How we handle your information.

01 At a glance

This Privacy Policy explains how Westgate Financial Services ("Westgate FS," "we," "our," or "us") collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you visit this website, request a bookkeeping review, or become a client. It applies to all interactions with Westgate Financial Services in connection with our bookkeeping, accounting, and QuickBooks management services across Texas.

This policy does not apply to third-party websites, accounting platforms, or financial institutions you connect to during an engagement. Those services operate under their own privacy policies, which we link to in Section 6.

02 Who we are

Westgate Financial Services is a bookkeeping, accounting, and QuickBooks management firm based in Texas, United States. For the purposes of this policy, Westgate FS is the data controller for information collected through this website and during client engagements.

Business name

Westgate Financial Services

Service area at launch

Texas, United States

Privacy contact

privacy@westgatefs.com

General contact

/contact/

03 Information we collect

3.1 Information you give us

When you contact us, book a review, or become a client, you provide information directly. This typically includes:

• Identity data — your name, business name, role, and the names of authorised contacts at your business.
• Contact data — email address, telephone number, business address, and (for clients) preferred communication channels.
• Engagement data — your business type, approximate revenue range, how far behind your books are, the platforms you use (QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, etc.), and the scope of work you'd like us to consider.
• Financial records — for active engagements, the books and records needed to perform the work: bank and credit-card statements, vendor invoices, payroll exports, prior-period reports, and read or read/write access to your QuickBooks file under an Accountant invitation.
• Communications — emails, call notes, and messages exchanged with our operators.

3.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit this website, our hosting platform and analytics providers automatically collect limited technical information:

• Device & browser data — browser type and version, operating system, screen size, and approximate timezone.
• Usage data — pages viewed, time on page, referring URL, and how you arrived (organic search, direct, paid, referral).
• Approximate location — derived from IP address at the city or region level. We do not collect precise geolocation.
• Server logs — IP address, request method, response code, and user-agent string, retained for diagnostics and abuse prevention.

3.3 Information from third parties

We may receive information about you from:

• Referral sources — when an existing client or partner refers you, we receive your name and the context of the introduction.
• Public business records — when scoping work, we may consult publicly available information such as Secretary of State filings or your Google Business Profile.
• Service providers — analytics, scheduling, and email-delivery providers (listed in Section 6) return aggregated usage and deliverability information.

04 How we use it

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to inbound enquiries and schedule a bookkeeping review.
• Scope, propose, and perform bookkeeping, accounting, and QuickBooks management work.
• Coordinate with your CPA, lender, or other authorised advisors at your direction.
• Operate, secure, and improve this website.
• Send transactional communications (engagement letters, invoices, monthly reports, scheduling confirmations).
• Send infrequent informational updates about our services. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• Comply with our legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not sell personal information. We do not use your financial records for any purpose other than performing the engagement you've hired us for and meeting our legal obligations.

05 Legal bases

Where applicable law requires us to identify a legal basis for processing your information, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

To perform the bookkeeping or accounting work described in your engagement letter, or to take steps at your request before entering into one.

Legitimate interests

To run, secure, and improve our website and services, prevent fraud, and operate as a professional services firm — provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Consent

For specific activities like sending marketing emails or setting non-essential cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Legal obligation

To comply with tax, accounting, employment, anti-money-laundering, and other applicable laws.

06 Sharing & subprocessors

We share information only as needed to operate our business and serve you. Categories of recipients include:

• Service providers (subprocessors). Trusted vendors that help us deliver our website and services. A current list is below; we update it when it changes materially.
• Your authorised advisors. CPAs, attorneys, lenders, payroll providers, and other professionals you've asked us to coordinate with.
• Professional advisors. Our own auditors, legal counsel, and insurers, under confidentiality obligations.
• Authorities. Government, regulatory, or law-enforcement bodies when required by law, court order, or to protect rights, property, or safety.
• Successors. A buyer or successor in the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, or asset sale — under terms that preserve this policy's commitments.

6.1 Current subprocessors

If you'd like the named entities behind these categories before signing an engagement letter, ask and we'll send the current list in writing.

07 Data retention

We keep information only for as long as it serves the purposes for which it was collected — including legal, tax, and accounting recordkeeping obligations.

• Enquiry data from people who never become clients: typically up to 24 months, then deleted or anonymised.
• Engagement records for active clients: for the duration of the engagement.
• Closed engagements: minimum 7 years from the end of the most recent tax year to which the records relate, in line with general U.S. recordkeeping practice — unless a longer period is required by law.
• Website analytics: typically up to 26 months in aggregated form.
• Server logs: typically 30–90 days.

08 Security

We protect information with administrative, technical, and physical safeguards proportionate to its sensitivity. These include:

• Encryption in transit (TLS) for this website and our document-exchange portals.
• Multi-factor authentication on operator accounts and accounting-platform logins.
• Role-based access — an operator only sees the client files they are assigned to.
• Confidentiality obligations in every engagement letter and subprocessor agreement.
• Documented access-review and offboarding procedures when team members or subprocessors change.

09 Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the information we hold about you.
• Correct — ask us to fix anything that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Delete — ask us to delete information we no longer need, subject to our legal recordkeeping obligations.
• Restrict or object — ask us to pause or stop certain processing, particularly direct marketing.
• Portability — receive your information in a structured, machine-readable format where applicable.
• Withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing.
• Complain — to the relevant supervisory authority in your jurisdiction.

To exercise any of these rights, write to privacy@westgatefs.com. We respond within 30 days for routine requests, and we may need to verify your identity before releasing information.

10 State-specific rights

10.1 Texas residents

Texas residents have rights under the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA) where applicable, including the rights of access, correction, deletion, portability, and to opt out of targeted advertising and the sale of personal data. We do not sell personal data and we do not engage in targeted advertising as those terms are defined under the TDPSA.

10.2 California residents

If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the CPRA, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete, the right to correct, and the right to opt out of "sales" or "sharing" of personal information. We do not "sell" or "share" personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA.

10.3 Other states

Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws — including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, and others — have substantially similar rights. To exercise any state-specific right, contact privacy@westgatefs.com and identify the state in which you reside.

11 Cookies & tracking

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies on this website.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies. You can clear or disable cookies in your browser settings; some site features may not work without strictly necessary cookies.

12 Children

This website and our services are directed to businesses and adult professionals. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact privacy@westgatefs.com and we will delete it.

13 Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we revise the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, we will provide a more prominent notice. The current version is always available at /privacy-policy/.

14 Contact us

For any privacy question, request, or concern, write to:

Email

privacy@westgatefs.com

General contact form

/contact/

Postal mail

Westgate Financial Services · Texas, United States · (mailing address available on request)