Privacy Policy

Who we are

Budgeto is operated by Mitchell Martinez (ABN 40 927 243 914), based in Redfern, New South Wales, Australia. In this policy, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to that operator, and “you” refers to the person using Budgeto. We are the entity responsible for the personal information handled through the Budgeto website and mobile apps.

Information we collect

We only collect personal information that we reasonably need to run Budgeto. This includes:

• Account details: your email address and, if you choose to provide it, a preferred name. Your email is stored in encrypted form and is only used for sign-in, account security, and the communications described below.
• Authentication data: a securely stored, non-readable version of your password (we never store your password in plain text) and, if you enable multi-factor authentication, the settings needed to verify your sign-ins.
• Budget and financial data you enter: budget cycles, income, expenses, savings, recurring transactions, and any descriptions or entry names you add. Entry names and other free-text you provide are encrypted at rest.
• Preferences and settings: things like your currency, number and date formatting, dashboard layout, AI-assistance preference (select users only), and whether you opt in to the weekly digest email or push notifications.
• Technical and session data: information needed to keep your account secure, such as session records and limited device/network information used for security, abuse-prevention, and rate limiting.
• Messages you send us: the content of any feedback, support requests, or contact-form submissions, together with your email address where you choose to include it so we can reply.

You can also try Budgeto in demo mode without creating an account. In demo mode your data is stored only on your own device (in your browser’s local storage) and is not sent to or stored on our servers.

How we use your information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide the core Budgeto service: creating your account, saving your budget data, and syncing it across your devices.
• To keep your account and data secure, including verifying sign-ins, detecting and preventing fraud or abuse, and enforcing rate limits.
• To send essential service communications such as email verification, password resets, and security notices.
• To send optional communications you have opted in to, such as the weekly digest or push notifications. You can turn these off at any time in your settings.
• To respond to your feedback, support requests, and enquiries.
• To understand and improve how Budgeto works, and to develop new features.
• To meet our legal, regulatory, and record-keeping obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your budget or financial data for advertising.

How we protect your data

We take the security of your information seriously and apply measures appropriate to the sensitivity of financial data.

Your password is never stored in plain text. Your personal and financial information — including your email address, the names and amounts on your budget entries, your recurring transactions, and your saved history — is encrypted at rest. All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted in transit using TLS and HTTPS.

We use multi-factor authentication (where you enable it), session management, abuse-prevention, and rate limiting to help keep your account secure. While no method of transmission or storage is ever completely secure, we work to protect your information and to continually improve our safeguards.

What we do matters as much as what we don't do. Budgeto is built to collect as little as possible, and we don't require sensitive details such as your date of birth, government-issued identification, residential address, or employment and payslip information to use the app. If you choose to send us information we haven't asked for, we will handle it in accordance with this policy.

If and when we introduce paid features, some billing information may be handled by third-party payment providers (such as Stripe, Apple, or Google). Any data you provide to them will be handled in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Who we share information with

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only disclose it in limited circumstances, including to trusted third-party service providers who help us operate Budgeto (for example, hosting, database, email delivery, and error-monitoring providers), and only to the extent necessary for them to provide their services to us. Where you use optional AI features, relevant budget information may be processed by an AI provider to generate the response you request.

We may also disclose personal information where required or authorised by law, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our users, the public, or Budgeto.

Overseas disclosure

Your Budgeto account data is stored on servers hosted in Sydney, Australia.

A limited number of our service providers (for example, the optional AI-assistance feature, the Google Play and Apple stores, and our billing partner Stripe) may process some data outside Australia. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles and is subject to appropriate protections. We aim to minimise the personal information we send overseas or to any AI provider, sharing only what is needed to provide the feature you have requested.

How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide Budgeto to you. If you delete your account, we will delete or de-identify the personal information associated with it, except where we are required to retain certain information to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

If you choose to delete your account or ask us to remove your personal data from our systems, you acknowledge that we will action this to the best of our ability. Some data may be hosted in backups or cached versions of our systems for a limited period. You acknowledge that your data will be removed from production-active systems but will not be automatically removed from all backups of Budgeto systems.

Your rights and choices

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete.
• Delete your account and the personal information associated with it.
• Withdraw consent to optional communications at any time.
• Make a complaint if you believe we have mishandled your personal information.

You can manage much of your information directly in the app, including your preferred name, notification preferences, and account deletion. To make any other request, contact us using the details below. We will respond within a reasonable period and in accordance with the Privacy Act.

Data breaches

If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988.

Children’s privacy

Budgeto is not directed at children and is intended for use by individuals aged 16 and over. We do not intend to collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that a child under 16 has provided personal information, we will take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify that information (unless we are required to retain it by law) and restrict or close the associated account where appropriate. If you are a parent or guardian and believe this has occurred, please contact us so we can investigate and act promptly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app or by email. Your continued use of Budgeto after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact us

If you have questions about this policy, want to exercise your privacy rights, or wish to make a complaint, contact us at [email protected].

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

You can also read more about how Budgeto works on our About page or get in touch via our Contact page.