Who we are
CT Startup Tax (ctstartuptax.com) is an educational site published by Summer Associates Tax Services, the trade name of Summer Associates, Inc., a tax and advisory firm. Summer Associates publishes 8 related tax-education sites, including this one, and this policy applies to all of them: CT Landlord Tax (ctlandlordtax.com), CT Contractor Tax (ctcontractortax.com), CT W-2 Tax (ctw2tax.com), CT Retirement Tax (ctretirementtax.com), CT Practice Tax (ctpracticetax.com), CT E-commerce Tax (ctecommercetax.com), CT Restaurant Tax (ctrestauranttax.com), CT Startup Tax (ctstartuptax.com). In this policy, "Summer Associates," "we," and "us" refer to Summer Associates, Inc., the company behind these sites.
This policy covers these sites and the information you send us after finding us through them. Information you give us as a client is covered by our client privacy notice (see "If you become a client" below).
Information you give us
You can read these sites without giving us any personal information. They have no accounts or sign-ups. If you contact us, whether through a contact form on these sites or on our main website, by phone, or by email, we receive whatever you choose to share, such as your name, contact details, and a description of your situation. Information you submit on our main website is also subject to that website's own terms.
Links from these sites to our main website include tags that show which of our sites you came from.
Please don't send Social Security numbers, bank or investment account numbers, or documents such as cap tables, option grant documents, or prior tax returns through a contact form or by regular email. If we need documents to help you, we'll give you a secure way to send them.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, our hosting provider automatically records technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser and device type, the page you requested, the page that referred you, and the date and time. We use it to deliver these sites, keep them secure, and fix problems.
Our pages load fonts from Fontshare, a third-party font service. When they load, your browser connects to Fontshare's servers, which receive your IP address and basic browser information.
We don't use cookies, pixels, or similar technologies for analytics or advertising, and these sites don't run third-party tracking or advertising scripts. Our hosting or security providers may set cookies that are strictly necessary to deliver and protect the site.
How we use information
We use the information described above to:
- respond to your request, schedule a consultation, and prepare for it
- follow up with you about your request by email or phone
- send occasional emails about our services if you ask for them or the law allows it, and every marketing email includes a way to unsubscribe
- operate, secure, and improve these sites
- comply with laws and with the professional and regulatory rules that apply to us as a tax practice and investment adviser, and protect our rights and the rights of others
Any phone number you give us is used only to call or text you about your request. Marketing text messages go out only with your express consent.
How we share information
We share personal information only in these ways:
- The people at Summer Associates who handle your request can see it.
- Service providers that host our websites, handle contact requests, and run our email, scheduling, and client-management systems may receive it. They may use the information only to provide services to us.
- Lawyers, compliance consultants, and other professional advisers may receive it when needed to run our business.
- We disclose it when the law, a court order, or a regulator such as the IRS, the SEC, or a state tax or securities agency requires it, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our clients, our firm, or others.
- If Summer Associates is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, the information may be transferred, and this policy continues to apply to it.
We don't sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral (targeted) advertising, or give it to other companies for their own marketing.
Tax return information
If you become a tax client, the information you give us to prepare your return is protected by section 7216 of the Internal Revenue Code. We won't use or disclose it for any other purpose without your written consent, except as federal law allows.
If you become a client
When you become a client, our client privacy notice explains how we collect, share, and protect your nonpublic personal information under federal financial privacy law, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. That notice and your engagement agreement govern the information you give us as a client.
How we protect information
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections to these sites and limits on who can see contact requests. No website or email system is completely secure, so please don't send sensitive information through a contact form or by regular email.
How long we keep information
We keep contact requests and related messages only as long as we need them for the purposes described here, then delete or de-identify them, unless the law or professional rules require us to keep them longer. Client information is kept as long as the rules for client records require. Our hosting provider keeps server logs for a limited period.
Your choices and rights
You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, have it corrected, or have it deleted, unless we need to keep it to meet a legal or regulatory obligation. You can also unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in each email.
To make a request, email [email protected]. We'll confirm your identity before acting on a request and respond within the time the law requires. You can make a request through an authorized agent, and we may ask for proof that you authorized them. If we decline a request, we'll explain why, and you can appeal by replying to our response. We won't treat you differently for using these rights.
Residents of some states, including California, have additional privacy rights under state law, and we honor them as the law requires. Because we don't sell personal information or share it for targeted advertising, there's nothing to opt out of. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we still treat it as an opt-out request.
Children
Our sites are meant for adults, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has sent us information, email us and we'll delete it.
Links to other sites
Pages on these sites link to the IRS, other government agencies, outside publications, and Summer Associates' main website. Those sites have their own privacy practices, which this policy doesn't cover. Links to Summer Associates' website include tags that tell it which of our sites you came from.
Visitors outside the United States
We publish these sites for readers in the United States. If you visit from elsewhere, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. We'll post the new version here and change the effective date at the top. If we make a material change to how we use personal information you've already given us, we'll ask for your consent where the law requires it.
Contact us
Questions or requests about privacy: email [email protected], call (203) 327-4311, or write to us at Summer Associates Tax Services, 48 Union St, #1C, Stamford, CT 06906.