Privacy Policy

Effective October 22, 2026 · applies to Life Account for iOS (version 1.0 and later) and Life Account Pro

The short version: your vault stays on your iPhone, encrypted. A few optional features send data to our server, and in every case what's sent is either encrypted so we can't read it, or the minimum that feature needs. We don't sell or share your data, and Life Account has no advertising, analytics or tracking.

What stays on your iPhone

Your vault (documents, page images, people, notes and letters) is encrypted on your iPhone with AES-256-GCM before it is saved, in the app's private storage.
The vault key is kept in your iPhone's Keychain, protected by Face ID or your passcode.
Scanning: text on a scanned page is read on your iPhone. Pages are never uploaded to be read.
Reminders are scheduled on your iPhone. Nothing about them is sent to us.
The Legacy Package, if you make one, is saved where you choose (On My iPhone or your own iCloud Drive). It is encrypted and can't be opened without two of your three Family Key Cards.

Optional features that use a server

Family sharing (iCloud)

Sharing the vault with your family uses your own iCloud account (Apple's CloudKit). The app encrypts documents and keys before they leave your iPhone, so Apple and we can't read them. Apple's privacy policy covers iCloud.

Expiring links

When you share documents with a link, the app encrypts them on your iPhone and uploads only the encrypted data, its size and its expiry date to our server. The key is the part of the link after the "#", which browsers never send to servers, so we can't open what you share. A link is deleted when it expires (1 to 30 days, your choice) or when you delete it in the app.

Life Pass (Apple Wallet)

To add a pass to Apple Wallet, the app sends our signing service a list of file names and fingerprints (hashes). The contents of the pass never leave your iPhone, and nothing is stored.

Your accountant

If you connect to a firm that uses Life Account Pro, our server stores:

a random connection ID, your iPhone's public key for this connection, and a hashed copy of the secret token your iPhone uses to prove it's you;
your name, encrypted so that only that firm can read it;
the folders you send, the firm's requests and the completed return, encrypted end to end between your iPhone and the firm's browser;
for each tax year, the status the firm sets and how many documents you sent;
a log of when folders were sent, opened or withdrawn.

We can't read the encrypted parts. Once the firm opens what you sent, its own privacy policy and professional duties apply to its copy. Folders are deleted when they expire (7 to 30 days) or when you withdraw them. Everything else is deleted when you tap Disconnect, when you delete your vault, or after three years with no activity.

Keeping the service safe

App Attest: we use Apple's App Attest to check that requests come from the genuine app. We don't keep the result.
Server logs: our hosting provider, Vercel, Inc., processes IP addresses and browser details to deliver requests and protect the service. The logs we can see are kept for no more than 30 days, and we don't use them to identify anyone.

Life Account Pro (for accountants)

For a firm's account we store the firm's name, the public keys of its passkeys, its firm code, and (if the passkey supports it) the firm's key encrypted so only that passkey can unlock it. Firms sign in with passkeys; we never handle passwords. The portal uses only the cookies needed to sign in and stay signed in, and no tracking cookies.

Verifying firms

Clients can only connect to firms Life Account has verified. For that we store what the firm tells us (its credential type, state, license number, the name as licensed, business name, city, phone and website), the result of the identity check, and our reviewer's notes. We compare these details with public records, such as the IRS's lists of tax preparers and state license lookups.

The firm's owner verifies their identity with Stripe Identity (Stripe, Inc.) by showing a government ID and taking a selfie. Stripe handles the images under its own privacy policy. We receive only the result and the name on the ID, and we ask Stripe to delete the images and data 30 days after our review. We never store ID images, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, PTINs or EFINs.

Clients see the verification, for example "Verified CPA · Florida license AC12345", and the licensed person's name. A firm can delete its account at any time in the portal, which also deletes its verification and every client connection.

Sharing and selling

We don't sell or share personal information, and we don't use it for advertising. The only companies that process data for us are Vercel (hosting and storage), Apple (iCloud, App Attest, Apple Wallet) and Stripe (identity checks for accountants' firms). If we were required by law to hand over data, all we could provide is the encrypted data and the details listed above.

Where data is processed

Our server and storage are run by Vercel, Inc., a U.S. company, so data you choose to send may be processed in the United States.

Deleting your data

Everything on your iPhone: Settings → Delete vault from this device, or delete the app. If you're online, this also deletes your accountant connection from our server.
A shared link: delete it in the app, or let it expire.
Your accountant connection: Vault → Taxes → Your accountant → Disconnect. This deletes the connection and everything sent through it from our server. Copies your accountant already downloaded stay with them.

Because we don't know who you are, we can't look up your data by name or email. If you've lost your iPhone and want an accountant connection deleted sooner than three years, email us and we'll work with you and the firm to remove it.

Children

Life Account is meant for adults planning for their families. You can keep your children's documents in your vault, where they stay encrypted on your devices. We don't knowingly collect information from children.

Not professional advice

Life Account helps you organize information. It does not provide legal, financial, tax or medical advice.

Changes

We'll update this policy before any version of the app sends new kinds of data off your iPhone, and we'll change the effective date above. New features that use a server will always be optional.

Contact

Questions about privacy: contact@vetan.us