Privacy Policy

Effective: October 16, 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.

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.

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.
• 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 withdraw consent (which may stop us from completing your return). Contact info@northleaf-books.com. You may also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.