Privacy Policy

Last updated: 16 September 2026

1. Who We Are

LAbooks Limited (referred to in this policy as “LAbooks”, “we”, “us” or “our”) provides bookkeeping, payroll, VAT return, Self Assessment and related business support services.

For personal data that we decide how and why to use, the data controller is:

LAbooks Limited
Company number: 16773216
Registered office: 167–169 Great Portland Street, London, England, W1W 5PF
Website: https://labooks.co.uk
Privacy enquiries: loredana@labooks.co.uk

We are committed to protecting personal data and handling it fairly, lawfully and transparently. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we use it, who we may share it with, how long we retain it and the rights available to individuals under UK data protection law.

This policy applies to clients, prospective clients, website visitors, supplier and professional contacts, and other individuals whose personal data we use for our own business purposes.

2. When We Are a Controller or Processor

We normally act as a data controller for information used to manage our own client relationships, provide quotations, administer contracts, issue invoices, meet legal obligations, operate our website and communicate about our services.

When a client gives us personal data relating to its employees, workers, customers, suppliers or other individuals so that we can provide bookkeeping, payroll or similar services, we may act as a data processor on that client’s behalf. In those circumstances:

• the client is normally responsible for deciding why and how the personal data is used;

• we process the data in accordance with the client’s documented instructions and our service agreement or data-processing terms; and

• individuals should usually contact the relevant client first if they wish to exercise their data protection rights.

We will assist our clients with relevant data protection requests where required by law and our contractual arrangements.

3. Personal Data We May Collect

The personal data we collect depends on the services requested and the individual’s relationship with us. It may include:

Identity and contact information

• name, title and date of birth;

• home, business or correspondence address;

• email address and telephone number;

• signature and communication preferences; and

• identity documents and identity-verification information.

Business and professional information

• business name, trading name and company number;

• job title, role and employer;

• business activities and ownership information;

• director, partner, shareholder or person-with-significant-control details; and

• information about professional advisers and authorised representatives.

Financial, accounting and tax information

• bank account and payment information;

• invoices, receipts, expenses and transaction records;

• bookkeeping ledgers and financial reports;

• Unique Taxpayer Reference, National Insurance number and tax codes;

• VAT, PAYE, Corporation Tax and Companies House information;

• pension, benefits and statutory-payment information;

• Construction Industry Scheme information, where relevant; and

• information needed to prepare accounts, payroll, VAT returns, Self Assessment returns or other financial records.

Payroll and employment information

• employee or worker contact and identification details;

• pay, working hours, deductions and benefits;

• bank details for payment purposes;

• tax codes and National Insurance information;

• pension-enrolment information;

• statutory leave, absence and payment information; and

• other information supplied by a client for payroll or bookkeeping services.

Anti-money laundering and compliance information

• identity and address-verification documents;

• source-of-funds or source-of-wealth information where required;

• beneficial ownership and control information;

• risk-assessment records; and

• information required for sanctions, fraud-prevention or regulatory checks.

Website and technical information

• IP address, browser type and device information;

• website usage, page views and referral information;

• cookie identifiers and consent preferences;

• information submitted through website forms; and

• security, access and system logs.

Communications and service information

• emails, letters, messages and telephone notes;

• meeting records and client instructions;

• quotations, engagement letters and contracts;

• complaints, feedback and survey responses; and

• marketing preferences.

4. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data:

• directly from you when you contact us, complete a form, request a quotation, become a client, provide records or communicate with us;

• from a client that engages us to provide bookkeeping, payroll or related services;

• from your employer, business partner, authorised representative, accountant, tax adviser, solicitor or other professional adviser;

• from HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House, pension providers and other public or regulatory bodies where authorised or permitted;

• from banks, payment providers, accounting platforms, payroll systems and other services you or our client authorise us to access;

• from publicly available sources and official registers; and

• automatically through our website, cookies and similar technologies.

If you provide personal data about another person, you must ensure that you are authorised to do so and that the individual has received any required privacy information.

5. Why We Use Personal Data and Our Lawful Bases

UK data protection law requires us to identify a lawful basis for each purpose for which we use personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following:

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the use of the information is necessary and proportionate and balance our interests against the individual’s rights and reasonable expectations.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

6. Special Category and Criminal-Offence Data

Some payroll, employment or compliance records may contain sensitive personal data, such as health information connected with statutory sick pay or absence, trade-union membership relevant to payroll deductions, or information concerning criminal offences.

We only use this information when it is necessary and when we have both:

• an appropriate lawful basis; and

• an additional condition required by UK data protection law.

This may include processing necessary for employment or social-security law, substantial public-interest reasons, the establishment or defence of legal claims, or explicit consent where consent is appropriate. Where we act as a processor, we use such information only on the relevant client’s documented instructions and subject to appropriate contractual safeguards.

7. Information You Are Required to Provide

Some personal data is required so that we can enter into or perform a contract, verify identity, satisfy anti-money laundering requirements, prepare accurate records or comply with tax and regulatory obligations.

If required information is not provided, we may be unable to accept an engagement, continue providing a service, complete a filing or comply with a client instruction. We will explain where providing information is mandatory and the likely consequences of not providing it.

8. Marketing Communications

We may send information about our services where you have consented or where we have another lawful basis and electronic-marketing law permits it.

You can opt out at any time by:

• using the unsubscribe option in a marketing message; or

• contacting us at loredana@labooks.co.uk.

We will continue to send essential service, contractual, legal and administrative communications where necessary. Opting out of marketing does not stop those messages.

We do not sell personal data to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

9. Who We May Share Personal Data With

Where necessary and lawful, we may share personal data with:

• HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House and other government, tax or regulatory bodies;

• pension providers and payroll-related authorities;

• banks, payment processors and debt-recovery providers;

• accountants, tax advisers, auditors, solicitors, insurers and other professional advisers;

• bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, document-management and client-management software providers;

• cloud hosting, email, communications, IT support, cybersecurity, backup and data-storage providers;

• identity-verification, anti-money laundering, fraud-prevention and sanctions-screening providers;

• subcontractors or consultants who support our services and are subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations;

• courts, law-enforcement agencies or public authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law; and

• a buyer, seller or adviser in connection with a proposed sale, restructuring or transfer of all or part of our business.

We require service providers acting on our behalf to protect personal data, use it only for agreed purposes and comply with applicable data protection requirements.

10. International Data Transfers

Some service providers may store or access personal data outside the United Kingdom. When personal data is transferred internationally, we take steps required by UK data protection law to ensure an appropriate level of protection.

Depending on the destination and circumstances, these safeguards may include:

• transfer to a country covered by UK adequacy regulations;

• use of the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses;

• another legally recognised transfer mechanism; and

• additional technical, contractual or organisational protections where appropriate.

You may contact us for further information about the safeguards used for a relevant transfer.

11. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction.

Our safeguards are reviewed according to the nature and sensitivity of the information and may include access controls, password and authentication measures, encryption, secure backups, malware protection, supplier due diligence, confidentiality obligations and procedures for responding to suspected personal-data breaches.

Access to personal data is limited to people and service providers who need it for legitimate business purposes and who are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. Although we take reasonable measures to protect personal data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. How Long We Retain Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, anti-money laundering, regulatory, professional and contractual requirements and to establish or defend legal claims.

Our standard intended retention periods are:

We may keep information for a longer period if required by law, a regulator, a court order, an ongoing investigation or a legal claim. We may delete or securely anonymise information when it is no longer required.

Where we act as a processor, retention and deletion may be determined by the relevant client’s instructions and our service agreement.

13. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable exemptions, you may have the right to:

• be informed about how your personal data is used;

• request access to your personal data and receive a copy;

• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data;

• ask us to delete personal data;

• ask us to restrict the use of personal data;

• object to processing based on legitimate interests;

• object at any time to the use of personal data for direct marketing;

• receive certain personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and ask for it to be transferred where the right to data portability applies;

• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and

• raise a concern or complaint about how personal data is used.

These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every situation. For example, we may need to retain information to comply with a legal obligation or establish or defend a legal claim.

To exercise a right, contact loredana@labooks.co.uk. We may request reasonable evidence of identity and additional information needed to locate the relevant records. We will respond within the period required by law.

You will not normally have to pay a fee. We may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, where permitted by law.

If the information was supplied by one of our clients and we act only as a processor, we may refer the request to that client or ask you to contact them directly.

14. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate securely, remember preferences, understand website usage and, where enabled, support marketing.

Cookies may include:

• strictly necessary cookies, which are required for security and essential website functions;

• preference cookies, which remember selected settings;

• analytics cookies, which help us understand how visitors use the website; and

• marketing cookies, which may be used to measure campaigns or display relevant advertising.

We provide information about the cookies in use and, where legally required, ask for consent before placing non-essential cookies. Where optional cookies are used, you can accept, reject or manage them through the cookie controls displayed when you visit our website.

Your browser may also allow you to block or delete cookies. Blocking essential cookies may affect how the website functions.

Information about the available cookie categories, providers, purposes and durations is provided through the website’s cookie controls where applicable.

15. Automated Decision-Making

We do not currently use personal data to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

If this changes, we will update this policy and provide the information required by law, including meaningful information about the logic involved and the likely consequences.

16. Children’s Personal Data

Our website and services are intended for businesses and adults and are not directed at children.

We may process information relating to a person under 18 where a client provides it for a legitimate payroll, employment, accounting or legal purpose. In those circumstances, we process the information only as necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

17. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to websites, platforms or services operated by third parties. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. You should read the privacy information provided by the relevant third party before giving it personal data.

18. Changes to This Policy

We review this policy regularly and may update it to reflect changes to our services, systems, suppliers or legal obligations.

The latest version will be published on our website with the revised “last updated” date. If a change materially affects how we use personal data, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected individuals before the new use begins, where required.

19. Contact Us and Make a Complaint

Questions, requests or concerns about this policy or our use of personal data should be sent to:

LAbooks Limited
Address: 167–169 Great Portland Street, London, England, W1W 5PF
Email: loredana@labooks.co.uk
Telephone: 07951 159 585

Please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to address your concern.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

You may also have the right to seek a remedy through the courts.