Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Fenil P. Shah & Associates ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you interact with our website, contact us, or engage our professional services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act") and the professional confidentiality requirements of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

By using our website or submitting your information to us, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

When you contact us through our website, we collect the information you voluntarily provide: your name, email address, phone number, company name (if provided), the service you are interested in, your preferred contact method, and the content of your message.

When you engage our professional services, we may collect additional information necessary to provide those services, including financial records, tax documents, identification details, and business operational data.

We do not use cookies for advertising tracking, and we do not sell or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

We use the information you provide solely to respond to your enquiry, provide professional advisory services, communicate with you about your engagement, and meet our regulatory and professional obligations.

Specifically, we may use your information to: respond to your enquiry; provide tax, audit, and advisory services; send compliance reminders and deadline notifications; prepare and file statutory documents; communicate regulatory updates relevant to your situation; and maintain records as required by ICAI guidelines and applicable law.

We do not use your data for any purpose beyond providing the services you have requested and fulfilling our professional obligations.

Under the DPDP Act, 2023, we process your personal data based on: your consent (provided when you submit information through our website or engagement letters); the performance of a contract (engagement letters for professional services); and compliance with legal obligations (statutory requirements under the Income Tax Act, GST Act, Companies Act, and ICAI regulations).

Your information is stored in a secure database with access controls. Only authenticated members of our firm can read or manage submissions. Client engagement data is stored in accordance with ICAI guidelines for record retention.

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. These measures include encrypted data transmission, access-controlled storage, regular security reviews, and staff training on confidentiality.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances: with your explicit consent; with government authorities when required by law (e.g., income tax filings, regulatory submissions); with affiliated professionals (e.g., legal counsel, company secretaries) strictly for the purpose of providing your engaged services; and in aggregate, anonymized form that cannot identify you.

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the right to: access the personal data we hold about you; request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data; request erasure of your data (subject to professional and regulatory retention requirements); withdraw consent to processing at any time; and nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below. We will respond to your request within the timeframe prescribed by the DPDP Act.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations. Tax and audit records are retained in accordance with ICAI guidelines and statutory requirements (typically 8 years from the end of the relevant financial year).

When your data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with applicable law.

As chartered accountants, we are bound by the confidentiality requirements of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Code of Ethics. All client information whether received through this website, in the course of an engagement, or through any other channel is treated with strict professional confidentiality.

Our confidentiality obligations survive the termination of any engagement and apply to all members of our firm, including partners, associates, and articles.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or use third-party services (e.g., communication tools, cloud storage). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing your information to them.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the DPDP Act. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

If you have a complaint or concern regarding how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details below. We will acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and strive to resolve it within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Data Protection Board of India.