Privacy Policy

We are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with Australian privacy law.

Last updated: 14 September 2026

1. Introduction

Altitude SMSF Accounting Pty Ltd (ABN 77 687 226 446) ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the personal information of our clients and website visitors in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information.

By engaging our services or providing us with your personal information, you consent to the collection and use of your information in accordance with this policy. We may update this policy from time to time; the current version is always available on our website.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Full name and contact details (address, email address, phone number);
  • Tax File Number (TFN), where required for the provision of tax agent services;
  • Financial information, including income, assets, liabilities, and superannuation details;
  • SMSF structure details, including trustee and member information;
  • Identification documents (such as a driver's licence or passport) for identity verification purposes;
  • Correspondence and communications with us; and
  • Website usage information, including IP address and browsing behaviour on our website (see section 3).

We collect only the information that is reasonably necessary to provide our services to you. Where we collect TFNs, we do so in accordance with the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information directly from you through:

  • Engagement letters, forms, and questionnaires;
  • Email, telephone, and online communications;
  • Document uploads via our client portal or secure file-sharing systems;
  • Our website, for enquiries submitted via contact forms; and
  • Cookies and analytics tools on our website (see below).

In some instances, we may also receive information from third parties such as the ATO, ASIC, or other advisers acting on your behalf.

We do not collect sensitive information (as defined under the Privacy Act) without your consent, and we handle any such information with additional care.

Website analytics and cookies. Our website may use cookies and third-party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use the site. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally. You may disable cookies through your browser settings; however, some website features may not function properly as a result.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

  • Provide SMSF accounting, administration, compliance, and tax agent services;
  • Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including reporting to the ATO, ASIC, and other authorities;
  • Communicate with you about your SMSF and our services;
  • Issue invoices and manage payments;
  • Improve our services and internal processes;
  • Send service-related communications and, where you have consented, news or updates about our services (see section 11); and
  • Meet our obligations under the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (Cth) and the Code of Professional Conduct.

We will not use your personal information for any purpose unrelated to our services without your consent.

5. Professional Quality Reviews

As members of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and the SMSF Association, we may be subject to periodic quality or peer review programs conducted by those bodies. In that context, reviewers may access client files under strict confidentiality obligations imposed by the relevant professional association. We may also use anonymised or de-identified client information for training, professional development, or quality improvement purposes.

Where required by law or professional obligation, we may disclose information about our engagement with a client (for example, if we are required to report a matter to a regulatory authority).

6. Disclosure to Third Parties

We may disclose your personal information to the following categories of recipient:

  • The Australian Taxation Office (ATO), ASIC, and other regulatory bodies, as required by law;
  • Independent SMSF auditors engaged on your behalf to conduct the annual fund audit;
  • Software and cloud service providers used in delivering our services (see table below); and
  • Other third parties where you have given us consent to do so.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

The following third-party platforms are used in the delivery of our services. Each provider has been selected for its commitment to data security and privacy:

Provider Purpose Data location
BGL Simple Fund 360 SMSF administration software Australia
Acis Corporate compliance and ASIC agent services Australia
Xero Cloud accounting software Australia, New Zealand, United States
Microsoft 365 Productivity, email, and document management Australia, United States
Practice Protect Cybersecurity and access management Australia, United States
OnboardMe Client onboarding and document collection Australia
Annature Electronic signatures and document execution Australia

7. Cross-Border Disclosure

As noted in the table above, some of the third-party service providers we use store or process data on servers located outside Australia, primarily in the United States and New Zealand. Where we disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we take reasonable steps to ensure those recipients handle your information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

By engaging our services, you acknowledge and consent to the potential transfer of your personal information to overseas service providers as described in this policy. We will notify you if we engage a new overseas provider that materially changes the scope of cross-border transfers.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence

We may use AI-assisted tools (including Microsoft Copilot, Claude by Anthropic, and similar platforms) to assist with drafting, research, analysis, and document preparation as part of delivering our services. This is consistent with our obligations under TPB(GS) 55/2026 (Use of Artificial Intelligence by Tax Practitioners). Where your personal information is processed through these tools, it may be handled by the AI provider's systems, which may be located outside Australia.

We take the following steps to protect your information when using AI tools:

  • We review all AI-generated output before it is used or provided to you;
  • We do not use AI tools to make automated decisions that legally or significantly affect your rights or interests without human review;
  • We minimise the personal information included in prompts where practicable; and
  • We select AI providers that maintain appropriate data security and privacy commitments.

We will update this policy as required to comply with the Automated Decision-Making transparency obligations under the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, which take effect 10 December 2026.

9. Data Security

We take our security obligations seriously. Your personal information is regarded as confidential and may be held in both hard copy and electronic form. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.

Our technical measures include:

  • Encryption of personal information in transit and at rest;
  • Network security controls including firewalls and intrusion detection systems;
  • Multi-factor authentication and access controls;
  • Anti-virus and anti-malware software with regular updates; and
  • Secure backup and recovery systems.

Our organisational measures include:

  • Privacy and security policies and procedures;
  • Staff training on privacy and security obligations;
  • Incident response and data breach management procedures;
  • Vendor management and due diligence processes; and
  • Regular review and testing of security controls.

While we take reasonable precautions, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If you have concerns about the security of information you have provided to us, please contact us promptly.

Our website may contain links to external websites operated by third parties. The privacy policies of those websites may differ from this Privacy Policy, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external website you visit.

10. Notifiable Data Breaches

We are subject to the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to any individuals whose information is involved, we will notify those individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as soon as practicable.

We maintain an internal data breach response plan and will take immediate steps to contain and remediate any breach. If you become aware of or suspect a data breach involving your information, please notify us immediately using the contact details in section 14.

11. Marketing Communications

We may use your contact details to send you information about SMSF-related updates, regulatory changes, or news about our services, where you have consented to receive such communications. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in any email we send.

We will not use your information for direct marketing without your prior consent, and we will not share your information with third parties for their marketing purposes.

12. Retention

We retain personal information for as long as required by law or as necessary to provide our services. Tax and financial records are generally retained for a minimum of five years in accordance with ATO and taxation law requirements; SMSF-related records may be required to be kept for longer periods. When personal information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it securely.

13. Access & Correction

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to request that we correct any information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading. To make a request, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing using the details in section 15.

We may require you to verify your identity before we respond to an access request. We will endeavour to respond within 30 days of receiving your request. In circumstances where we cannot provide access to all of your personal information, we will provide written reasons. In some circumstances, we may charge a reasonable fee for locating and providing access to your information; if so, we will advise you of any fee before proceeding.

If at any time you believe that information we hold about you is incomplete, inaccurate, or not up to date, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to correct it in accordance with the Privacy Act.

14. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer in the first instance. We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to resolve it within 30 days. We will keep you informed of progress if additional time is required.

If your concern is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

15. Contact

For any privacy-related enquiries, access requests, or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer
Altitude SMSF Accounting Pty Ltd
ABN 77 687 226 446
11/76 Township Drive, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
hello@altitudesmsf.com.au
1300 133 940