Privacy Policy
November 2012
PRIVACY NOTICE FOR H&R BLOCK AT HOME
WEB-BASED TAX SERVICES AND SOFTWARE
Protecting your privacy is fundamental to our business at HRB Digital LLC ("HRB Digital"). We recognize that the privacy of personal information is important to our customers, and we strive to operate our business in a manner that justifies your choice of HRB Digital products and services.
This privacy notice explains the types of personal information we may collect from and about you, as well as how we may disclose and protect that information when you become a customer of HRB Digital by utilizing our tax preparation or other software or web-based tax preparation tools. Where we collect information on the H&R Block web site for other purposes (such as when you locate an H&R Block office online or register a software product with us for warranty purposes, or when you transmit information through our servers), the information that is collected about you will be governed by the “H&R Block Online Privacy Practices and Principles,” which can be found HERE.
This privacy notice applies to personal information we collect about customers and former customers of HRB Digital in connection with the provision of web-based and software-based tax preparation programs and related services and other self-help software. If you use any HRB Digital software product without connecting with our servers or going online we will not collect or disclose information about you. If you use H&R Block’s "Best of BothSM" service (a do-it-yourself tax preparation solution including the support of our trained tax professionals to answer your tax questions and review, correct and e-file your return) H&R Block’s Retail Privacy Notice also will apply, which can be found HERE
This privacy notice applies whether you are a current or former customer of HRB Digital. This privacy notice does not apply to H&R Block tax preparation services provided at H&R Block company-owned or franchise offices. This privacy notice also does not apply to our parent company or its affiliates. These companies may be subject to different regulations and/or may have different operating practices. If you are doing business with these companies, you should consult their respective privacy notices.
We collect certain personal information so that we may prepare your tax return. This information typically includes, for example, your name, address and certain other data such as your social security number, income and deductions data, and other personal information about you and your dependents that we need to prepare your tax return. This information may also include system information, such as your operating system version, internet protocol (IP) address and the number of times you electronically file using the software and the website from which your tax return preparation originated. The Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") requires us to collect certain system information in connection with electronic filing of tax returns.
We may collect personal information in connection with transactions other than tax return preparation that you complete or propose to complete with us. This personal information may include, for example, your name, address and certain other "nonpublic personal information" such as checking, debit and credit account numbers, balances and payment history, income and assets. We may collect this personal information about you from you, the IRS, our franchisees, our affiliates, and certain non-affiliated third parties such as credit reporting agencies.
The IRS requires HRB Digital to retain filed tax returns for a period of at least three years. It is HRB Digital's policy that if you start, but do not complete, a tax return in our online tax programs, we will generally keep the tax return information you provide until the end of the tax season.
We assign a global unique identifier (GUID) when you use our web-based tax preparation products and when you use our software to create a return. The GUID is a unique alphanumeric combination. While the GUID does not itself contain any data, in some cases it does allow us to match your information, which may include personal information, with data collected by our software or through your use of our web-based tax preparation products or the website. Generally, use this information to help us better understand your use of our products and services.
HRB Digital's disclosure of personal information about you is controlled by various laws, regulations and other legal requirements, as well as HRB Digital policies. For example, the personal information we obtain to prepare your tax return is subject to specific legal requirements. We may disclose personal information that we collect, subject to the terms of this privacy notice and consistent with applicable law. The examples contained in this notice are illustrations; they are not intended to be exclusive.
Where permitted or required by law, we may disclose personal information about you for our normal business purposes. For example, this may include disclosures to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and for certain other lawful purposes where this disclosure is permitted by law (such as the processing of your tax return).
Where permitted by applicable law or where we obtain your consent, we may disclose your personal information to service providers who perform business functions on our behalf (for services such as data processing and analysis, contest supervision, and direct mail or e-mail production). We require HRB Digital service providers to have written contracts that specify appropriate use of your personal information, require them to safeguard your personal information, and prohibit them from making unauthorized or unlawful use of your personal information.
In certain situations involving personal information collected for tax return preparation, we are required to have your consent before we disclose this information to affiliates or other nonaffiliated third parties. For example, if you have provided consent, we may disclose personal information about you to companies engaged in offering banking, investment, credit cards or consumer loans, insurance or other non-tax financial services in order to provide you with service enhancements and product opportunities that we believe may interest you.
We do not share your personal information with non-affiliated third parties for marketing purposes except as permitted by applicable law or with your consent. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third party direct marketers.
Where permitted by law, we may disclose your personal information to financial institutions with which we have joint marketing agreements. We require all joint marketers to have written contracts with us that specify appropriate use of your personal information, require them to safeguard your personal information, and prohibit them from making unauthorized or unlawful use of your personal information. If a state law (or other law) requires us to give you the right to opt-out prior to any disclosure of your personal information for joint marketing, we will not disclose your personal information for such purposes without providing such opt-out or obtaining your consent to such disclosure.
We may disclose your personal information to affiliates or non-affiliated third parties (including government entities) when we have a good faith belief that such disclosure is required or permitted by law. This may occur, for example, in connection with a court order, legal process, or other judicial, administrative or investigative proceeding, or other situations where the provision of certain information is required or permitted by law.
HRB Digital maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with applicable law and federal standards and that are designed to restrict access to your personal information. These include programs and specifications for physical security and records retention and disposal; computer and communication security measures reflected in system design, password protection, and data management practices; and other measures to restrict access to the data we hold in physical and electronic forms.
When you enter personal information in our web-based tax programs, we encrypt that information using secure socket layer (SSL) technology. When you use our online tax preparation tools, remember to sign out of your account and close your browser window when you have finished your work. This is to ensure that others cannot access your account by using your computer when you are away from it. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.
If you are a user of an HRB Digital's web-based tax preparation products and certain personal account information (e.g., your e-mail address) changes, you may update the information by signing into your account. HRB Digital cannot change information in your filed tax return. You must file an amended tax return to make changes to a filed tax return.
We give you choice and control over the use of your personal information. We provide you the opportunity to opt-out of receiving communications from us by clicking here. We also provide you with the opportunity to opt-out of certain information sharing. You may not opt-out of the sharing of information that does not identify you personally. You may limit marketing communications from HRB Digital as follows.
Where permitted by law, HRB Digital may use information you provide (subject to your consent, where required) to communicate with you about products and services available through HRB Digital or third parties. If at any time you wish to limit your receipt of such communications you may click here. At your request and subject to the limitations below, we will make reasonable efforts to limit all such marketing communications to you. In addition, when we send you marketing emails, we will generally include in each email a method to enable you to indicate your preference not to receive further emails.
The above paragraphs only apply to personal information HRB Digital obtains through your use of HRB Digital online tax programs and other software programs, so you could still receive offers through HRB Digital, its affiliates or franchisees where they obtain your contact information through other sources. In order to opt-out from communications from our affiliates or franchisees, you may contact each such affiliate or franchisee separately in accordance with their policies.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this privacy notice, contact HRB Digital by clicking here. If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry within 15 business days or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you may contact us again or you may then contact TRUSTe at
http://truste.org/consumers/watchdog_complaint.php.
TRUSTe is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to build users' trust and confidence in the Internet by promoting the use offair information practices. Because HRB Digital wants to demonstrate its commitment to your privacy, it has agreed to disclose its information practices and have its privacy practices reviewed for compliance by TRUSTe.
Privacy Notice effective date November 2012
H&R Block At Home is a registered trademark of HRB Innovations, Inc.
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