Privacy Policy

How we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

Last updated: 10 May 2026

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy explains how abacu ("we", "us", "our") handles your personal information when you visit our website or use our accountant comparison service. abacu is a UK-based service that helps small businesses compare and find accountancy firms.

For privacy queries, email info@abacu.co.uk or write to us at Unit 166398, PO Box 7169, Poole, BH15 9EL, United Kingdom.

For the purposes of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the data controller is Lewis Ling trading as abacu.

2. What information we collect

We collect the following categories of information:

  • Information you give us through the quote form - your email address, optional phone number, and answers about your business used to generate your recommendation. This includes: your situation (for example, starting out, already trading, or switching accountant), business structure (sole trader, limited company, partnership, or not yet decided), approximate annual revenue, the level of support you want, and the categories of help you need (such as bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, year-end, company setup, or ongoing advice).
  • Information you give us through the contact form - your name, email address, and the message you send us.
  • Recommendation we generate - the recommended setup we show you (for example, fully managed accountant or accountant with you more hands-on) and the recommended firm, so we have a record of what you were shown.
  • Referral codes - if you arrived via a referral link, we record the referral code so we can attribute the introduction. We may store this code in your browser (for example in local storage) so it is not lost as you move between pages; see our Cookie Policy for details.
  • Information collected automatically - your IP address, browser type and version, device type, the pages you visit, the time and date of your visit, and referring website. This is standard web traffic data.
  • Analytics usage signals - if you consent to analytics cookies, we send privacy-preserving usage events to Google Analytics (for example when you submit the quote form, view your recommendation, click through to a listed firm, or send a contact message) so we can measure how the site is used and improve it. These events do not include the full text of your quote answers in the analytics payload.
  • Marketing and advertising data - if you consent to advertising cookies, we may receive information about how you interacted with our ads (for example, whether you clicked an ad before reaching the site, or whether you completed a quote).

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

  • Generate a tailored recommendation for the setup (fully managed accountant or accountant with you more hands-on) most likely to suit you.
  • Recommend an appropriate accountancy firm and pass on the details needed to prepare a quote.
  • Contact you by email (and, if you provided one, by phone) to follow up on your recommendation, answer questions, or help you decide between options.
  • Respond to enquiries you send us through our contact form.
  • Operate, maintain, and improve the website and the quality of our recommendations.
  • Measure the performance of marketing campaigns and understand how users find and use our site (only if you have accepted analytics and advertising cookies).
  • Meet legal, regulatory, and accounting obligations.
  • Operate our business, including earning referral fees from listed firms when someone we introduce becomes a paying client.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR we rely on the following lawful bases:

  • Legitimate interests - to operate and secure the website, respond to your enquiries, and recommend an accountant when you submit a quote request.
  • Consent - for analytics cookies, advertising cookies, and any marketing communications. You can withdraw consent at any time by using the "Manage cookies" link in the site footer.
  • Legal obligation - where we need to keep records for tax, accounting, or regulatory purposes.

5. Sharing your information

We share your information with:

  • Your recommended firm - when you click through to your recommended accountant, we pass your business structure, approximate revenue, and any referral code along with the link so they can prepare a quote. We do not pass your email address or phone number to the listed firm through the link; if you then submit a form on the firm's own website, that firm will collect your contact details directly and will act as its own data controller for how it uses them.
  • Service providers - hosting providers, form processors (Netlify), and, where you have consented, Google (Google Ads and Google Analytics) to deliver and measure advertising.
  • Authorities - where required by law, court order, or regulator.

We do not sell your personal information.

We may receive a referral fee or commission from accountancy firms when you become a client after we introduce you. That arrangement does not change how we describe our use of your personal data in this policy.

6. Automated recommendations

We use your answers to suggest a suitable accountancy firm. This is a recommendation based on your inputs. It does not produce a legal or solely automated decision about you with legal or similarly significant effects under UK GDPR.

7. International transfers

Some of our service providers (including Google) are based outside the UK. Where your information is transferred outside the UK, we rely on the UK adequacy regulations or on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

8. How long we keep your information

UK GDPR requires us to keep personal data only for as long as we need it for the purposes we collected it (storage limitation). We do not keep personal data indefinitely without review. We delete or anonymise it when we no longer need it, subject to the maximum periods below and any longer period required by law.

  • Quote enquiries (information submitted through our quote form and held by our form provider): up to 24 months from submission, unless we need to keep specific items longer for a legal, accounting, or regulatory reason.
  • Contact form messages: up to 24 months from your last contact with us.
  • Website analytics: retained in line with Google Analytics settings for our property (for example up to 14 months for standard GA4 retention options).
  • Referral code in your browser: until you clear site data or the entry expires as described in our Cookie Policy.
  • Tax, accounting, and similar records: where we must retain records (including evidence of introductions or commissions), typically at least 6 years from the end of the accounting period they relate to, unless the law requires longer.

If you ask us to delete your information, we will do so where there is no overriding legal reason to keep it.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you.
  • Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • Ask us to delete your information (subject to legal retention obligations).
  • Restrict or object to our processing of your information.
  • Ask for a copy of your information in a portable format.
  • Withdraw consent where we rely on it (for example, for analytics and advertising cookies).

To exercise any of these rights, email info@abacu.co.uk or write to us at Unit 166398, PO Box 7169, Poole, BH15 9EL, United Kingdom. We will respond within one month.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk. We would appreciate the chance to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us first if you can.

10. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies on this website. For full details, see our Cookie Policy. You can change your cookie preferences at any time using the Manage cookies link.

11. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and access controls on our systems. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to reduce the risk.

12. Children

This website is not directed at children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to let you know (for example, via a notice on the site).

14. Contact us

For any questions about this policy or your personal information, email info@abacu.co.uk or write to: abacu, Unit 166398, PO Box 7169, Poole, BH15 9EL, United Kingdom.