BudgetClan is a family finance app. We take privacy seriously, especially because children use our platform. This policy explains exactly what data we collect and how we use it. We never sell your data.
1. Who We Are
BudgetClan ("we," "our," or "us") is the developer and operator of the BudgetClan mobile application and website at budgetclan.site. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at itsbudgetclan@gmail.com.
2.1 Information You Provide
- Account Data: Name, email address, and Google account details (for parents and partners who sign in via Google OAuth).
- Child Profile Data: First name, 4-digit PIN, and age (provided by the parent when creating a child profile). We do not collect a child's email address.
- Financial Data: Transaction records, budget allocations, savings goals, and chore reward amounts within your family Clan.
- Chore Verification Photos: Images submitted by children for AI-based chore verification. These are processed and not permanently stored after verification.
- Chat Messages: Family chat messages are end-to-end encrypted using AES-256 + RSA. We cannot read the content of your messages.
- Waitlist Signups: Name and email address submitted via our website waitlist form.
- Support Messages: Name, email, and message content submitted via our contact form.
2.2 Automatically Collected Information
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, and app version.
- Usage Data: Feature usage patterns, session duration, and crash reports (via Sentry).
- IP Address: Collected for rate limiting and fraud prevention on our website API endpoints.
- Push Notification Tokens: For delivering family alerts and reminders.
- To create and manage your family Clan and user accounts.
- To process financial transactions and chore assignments within the app.
- To verify chore completion using the Google Gemini AI API.
- To send in-app and push notifications about family activity.
- To send waitlist confirmation emails and product launch announcements.
- To respond to support requests and contact form submissions.
- To detect fraud, prevent abuse, and enforce our Terms of Service.
- To improve the app through anonymised analytics and crash reports.
- To comply with legal obligations.
We do not use your data for targeted advertising, and we do not sell or rent your personal information to any third party.
4. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
BudgetClan complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and similar international regulations governing children's data.
- No direct collection from children: Child accounts are created exclusively by a verified parent. Children do not register themselves, provide email addresses, or enter financial information independently.
- Parental consent: By creating a child profile, the parent provides verifiable parental consent for the limited data collected about their child (name and PIN).
- Minimal data: We collect only a child's first name and a 4-digit PIN — the minimum necessary to operate the child's session.
- No third-party advertising to children: Children on the Free tier may see non-targeted ads served by Google Mobile Ads. We do not permit personalised advertising directed at children.
- Parental deletion rights: A parent may delete any child's profile and all associated data at any time from within the app's Settings screen.
- If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child without proper parental consent, contact us immediately at itsbudgetclan@gmail.com and we will delete it promptly.
5. Data Sharing & Third Parties
We share data only with the following service providers, under strict data processing agreements:
- Firebase / Google Cloud (Firestore, Realtime Database, Firebase Auth): Core backend and authentication infrastructure. Privacy Policy
- Google Sign-In (OAuth 2.0): Used for parent and partner authentication. We receive only your name, email, and Google profile ID.
- Google Gemini API: Used to process chore verification photos. Images are sent to Google's API for analysis and are not stored by us after processing. Terms
- RevenueCat: Used to manage in-app subscription billing on iOS and Android. We do not store raw payment card data. Privacy Policy
- Google Mobile Ads: Non-personalised ads shown to Free tier users only. Children's data is not used for ad personalisation. Privacy Policy
- Sentry: Used for crash reporting and error monitoring. No personally identifiable information is sent in crash reports.
- Expo / React Native: App framework. No personal data is shared with Expo beyond standard app delivery.
We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of BudgetClan users.
6. Data Retention
- Active accounts: Data is retained for the duration of your account's existence.
- Deleted accounts: Upon account deletion, your personal data and your family's data (including all child profiles, transactions, and chat messages) are permanently deleted within 30 days.
- Chore photos: Deleted immediately after AI verification is complete.
- Waitlist data: Retained until the app launches and you activate an account, or until you request removal.
- Support messages: Retained for up to 2 years for support continuity, then deleted.
- Anonymised analytics: May be retained indefinitely as they cannot be linked to any individual.
7. Security
- Family chat messages are end-to-end encrypted using AES-256 + RSA encryption. We cannot read them.
- All data is stored in Firebase Firestore with strict security rules — users can only access data belonging to their own family Clan.
- Our website API uses rate limiting, Helmet.js security headers, input validation, and CORS restrictions to protect against abuse.
- All data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS.
- Firebase Auth tokens are validated server-side for every sensitive operation.
No system is 100% secure. If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly to itsbudgetclan@gmail.com.
8. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
- Deletion: Request deletion of your account and all associated data. Parents can delete child profiles directly in the app. Full account deletion is available in App Settings → Delete Account.
- Data Export: Request a machine-readable export of your data via App Settings → Export My Data.
- Opt-out of analytics: Toggle anonymous analytics sharing off in App Settings → Privacy.
- Notification opt-out: Disable push notifications at any time in your device settings or App Settings.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at itsbudgetclan@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.
9. Cookies & Tracking
Our website (budgetclan.site) does not use third-party tracking cookies or analytics pixels. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or similar tools on our website.
The mobile app does not use cookies. Firebase and RevenueCat may use device identifiers for their standard operations as described in their respective privacy policies.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify users via in-app notification or email. Continued use of BudgetClan after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data: