Privacy Policy

Last updated: 18 August 2026

REAL KEY ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED ("Real Key Accountancy", "we", "us" or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you visit our website, contact us, request a quotation, become a client, use our accounting, bookkeeping, tax, payroll or related services, communicate with us, or otherwise interact with Real Key Accountancy.

We process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation ("UK GDPR"), the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended from time to time, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 ("PECR"), where applicable.

1. Who we are

For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller is:

REAL KEY ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED
Company number: 17385425
Registered office: 128 City Road, London, United Kingdom, EC1V 2NX
Trading name: Real Key Accountancy
Email: info@realkeyaccountancy.co.uk
ICO registration number: ZC217001
Website: realkeyaccountancy.co.uk

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your personal information, please contact us using the details above.

2. The personal information we collect

The information we collect depends on your relationship with us and the services you request.

Identity and contact information

This may include:

your name;
business or trading name;
home or business address;
postcode;
email address;
preferred method of contact; and
other contact details you provide to us.

Business information

When you make an enquiry or become a client, we may collect information such as:

your business type, for example sole trader, freelancer, landlord, partnership or limited company;
the nature of your business;
business start date;
accounting year-end;
VAT registration status;
approximate transaction volumes;
services required;
details of directors, partners, shareholders or beneficial owners where relevant; and
other information required to understand your business and provide our services.

Financial, accounting and taxation information

Where necessary to provide accounting, bookkeeping, tax or related services, we may process:

bank account and transaction information;
income and expenditure records;
invoices, receipts and expense information;
accounting records and ledgers;
VAT records;
payroll information;
CIS information;
tax references and tax records;
National Insurance numbers;
Unique Taxpayer References;
HMRC correspondence;
pension information;
details contained in tax returns and financial statements; and
other financial information necessary to provide the services you have requested.

Identification and compliance information

Where required for identity verification, anti-money laundering checks or other legal and regulatory requirements, we may collect:

date of birth;
residential address;
photographic identification, such as a passport or driving licence;
proof of address;
information about beneficial ownership;
information about the source of funds or source of wealth where required;
verification results; and
other information required for customer due diligence and regulatory compliance.

Payroll and employee information

If we provide payroll or related services to a business client, we may receive information relating to that client's employees or workers, including:

names and contact information;
addresses;
dates of birth;
National Insurance numbers;
salaries and pay rates;
working hours;
tax codes;
bank details;
pension information;
statutory payment information; and
other information required to administer payroll.

Some payroll information may include more sensitive information, for example information relating to sickness or statutory leave.

Where we process employee information solely on the instructions of a business client, we may act as a data processor, while the business client remains the data controller. In those circumstances, the client's own privacy notice will also apply.

Communications and enquiries

We may keep records of communications with you, including:

website enquiries;
emails;
WhatsApp or other messages where used;
consultation requests;
feedback;
complaints; and
your communication and marketing preferences.

Website and technical information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect limited technical information, including:

IP address;
browser type and version;
device type;
operating system;
pages visited;
approximate location derived from your IP address;
referring website;
dates and times of visits; and
information collected through cookies and similar technologies.

Please see the Cookies and Similar Technologies section below and our Cookie Policy for further information.

Website comments

Where commenting functionality is enabled on our website, we may collect information entered into a comments form together with technical information such as your IP address and browser information for spam prevention and website security purposes.

Third-party services used by our website may also process information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

3. How we collect your information

We may collect personal information:

directly from you when you contact us, complete a website form, request a quotation, book a consultation or become a client;
through email, WhatsApp or other communications with you;
from documents and financial records you provide;
from your employees, representatives, business partners or authorised advisers;
from accounting, bookkeeping, payroll or banking platforms where you have authorised access;
from HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House or other public authorities where appropriate;
from publicly available sources;
from identity verification or anti-money laundering service providers; and
automatically when you use our website.

If someone provides us with personal information about another person, they should ensure that they have authority to provide that information and, where appropriate, that the person has been provided with relevant privacy information.

4. How and why we use your personal information

We only use personal information where we have a lawful reason to do so.

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations

We may use your information to:

respond to enquiries;
understand the services you require;
arrange consultations;
provide quotations or estimates; and
take steps towards entering into an engagement with you.

Our lawful basis will normally be taking steps at your request before entering into a contract and/or our legitimate interests in responding to enquiries and operating our business.

Providing accounting and bookkeeping services

We may use information to provide services including:

bookkeeping;
bank reconciliation;
income and expense tracking;
preparation of accounts;
Self Assessment;
VAT services;
payroll;
CIS returns;
Making Tax Digital support;
financial reporting;
accounting software setup, support or training; and
other accounting, tax or business-support services agreed with you.

Our lawful basis will generally be performance of our contract with you and, where appropriate, compliance with legal obligations.

Client administration and billing

We may use information to:

manage our client relationship;
maintain engagement records;
communicate with you about your services;
issue invoices;
collect and record payments;
maintain our own accounting records; and
deal with queries, complaints or disputes.

We rely on contractual necessity, legal obligations and our legitimate interests in managing and protecting our business.

Legal, regulatory and anti-money laundering obligations

We may process personal information to:

verify identity;
perform customer due diligence;
identify beneficial owners;
conduct anti-money laundering and fraud-prevention checks;
comply with tax and accounting requirements;
respond to lawful requests from regulators and public authorities;
maintain records required by law or our professional obligations; and
make reports or disclosures where we are legally required to do so.

We generally process this information because it is necessary to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

In some circumstances, the law may prevent us from telling you that certain information has been disclosed to an authority.

Preventing fraud and protecting our business

We may use information where necessary to prevent fraud, misuse, security incidents or other unlawful activity and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Our lawful basis may be our legitimate interests in protecting our clients, systems and business, or compliance with a legal obligation.

Improving our services

We may use limited information to:

administer and improve our website;
improve our services and internal processes;
monitor service quality;
troubleshoot technical problems;
maintain network and information security; and
understand how clients and visitors interact with us.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether those interests are necessary and proportionate and whether your rights and interests override them.

5. Marketing communications

We may occasionally send information about Real Key Accountancy, relevant accounting or tax updates, services, offers or other information we think may be useful to you.

Where consent is required, we will only send electronic marketing where you have actively agreed to receive it.

Where applicable law allows us to rely on another permitted basis, such as rules applying to certain existing customers, we may do so provided the relevant requirements are met.

You can withdraw your consent or opt out of marketing at any time by:

using the unsubscribe option contained in a marketing message; or
contacting us at info@realkeyaccountancy.co.uk.

Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from contacting you about an existing engagement, your accounts, tax obligations, invoices or other non-marketing matters.

You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing. If you object, we will stop processing your information for that purpose.

We may retain minimal information on a suppression list after you unsubscribe so that we can ensure your marketing preference continues to be respected.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies are required for the website to operate correctly. Other technologies may be used for purposes such as:

remembering preferences;
website functionality;
measuring website usage;
analytics; or
advertising and marketing.

Where consent is legally required, optional technologies will not be used until you have made the relevant choice.

You should be able to accept or reject optional technologies and change your preferences where applicable.

Further details about the technologies we use, their providers, purposes and duration should be set out in a separate Cookie Policy and through our website's cookie preference tool.

We do not sell your personal information.

Where necessary and lawful, we may share personal information with:

HM Revenue & Customs;
Companies House;
relevant regulatory or supervisory bodies;
law enforcement agencies and other public authorities;
banks and payment providers;
accounting, bookkeeping, tax and payroll software providers;
cloud hosting, email, communications and IT providers;
identity verification and anti-money laundering service providers;
pension providers where payroll or pension services require this;
professional advisers such as solicitors, insurers or consultants;
subcontractors or other professional service providers assisting us in providing an agreed service; and
prospective purchasers, investors or advisers in connection with a genuine business sale, restructuring or acquisition, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.

Where another organisation processes information on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate contractual and security safeguards are in place.

We may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

8. International transfers

Some of our technology, cloud, communications or software providers may store or process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we take appropriate steps to ensure that the information receives the level of protection required by UK data protection law.

Depending on the destination and provider, safeguards may include:

UK adequacy regulations;
an approved UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
an approved UK Addendum to appropriate contractual clauses; or
another transfer mechanism permitted by UK data protection law.

You may contact us for further information about safeguards applying to international transfers relevant to your information.

9. How long we keep your information

We do not keep personal information for longer than we reasonably need it.

The exact retention period depends on:

why the information was collected;
the nature of our relationship with you;
legal and regulatory requirements;
applicable tax and accounting requirements;
anti-money laundering requirements;
professional and insurance requirements;
whether information may be required in connection with a complaint or legal claim; and
our legitimate business requirements.

Customer due diligence and relevant anti-money laundering records will generally be retained for the period required by applicable anti-money laundering legislation after the end of the business relationship.

Client accounting and tax records may need to be retained for a number of years after completion of the relevant work or termination of the client relationship to comply with legal, regulatory, professional or insurance requirements.

Unsuccessful enquiries that do not result in an engagement will normally be deleted or anonymised when we no longer reasonably require them, subject to any legitimate need to retain a limited record.

Marketing information is retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or we otherwise determine that it is no longer appropriate to use it. We may retain minimal suppression information after an opt-out.

When information is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with our retention procedures.

10. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against:

unauthorised access;
accidental loss;
misuse;
alteration;
destruction; and
unauthorised disclosure.

Measures may include access controls, passwords and authentication controls, secure systems, backups, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality requirements, security monitoring and appropriate contractual protections with service providers.

Access to personal information is restricted to individuals and service providers who require it for legitimate business purposes.

No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect the personal information entrusted to us.

11. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which we use your information, you may have the right to:

Access

Ask us whether we process your personal information and request a copy of the information we hold about you.

Rectification

Ask us to correct inaccurate information or complete information that is incomplete.

Erasure

Ask us to delete personal information in certain circumstances.

This right does not always apply, particularly where we are legally required to retain information.

Restriction

Ask us to restrict the use of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Object

Object to certain processing based on legitimate interests or other grounds provided by data protection law.

You have the right to object to processing for direct marketing purposes.

Data portability

In certain circumstances, request that information you provided to us be transferred to you or another organisation in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

Withdraw consent

Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before your consent was withdrawn.

Rights relating to automated decisions

Where applicable, you may have rights and safeguards where solely automated processing is used to make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

REAL KEY ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED does not currently use solely automated decision-making to make legal or similarly significant decisions about clients unless expressly stated otherwise.

To exercise your rights, contact us at:

REAL KEY ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED
Registered office: 128 City Road, London, United Kingdom, EC1V 2NX
Email: info@realkeyaccountancy.co.uk

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

Your rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions.

12. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us so that we can investigate and respond.

Privacy/Data Protection Contact
REAL KEY ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED
128 City Road
London
United Kingdom
EC1V 2NX

Email: info@realkeyaccountancy.co.uk
ICO registration number: ZC217001

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

Further information about making a complaint is available at ico.org.uk.

Making a complaint to us does not affect your right to complain to the ICO.

13. Information we process on behalf of our clients

In some circumstances, particularly when providing payroll, bookkeeping or similar outsourced services, REAL KEY ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED may process personal information on behalf of a business client.

Where we act only on the client's documented instructions, the client is normally the data controller and REAL KEY ACCOUNTANCY LIMITED acts as a data processor.

We will process that information in accordance with our agreement with the client, applicable data protection law and appropriate confidentiality and security requirements.

Individuals whose information has been provided to us by their employer or another business client may need to contact that organisation directly regarding their data protection rights.

14. Providing information to us

Certain information may be necessary for us to:

perform an agreed service;
enter into an engagement with you;
meet tax, accounting or regulatory requirements; or
comply with anti-money laundering and identity-verification obligations.

Where required information is not provided, we may be unable to accept you as a client, continue an engagement or provide some or all of the requested services.

15. Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites that we do not control. We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by those organisations before providing them with personal information.

16. Children's information

Our services are primarily intended for businesses and adults.

We do not knowingly use our website to collect personal information directly from children for marketing purposes.

We may process information relating to children where this is legitimately necessary as part of an accounting, payroll, tax or other professional service and where permitted by law.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

changes to our services;
changes to our website or technology;
changes to the organisations we work with;
changes to our processing activities; or
changes in legal or regulatory requirements.

The latest version will be published on our website and the "Last updated" date at the top of this page will be amended.

Where a change materially affects how we use your personal information, we will take appropriate steps to bring the change to your attention.

18. Contact us

For questions about this Privacy Policy, to exercise your data protection rights or to make a privacy complaint, please contact: