Privacy Policy

Scope of this policy

This policy describes how Evening Star Bookkeeping Service Inc (“Evening Star,” “ESBS,” “we”) handles information collected through this website, including contact forms, the website chatbot and the online scheduling link.

It applies to this website only. Information you provide to us as a client during an engagement — tax documents, accounting records, payroll data — is governed by our professional obligations and the terms of that engagement, not by this website policy.

Information you submit through website forms

When you use a contact or inquiry form on this site, we receive the information you choose to enter — typically your name, email address, phone number and a description of what you need. We use it to respond to your inquiry, to evaluate whether we are the right fit for the work, and to follow up about services you asked about.

Please do not submit Social Security numbers, account numbers, copies of tax documents or other sensitive identifiers through a website form. If we need those materials, we will direct you to a secure channel.

Chatbot conversations and message storage

This site offers an AI assistant that answers general questions about our services. Conversations with the assistant are stored so the thread remains available while you browse and so we can review and improve the assistant’s answers.

What that means in practice:

• Messages you type, and the assistant’s replies, are saved in our website database.
• A random identifier is stored in your browser so your conversation can be reconnected on return visits. It is not tied to your identity unless you type identifying details into the chat.
• Message content is sent to an AI model provider in order to generate a reply.
• The assistant provides general information only. It does not give individualized tax, accounting or legal advice, and it is not a secure channel.

Do not enter Social Security numbers, bank or brokerage account numbers, login credentials, or documents into the chat. If a question requires your actual figures, the assistant will point you toward contacting us directly.

Cookies, local storage and analytics

This site uses browser storage for functional purposes — for example, keeping your chat session connected between page views. We may also use standard web analytics to understand which pages are visited and how visitors arrive, in aggregate.

Analytics information is used to improve the site’s content and structure. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies and clear local storage; parts of the site, including the chat assistant, may not work as intended if you do.

Appointment scheduling

Our “Book a time” page uses Microsoft Bookings to schedule appointments. When you book, the information you enter — such as your name, email, phone number and the reason for the meeting — is collected and processed by Microsoft on our behalf and delivered to our calendar so we can confirm and hold the appointment.

Microsoft’s handling of that information is governed by Microsoft’s own privacy terms in addition to ours.

Third-party service providers

We rely on a small number of established service providers to operate this website. Depending on how you interact with the site, these may include:

• Website hosting and database services that store form submissions and chat messages.
• An AI model provider that generates chat assistant responses.
• Microsoft Bookings for appointment scheduling.
• Email and communications services used to reply to you.
• Web analytics used to measure site usage.

These providers process information to deliver their service to us. We do not sell information collected through this website, and we do not share it for unrelated marketing purposes.

How we protect information

This website is served over encrypted connections, and access to the systems behind it is restricted to people who need it. Client documents are exchanged through a secure client portal rather than email attachments or website forms.

No website or transmission method is completely secure. We take reasonable measures appropriate to the information involved, but we cannot guarantee absolute security for anything sent over the internet.

Tax documents and client records

Tax returns, source documents and accounting records are not collected through this website. They are handled inside our client systems under the professional confidentiality standards that apply to tax and accounting practitioners, including the federal rules governing disclosure of tax return information.

Nothing you submit through a public website form or the chat assistant should be treated as delivery of tax documents to us, and no engagement or professional relationship begins until it is confirmed in writing.

Links to other sites

Our pages link to outside resources — for example, IRS and New York State publications, our scheduling page and our client portal. Once you follow a link away from this site, the destination’s own privacy practices apply. We are not responsible for the content or data handling of sites we do not operate.

How long information is kept

We keep website inquiries and chat conversations for as long as they are useful for responding to you, maintaining our records of the request, and improving the site — and longer where a professional, contractual or legal obligation requires it. When information is no longer needed for those purposes, it is deleted or archived.

If you want a specific website inquiry or chat conversation removed, contact us and we will address the request.

Your choices and how to reach us

You can ask us what website information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete a website inquiry or chat conversation. You can also ask to stop receiving follow-up messages from us at any time.

Requests relating to client records held under an active engagement are handled through your engagement contact rather than this page.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our website, tools or service providers change. The current version is always the one posted on this page.

Contact us

Questions about this policy, or a request about information you submitted here? Reach us at: