Privacy Policy

Collective Hub, Inc. (collectively, “Collective”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to respecting the privacy and confidentiality of Personal Information. Please read this Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) carefully. It provides information about how Collective collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes Personal Information when you visit, access, or use our Services (defined below). From time to time, we may update this Privacy Policy as described in the Changes to this Privacy Policy section below.

Please also review the Terms of Service, which also apply to the use of our Services. Terms that are defined in the Terms of Service have the same meaning in this Privacy Policy unless this Privacy Policy specifies differently.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us.

Table of Contents

1. Scope of This Privacy Policy
2. Personal Information We Collect & Use
3. Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
4. How We Disclose Personal Information
5. How Long We Retain Personal Information
6. How We Protect Personal Information
7. International Data Transfers
8. Children’s Privacy
9. Marketing, Advertising, and Analytics Preferences
10. Changes to this Privacy Policy
11. Contact Us
12. Supplemental GLBA Privacy Notice
13. Cookie Policy

1. Our Services

This Privacy Policy applies to Personal Information that Collective collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes when you:

• Access or use our website available at collective.com or any other website operated by Collective where this Privacy Policy is posted (collectively, the “Website”);
• Access or use Collective products and services such as, for example, accounting and bookkeeping, payroll support, account administration, S Corp formation, tax support, and any related products, services or functionality; or
• Communicate with us through any written, electronic, or oral communications, including by email, in-app messaging center, text message, or phone, such as through events or marketing communications.

For purposes of this Privacy Policy, we refer to our Website, products and services, and any other online service we provide that links to this Privacy Policy as the “Services.” 

Note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to or cover External Websites (defined below).

1. Tax Preparation Information

As part of our Services, Collective may collect Personal Information to prepare and file tax returns. We will not use or disclose Personal Information collected for tax preparation for other purposes without your explicit consent, in accordance with applicable law.

2. Nonpublic Personal Information (NPI)

Collective uses nonpublic personal information (NPI) to provide you with our Services. “Nonpublic personal information” is defined as personally identifiable financial information that a financial institution collects about an individual in connection with providing a financial product or service. This Privacy Policy includes our privacy practices in regards to NPI, including how Collective uses NPI, the non-affiliated third parties that may receive NPI from us, and your options to opt-out of disclosing your NPI to third parties when it is not necessary to provide you with our Services.

For additional information about how we handle nonpublic personal information subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, please review our Supplemental GLBA Privacy Notice.

2. Information About Third Parties

In providing our Services, we necessarily process Personal Information about individuals who are not our direct customers. This may include:

1. Business-Related Information

We may process information about our clients’ employees, contractors, vendors, and business associates through services like bookkeeping, payroll facilitation through Gusto, and business tax preparation.

2. Personal Tax-Related Information

When providing tax support services, we may process information about our clients’ family members, dependents, and household members.

In all cases, we process this information solely to provide services to our clients and protect it according to our privacy and security standards.

3. Out of Scope

1. External Websites

When engaging in our Services, we may provide links to third-party websites, resources, or features with which we do not have a contractual relationship and over which we do not have control (collectively, “External Websites”). For example, websites for another company or integrated tools that enable you to share content via social media sites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to or cover External Websites. 

Such links are not paid advertisements, nor do they constitute an endorsement by Collective of those External Websites. By clicking on links to the External Websites, the operators of the External Websites may collect Personal Information. We are not responsible for the content or data collection practices of those External Websites, and your use of External Websites is subject to their respective terms of use and privacy policies. We encourage you to carefully read the privacy policy of any website you visit.

As used in this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” means any information that identifies or could be used to identify an individual person. For example, Personal Information may include name, email address, and phone number. It also includes other non-public information that we associate with such identifying information. Personal Information does not include aggregated or anonymized information.

1. Collective collects personal information from you when you use our Services, including:

• Contact information (name, email, phone number, address) 
• Identity information (SSN, Tax ID, date of birth) 
• Financial information (bank account details, payment information, tax and payroll records) 
• Professional information (business details, employer information) 
• Technical & usage information (how you interact with our services, device information)

2. We use this information to: 

• Create and manage your account 
• Provide our Services, including tax preparation, payroll, and accounting 
• Communicate with you about your account and our Services
• Improve our Services and develop new features

We may share your information with service providers that help us deliver our Services, such as payment processors, third-party tax preparers, and embedded service providers like Gusto for payroll services.

3. Sources of Personal Information

The Personal Information we collect and how we collect it depends on how you use our Services. Personal Information may be collected:

• Directly from you or third parties you authorize
• From third-party sources including integrated services (such as Plaid, Gusto, Stripe, etc.) that you connect to our Services
• Automatically

Collective uses machine learning (ML) technologies in connection with our Services. We may process your data using ML systems to:

• Protect your information and reduce access to sensitive information
• Provide new services and enhance our existing Services
• Personalize your app and support experience
• Improve our business operations through process automation and augmentation

Some of our third-party service providers use ML technologies when processing data in connection with services they provide to us. These may include customer support platforms, communication tools, and other business services that incorporate ML features.

We may use de-identified and aggregated data derived from our Services to develop, train, test, or improve our AI systems and features.

We transmit, disclose, grant access, make available and provide all types of Personal Information mentioned above to or with authorized Collective personnel that have a business need for access and the following types of third parties. There may be situations where you are asked to consent to disclose Personal Information to third parties for additional reasons not included in this Privacy Policy.

1. Collective Partners

To provide you with our Services, Collective may partner with third-party companies that integrate with Collective (“Partners”). Our Partners may provide you with offers, products, and services. If you choose to interact with a Partner, apply for their services or offerings, or otherwise link or sync your account to a Partner’s product or service, you direct us to share your Personal Information to the Partner providing the service or offering.

For example, our platform includes access to Gusto, Inc.’s (“Gusto”) embedded payroll calculation, payment, and related tax reporting services, provided directly to you by Gusto. Collective will disclose your information to Gusto so that you may access and use Gusto’s services.

2. Vendors

We disclose Personal Information with our third-party vendors, including consultants, agents, and contractors, that help us provide our Services or with any of the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Depending on the Services you use and how you use the Services, the following categories of vendors may collect data on our behalf or receive Personal Information, for example:

• Advertising and marketing partners;
• Customer relationship management and customer support vendors;
• Event co-hosts and sponsors;
• Identity verification, security, and fraud-prevention providers;
• Professional advisors and agents, such as auditors, lawyers, consultants, accountants and insurers;
• Providers of business operations and communication tools, such as email and messaging software providers; 
• Other third-party vendors that help us provide features and functions for the Services; and
• Website hosting and analytics vendors.

3. Payment Processors

Collective works with a third-party payment processor, Stripe, to collect payment information for our Services. Note that your payment information is passed directly to Stripe. Collective will not store your credit card or have access to it after a payment is submitted. Please review Stripe’s privacy notice to learn more about how they collect, process and protect your personal information: https://stripe.com/privacy.

4. Legal, Compliance, and Regulatory Purposes

We may disclose Personal Information if we believe that it is necessary to: 

• Comply with a law, regulation, legal process, or legitimate governmental request; 
• Protect the safety or security of our Services, users of our Services, or any person; 
• Investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal or suspected illegal activities; 
• Prevent spam, abuse, fraud, or other malicious activity of actors using or accessing our Services; or 
• Protect our rights or property or the rights or property of those who use our Services.

Personal Information about our users will not be released to law enforcement except in response to an appropriate legal process such as a subpoena, court order, or other valid legal process that has been reviewed by Collective. However, if we receive information that provides us with a good faith belief that there is an exigent emergency, we may provide information to law enforcement trying to prevent or mitigate the danger, to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

5.  Business Transfers

We may disclose Personal Information to third parties we choose to acquire or with buyers, successors, or others in connection with a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, financing due diligence, initial public offering, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets or transition of service to another provider, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation or similar proceeding, as permitted by law and/or contract.

At Collective, we take our responsibility to protect the security and privacy of Personal Information seriously. To prevent Personal Information from being lost, used, accessed, altered, or disclosed in an unauthorized or unlawful way, we have implemented what we believe to be reasonable administrative, technical, and physical data security practices that are appropriate to the volume and nature of the Personal Information at issue.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of your information. By using our Services, you understand and assume the risks associated with your activities on the Internet.

1. Marketing Communications

To stop receiving, or opt-out of, promotional email communications from Collective, click on the “unsubscribe” link or follow the relevant opt-out instructions within the marketing communication. 

If you opt-out of receiving marketing emails, we will still send you transactional emails, such as for responses to your requests or communications about your account. If you need assistance unsubscribing or opting-out of marketing communications, please contact us.

2. Phone and SMS Communications

When you provide your phone number to Collective, you consent to receive calls or text messages at the number provided. We primarily use phone and SMS communications for transactional purposes related to your account and our Services, which may include scheduling information, follow-ups, and service-related communications. Message frequency varies based on your interactions with our Services, and standard message and data rates may apply.

To opt out of text messages, reply “STOP” to any text message you receive. For phone calls, you may opt out by requesting opt-out during the call. Note that opting out of marketing messages will not affect transactional communications necessary for service delivery.

3. Third-Party Advertising and Analytics

Collective works with third-party network advertisers, ad agencies, and other advertising partners to serve Collective ads online. We may use information about you to target ads to you and to allow our third-party advertising partners (e.g., Meta/Facebook, Google, etc.) to manage our advertising on their websites. We also use third-party analytics providers to provide us with information regarding the use of our Services and the effectiveness of our advertisements. For additional information about the tracking technologies that these third parties use, please see the Cookie Policy.

1. Your Privacy Choices

To review or change your preferences regarding the use and disclosure of your Personal Information for third-party advertising and analytics, visit www.collective.com and click on “Cookie Preferences” at the bottom of the webpage.

2. Global Privacy Control and Opt-Out Preference Signals

You may opt-out of use and disclosure of Personal Information for targeted advertising by implementing the Global Privacy Control (“GPC“) or other opt-out preference signal through your browser. If you have implemented an opt-out Signal, we will honor your request with respect to the browser or device that sends us the opt-out signal.

3. Third-Party Tools

You may also opt-out of interest-based advertising using the following third-party tools:

1. You may use the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”) consumer choice tools to apply opt-outs to interest-based advertising and other applicable uses of web-viewing data by DAA participating companies by visiting http://optout.aboutads.info.
2. You may manage opt-outs through the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”) opt-out tool at http://optout.networkadvertising.org.

4. Do Not Track

Do Not Track (“DNT“) is an optional browser setting that allows you to express your preferences regarding tracking by advertisers and other third-parties. At this time, we do not respond to DNT signals. For more information about what cookies are and how to manage them, please review our Cookie Policy.

1. Scope

This Supplemental GLBA Privacy Notice applies to the collection, use, and disclosure of nonpublic personal information in connection with financial products or services we provide that are subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).

2. Information Practices Under GLBA

When providing services subject to GLBA, we collect nonpublic personal information (NPI) as defined in our main Privacy Policy to deliver our services including accounting, bookkeeping, payroll support, administration, S Corp formation, and tax support.

3. Information Sharing Practices

* While GLBA does not require an opt-out for our use of your information for our own marketing purposes, you may opt out of receiving marketing emails by following the unsubscribe instructions in any marketing communication, in compliance with CAN-SPAM, TCPA, and other applicable regulatory requirements.

4. Third Parties That May Receive NPI

When providing services subject to GLBA, we may share NPI with third-party service providers, such as Gusto for payroll services, and other vendors as described in our Privacy Policy.

5. How We Protect Your Information

We protect your NPI using administrative, technical, and physical safeguards as described in the “How We Protect Personal Information” section of our Privacy Policy.

6. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Supplemental GLBA Privacy Notice, please contact us using our Contact Us form.

This Cookie Policy describes how Collective uses and discloses Personal Information captured by cookies and similar tracking technologies such as pixels (collectively, “Cookies”). 

To manage how Cookies collect, use, and disclose your Personal Information, visit www.collective.com and click on “Cookie Preferences” at the bottom of the webpage.
For more information about Collective’s privacy practices, please review our Privacy Policy.

Table of Contents

1. What Are Cookies?
2. Cookie Banner
3. Types of Cookies
4. What Types of Information Do Cookies Collect?
5. How Do We Use Cookies?
6. How to Manage or Delete Cookies
7. Changes to this Cookie Policy
8. Contact Us

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small data files that are placed on your device set by us or by third parties when you visit a website or other online service. In addition to cookies, we may use other technologies that are similar in function, such as pixels, also called web beacons or single-pixel tags/gifs, local or web storage, and embedded scripts. 

• Pixels: Also called web beacons, or “clear gifs,” and single-pixel tags/gifs, or web tags, are tiny graphics with a unique identifier placed on a website or in an email that gathers information about your interaction with that website or email. Because of their small size, they are not visible. Pixels can also enable us and third parties to place cookies on your browser.
• Local or Web Storage: Local or web storage refers to other places on a browser or device where information can be stored. It includes both your own device storage and browser cache.
• Embedded Scripts: An embedded script is a programming code that is designed to collect information about your interactions with our Services, such as the links you click. The code is temporarily downloaded onto your device, is active only while you are connected to the Services and is deactivated or deleted after you are no longer connected.

We use the term “Cookie” throughout this Privacy Policy to cover all these technologies.You can find more information about cookies at: www.allaboutcookies.org.

2. Cookie Banner

When you visit our website, you may see a cookie notice banner explaining how we use cookies. Clicking on “manage preferences” on this banner allows you to manage your cookie preferences through our preference center. The cookie preference center may also be accessed by navigating to the bottom of our website, and clicking on “Cookie Preferences.”

3. Types of Cookies

Cookies are often described by who created and placed them and how long they last. Types of Cookies generally include the following:

• Persistent Cookies and Session Cookies
  • Persistent Cookies: A persistent Cookie stays in your browser and will be read by us when you return. A persistent Cookie helps us recognize you as an existing user, so it is easier for you to return and interact with our Services.
  • Session Cookies: A session Cookie is temporary and enables you to move from page to page on our Services and allows information that you enter to be remembered. A session Cookie is deleted when you close your browser or after a short time.
• First-Party Cookies and Third-Party Cookies
  • First-party Cookies: These are Cookies set by the publisher of the website or online service you are visiting. First-party Cookies may be set either by us or by a service provider at our request.
  • Third-party Cookies: These are Cookies that are set by a party other than the publisher of the website you are visiting.

4. What Types of Information Do Cookies Collect?

Cookies collect different types of information depending on the type of Cookie and its purpose. Some examples of information that may be collected by Cookies when you use our Services include:

• The pages or features you visit within our Services;
• The buttons you click on our Services;
• The date and time you visit our Services;
• The amount of time you spend on our Services;
• The IP address used to connect your device to the internet; and
• Your device (such as computer, mobile phone) and connection information such as your browser type and version and operating system.

5. How Do We Use Cookies?

Collective uses Cookies for purposes such as providing content or features on our Services, helping us remember you and your preferences, and improving your user experience by making our Services more efficient and relevant to you. Our cookie banner states: “This website utilizes technologies such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as for Performance/Analytics, Functional, and Advertising purposes.” We, our service providers, and/or agents acting on our behalf, use the following persistent and session Cookies (which may be first-party or third-party Cookies) on our Services:

• Essential Cookies: These cookies are required to enable basic website functionality. Without these cookies, some of our Services cannot be provided. These cookies do not gather information about you for advertising purposes. You may not disable essential cookies. For example, these cookies are used to:
  • Remember information you provide when performing activities on your Services;
  • Pass information between pages when filling out forms;
  • Read browser and device settings to optimize display
  • Identify misuse of our Services;
  • Load our Services uniformly and maintain accessibility; and
  • Authenticate users and prevent fraud.
• Targeted Advertising Cookies: These cookies are third-party cookies used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests. They also help limit the number of times you see an advertisement and advertising effectiveness. Advertising networks usually place them with our permission. These cookies are used to:
  • Track interactions with advertisements;
  • Prevent showing the same ads repeatedly;
  • Measure click-through rates; and
  • Improve campaign performance reporting.
• Personalization Cookies: We use functional cookies to remember your choices so we can tailor our Services to provide you with enhanced features and personalized content. For example, these cookies can be used to remember your name or preferences on our Services. We do not use functional cookies for online advertising. While these Cookies can be disabled, this may result in less functionality during your use of our Services. For example, we use these cookies to:
  • Provide you a personalized experience, such as remembering how you have customized our Services;
  • Remember the information that you fill in when performing certain activities on our Services; and
  • Store your preferences such as language and location.
• Analytics Cookies: These cookies help us understand how our Services perform, how visitors interact with the site, and whether there may be technical issues. The information collected includes content you view, traffic sources, and your system information. For example, these cookies are used to:
  • Maintain and improve our Services;
  • Track visitor numbers and behavior on our pages;
  • Measure time spent on different pages;
  • Identify performance issues; and
  • Assess which parts of our Services need improvement.

6. How to Manage or Delete Cookies

You can exercise your preferences concerning Cookies served on our Services by taking the steps outlined below.

• To manage how Cookies collect, use, and disclose your Personal Information, visit www.collective.com and click on “Cookie Preferences” at the bottom of the webpage.
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information: By enabling this preference in our cookie preference center, you are indicating that you do not want us to sell your personal information or share it for online targeted advertising activities. If you use different devices or browsers, you’ll need to set this preference on each one.
• Browser Settings: You may alter the Cookie settings in your browser settings at any time. You may accept all or only certain Cookies. If you disable Cookies in your browser settings, however, you may find that certain sections of our Services will not work.
  • First-Party Cookies: If you do not want Cookies placed on your device, you can adjust the setting of your Internet browser to reject some or all Cookies and to alert you when a Cookie is placed on your device. To do this, follow the instructions provided by your browser (usually located within the “Help,” “Tools,” or “Edit” settings). While adjusting your browser setting can prevent the future placement of Cookies, it does not remove existing persistent Cookies.
  • Third-Party Cookies: Browsers also allow you to block third-party Cookies using the steps described above for first-party Cookies.
• Preferences Tools: There are several services available that can assist you with managing your Cookie preferences, including industry groups, standards associations, and tools provided by the Cookie providers and social media sites. Please note that we have no affiliation with, and are not responsible for, third-party websites.
  • Global Privacy Control and Privacy plug-ins: You can block cookies used for interest-based ads by installing browser plugins like Privacy Badger, DuckDuckGo, Ghostery, or uBlock Origin and configuring them to block third-party cookies/trackers. For more information, please visit https://globalprivacycontrol.org
  • Google Analytics: You may download the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
  • DAA: You may use the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”) consumer choice tools to apply opt-outs to interest-based advertising and other applicable uses of web-viewing data by DAA participating companies by visiting http://optout.aboutads.info.
  • NAI: You may also manage opt-outs through the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”) opt-out tool at http://optout.networkadvertising.org. 
  • Web Beacons and Pixels: You may avoid web beacons and pixels by disabling the functionality that allows remote images to load in your email account and refraining from clicking on any links in email messages.

Opting out through these mechanisms does not block all online advertising. You will continue to receive generic advertisements.

To learn more about how to manage Cookies and opt-out of Cookies being placed on your devices, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

7. Changes to this Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. When we update this Cookie Policy, we will revise the “Last Updated and Effective Date” at the top of this Cookie Policy and post a link to the updated Cookie Policy on our Services. Changes to this Cookie Policy are effective when they are posted. If we make any material changes, we will provide you with notice as required under applicable law. Please review this Cookie Policy periodically to ensure you are aware of any such changes.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us using our Contact Us form.