Cookie Policy

AusTax AI (ABN 71 924 049 898) uses cookies and similar technologies (e.g. localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB) to operate austaxai.com.au and our iOS / Android applications. This policy explains what these technologies do, which ones we use, and how to control them. This policy supplements our Privacy Policy. For broader information on how we handle personal information, see /privacy.

A "cookie" is a small text file that a website saves on your device. Similar technologies include browser localStorage / sessionStorage and IndexedDB (used by our offline receipt queue). We refer to all of these collectively as "cookies" in this policy. Cookies allow a site to remember information about your visit, such as whether you're signed in, what language you prefer, or whether you've accepted the AI consent prompt.

We use four broad categories: • Strictly necessary — required for the service to function (authentication, security, core app state). These cannot be turned off without breaking the service. • Functional — remember your preferences (language, theme, dismissed banners). • Analytics — measure usage patterns in aggregate to help us improve the service. • Error monitoring — capture technical errors so we can fix them. We do NOT use cookies for advertising or cross-site tracking. We do not sell cookie data.

Strictly necessary (cannot be disabled while using the service): • __session, __clerk_db_jwt, __clerk_* — set by Clerk Inc. (USA), maintains your sign-in session. TTL up to 7 days. • native_session_jwt (iOS / Android app only) — our self-signed Sign in with Apple session token, stored in iOS Keychain or Android secure storage. TTL 30 days. Functional (used only after you authenticate or choose a setting): • locale preference — stored in our database (users.locale), not in a cookie. Persists across sessions while you have an account. • offline-receipt-queue (IndexedDB) — temporarily stores receipts uploaded while offline so they can sync when connectivity returns. Analytics (set only if your browser allows third-party cookies and respects our usage): • _ga, _gid, _gat_<id> — set by Google Analytics 4 (USA). Aggregated page-view and event measurement. _ga TTL up to 2 years, _gid 24 hours, _gat_ 1 minute. We have configured GA4 with IP anonymisation enabled. The calculator may send numeric event payloads (income, refund estimate) to GA4; see Privacy Policy §6. • Vercel Analytics — primarily uses request-based logging, not durable cookies. Captures Web Vitals and page-load metrics (non-identifying). Error monitoring: • Sentry — uses request-based error reporting, not durable cookies for normal operation. PII scrubbing is configured server-side; see Privacy Policy §9. Cloudflare: • __cf_bm, cf_clearance — set by Cloudflare for bot mitigation and DDoS protection. TTL 30 minutes (cf_bm), 30 days (cf_clearance).

Browser-level controls: • Most browsers let you block or delete cookies via Settings → Privacy. Be aware that blocking strictly-necessary cookies will sign you out and may break the app. • Browser "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals — we acknowledge DNT in our analytics setup but cannot guarantee third-party services honour it. Service-level controls: • Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout • You can request full data deletion (including all cookie-derived telemetry tied to your account) via Settings → Account → Delete Account. See Privacy Policy §8. iOS / Android app: • Use system settings to manage app-level tracking permissions.

Some cookies are set by third parties operating under their own privacy and cookie policies: • Clerk Inc.: https://clerk.com/legal/privacy • Google (Analytics): https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies • Vercel: https://vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy • Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/cookie-policy/ • Sentry: https://sentry.io/privacy/ We require each third-party processor to handle data in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

We update this policy when our cookie practices change or when third-party services we use change theirs. Changes are signalled by the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Questions about this Cookie Policy? Privacy Officer AusTax AI ABN: 71 924 049 898 Email: info@austaxai.com.au