Your bank statements, in plain English
What happens to a statement once you upload it, who can see it, and how to delete your account and everything in it yourself. The full privacy policy follows below.
Five things worth knowing
- Nothing connects to your bank
- You download a CSV statement from your own bank and upload it yourself. EF Forecast never logs in to your bank account and has no direct access to it.
- Where it is kept
- Uploaded statements are stored on our own server, not handed to an outside service. We are confirming the exact data centre location (UK or EU) and will state it here before launch.
- Who can see it
-
You can see your figures when you sign in. We do not sell your data, share it with advertisers or use it to build a profile of you.
[Owner to confirm before launch: whether Elaine and her partner, as the people who run the server, can open or view uploaded statements, and if so, in what circumstances, for example only when you ask for help.]
- Deleting everything
- You can delete your account and every statement you have uploaded, yourself, at any time. You do not need to ask us first.
- Scenarios stay separate
- A “What if…” scenario is a test, not a change. Scenarios never alter your real books or your uploaded bank figures.
A note from us: EF Forecast is still being tested before launch. This page is a plain-English draft and should be checked by a qualified adviser before anyone relies on it.
The information, and why we have it
| Information | Why we need it | How long we keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Your email address (account) | To set up your free trial and sign you in. Sign-in is passwordless, so we email you a link instead. | Until you delete your account. |
| Bank statements you upload (CSV) | To show your balance month by month and warn you before it dips below your safety cushion or below zero. | Until you delete your account, which removes every statement you have uploaded. |
| Your settings and scenarios | To remember your safety cushion and the “What if…” tests you run. | [Owner to confirm: removed when you delete your account?] |
| Newsletter email address (“Keep me posted”) | To send you updates you asked for, such as news of the French version or bank connections. | Until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you. |
| Contact form and emails you send us (name, email, phone, subject, message) | To answer your question. | [Owner to confirm how long enquiries are kept.] |
We do not ask for card details during the trial. [Owner to confirm before launch: whether the website runs analytics at launch, which tool is used, and whether it sets cookies. Until this is confirmed and described here, this page makes no claim either way.] If we add analytics or anything similar, we will describe it in the full policy below first.
How to delete your data
Inside the tool you can delete your account, and with it every bank statement you have uploaded. You do it yourself, at the moment you choose. You do not need to ask us first.
For anything else, such as removing a newsletter address or a message you sent us, email us and we will deal with it.
Scenarios never touch your real figures
Testing “a client pays late” or “I take on help” shows you a forecast, nothing more. Your uploaded bank figures stay exactly as your bank produced them.
The full policy
Privacy policy for EF Forecast
Pre-launch draft. The owner should have this checked by a qualified adviser before EF Forecast opens to the public or anyone relies on it.
Who we are
EF Forecast is a cash flow forecasting tool for sole traders and small businesses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, built by Elaine and her partner. We decide how your personal data is used, so we are responsible for it under data protection law, including the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR.
What we collect
Only what you give us: your email address for your account, the bank statement files you upload, the settings and scenarios you create, your email address if you join the newsletter, and the details you send through the contact form or by email (your name, email address, phone number, subject and message). Bank statements can contain details of payments to and from other people; we use these only to produce your forecast.
Why we use it, and on what basis
- To provide the service you signed up for, including your free 30-day trial. The legal basis is the agreement between us.
- To send the “Keep me posted” newsletter. The legal basis is your consent, which you can withdraw at any time by unsubscribing or emailing us.
- To reply to contact form messages and emails. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in answering your questions, or taking steps you ask for before starting a trial.
We do not use your data for advertising, sell it, or use it to make automated decisions about you.
Where it is stored
On our own server. The data centre location, in the UK or the EU, is being confirmed and will be named here before launch.
Who can access it
[Owner to confirm before launch: who at EF Forecast can access stored data, including uploaded statements, and when.]
Who it is shared with
No one, except where the law requires us to disclose it. If we ever need an outside service to help run EF Forecast, we will list it on this page before your data goes anywhere near it.
Your rights
You can ask to see the personal data we hold about you, have it corrected, have it deleted, take a copy with you, or object to how we use it. You can delete your account and all your uploaded statements yourself in the tool. For every other request, email us. If you are unhappy with our answer, you can complain to the data protection authority in the country where you live.
Changes to this policy
If we add something new, such as bank connections or a French version, we will update this page before it goes live.
Contact us
Questions about your data are welcome at either address below, or see the contact page.