purposes.
• Legal requirement: If compelled by a court order, statutory authority, or ICAI disciplinary proceedings.
• Professional advisors: Lawyers or co-professionals (e.g., company secretaries) only where explicitly required and with your prior written consent.

5. Data Retention

• Income Tax and GST records: Minimum 8 years from the end of the relevant assessment year.
• Company and ROC documents: Minimum 8 years from filing date, per Companies Act requirements.
• Audit working papers: Minimum 10 years, per ICAI standards.
• Contact form enquiries where no engagement followed: Deleted within 12 months of submission.

After the applicable retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

6. Security Safeguards

• All documents are stored in password-protected, encrypted cloud storage.
• Portal credentials (Income Tax, GST, MCA) are stored securely and never transmitted via unsecured channels.
• WhatsApp communications are end-to-end encrypted by design.
• Email transfers of sensitive documents are conducted over TLS-secured connections.
• Access to client files is restricted to CA Karan R. Ahalpara only — no outsourced filing teams.

7. Your Rights

• Right of access: Request a summary of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of data we hold beyond the legally required retention period.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time (does not affect lawfulness of prior processing).
• Right to raise a complaint: Raise data protection concerns with us or with the relevant regulatory authority.

To exercise these rights, contact cakaranahalpara@gmail.com. We will respond within 15 business days.

8. Cookies and Tracking

This website uses minimal technical cookies required for basic functionality. We do not use third-party advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or cross-site analytics platforms. Standard server access logs may record your IP address and pages visited for security and debugging purposes only, retained for a maximum of 90 days.

9. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external government portals (incometax.gov.in, gst.gov.in, mca.gov.in) and professional bodies (icai.org). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those external sites. Review their respective privacy policies before submitting any data.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, or our service practices. The "Last Updated" date at the top indicates the most recent revision. For material changes affecting how we process your data, we will notify you via email or WhatsApp.

11. Contact Us

• CA Karan R. Ahalpara — Data Controller, KarTax
• Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
• Email: cakaranahalpara@gmail.com
• Phone: +91 7778000969