Privacy Policy

Effective: October 19, 2026. Northleaf Books ("we") collects personal information to prepare and file your income tax and GST/HST returns, in line with Canada's PIPEDA.

What we collect

Identity details and SIN, contact and address, marital and dependant information, tax slips, receipts and other documents you upload.

We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand how our website is used. It is cookieless, privacy-friendly and collects no personal information.

How we use it

Only to prepare and file your returns, communicate with you, and meet legal record-keeping duties (CRA requires records for at least six years).

AI processing

We use trusted, third-party AI-powered tools to read your documents and prepare a draft summary of your return. AI does not make filing decisions and never files a return: an experienced bookkeeper reviews every return before it is filed, and you must sign Form T183 first. You must give separate consent to AI processing on our intake form. Grok-powered AI tools (from xAI) assist our bookkeeper; a human reviews everything. This processing is handled by the provider under its own terms.

Where your data is stored

Your intake form answers and uploaded documents are collected through Tally, which hosts data in the European Union (EU) and encrypts it at rest. This means your information is stored outside Canada. Your Social Insurance Number (SIN) is collected separately through Jotform Encrypted Forms, which encrypts it end to end. Returns are prepared in CRA-certified tax software. Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest. SINs are collected on a separate end-to-end encrypted form. We never sell your information or share it beyond the CRA and the service providers listed in our Privacy Policy. Only an experienced bookkeeper reviews it, and documents are deleted once the CRA record-keeping period (6 years) ends. Chat with Lily runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us or anyone else, and nothing is stored. Please do not enter personal or tax information in the chat.

Client portal (bookkeeping clients)

Our client portal at app.northleaf-books.com is invite only and is for bookkeeping clients. You sign in with a one-time code sent to your email, through Cloudflare Access. Sessions last up to 30 days.

What we collect in the portal: receipt photos, business documents, notes, categories, upload dates and your email address.

Where it is stored: in Cloudflare R2 and D1, in Cloudflare’s data centres. It is encrypted at rest and kept private (never public). Cloudflare operates globally, so your data may be processed or stored outside Canada.

Who can see it: only you and Northleaf (admin). Download links are short-lived (about 5 minutes).

How long we keep it: at least 6 years, as CRA requires, and then we delete it. Or we delete it on your written request, when the law allows.

No trackers: the app has no trackers or analytics. It uses your camera only when you tap Scan receipt.

Access, correction or deletion: email [email protected].

Service providers

• Tally: intake forms and document uploads (hosted in the EU, as described above).
• Jotform: encrypted form for your Social Insurance Number.
• QuickBooks Online: bookkeeping records and invoices.
• Cloudflare: Web Analytics for this website (cookieless, no personal information) and, for bookkeeping clients, sign-in (Cloudflare Access) and storage (R2 and D1) for the client portal.
• Grok (xAI): AI-powered tools that assist our bookkeeper, under the provider’s own terms.
• Encrypted local drive: protected backups kept by Northleaf.

Sharing

We share your information with the Canada Revenue Agency to file your return, and with service providers bound to protect it. We never sell your information.

Your rights

You may access, correct or delete your information, or withdraw consent (which may stop us from completing your return). Contact [email protected]. You may also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.