Privacy Policy | Purpose Budget

Purpose Budget LLC ("Purpose Budget," "we," "us," or "our") operates the website at purposebudget.com and the Purpose Budget mobile application (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our Service.

Certain features require us to process personal information to provide the Service. If you do not want us to collect or use information as described in this policy, you should not use the Service or should disable optional features and tracking choices where available.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

•Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name and email address through our authentication provider, Clerk.
•Financial Data You Enter: Budget categories, transaction details (payee, amount, date, memo), account names and balances, recurring transaction templates, and category group structures that you manually create within the Service.
•Payment Information: When you subscribe to a paid plan, payment details (credit card number, billing address) are collected and processed directly by Stripe. We do not store your full payment card details on our servers.
•Communications: If you contact us via email, we retain the content of your messages and your email address.

1.2 Information from Third-Party Services

•Bank Account Data (via Plaid): If you choose to connect your bank accounts, we use Plaid Inc. to retrieve your account balances, transaction history, and account metadata (institution name, account type, last four digits of account number). We do not receive or store your bank login credentials — those are handled entirely by Plaid. You can review Plaid's privacy practices at plaid.com/legal.
•Authentication Data (via Clerk): We use Clerk for authentication. If you sign in with a social provider (e.g., Google), Clerk may share your name and email with us. Clerk manages session tokens and authentication state.

1.3 Information Collected Automatically

•Usage Analytics: We use PostHog to collect usage data linked to your account (such as pages visited, features used, and session duration) to improve the Service. Your user ID, email, and subscription status are associated with analytics events. We mask all form inputs and sensitive financial data (amounts, balances) in session recordings. Where consent is required, optional analytics are controlled through your cookie preferences.
•Error and Performance Data: We use Sentry to collect error reports and performance metrics. Authorization tokens, passwords, and API keys are stripped before transmission. Sentry may receive aggregate financial metrics (such as transaction counts and budget summary values) for performance monitoring, but not individual transaction details or bank credentials.
•Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies for authentication, consent management, analytics, and preference storage. See our Cookie Policy for details.
•Device and Browser Information: Browser type, operating system, IP address, and general location data derived from your IP address.
•Consent Preferences: We use Termly to manage cookie and tracking choices. Termly may process an anonymous browser identifier, consent categories, cookie preferences, IP-derived general location, and browser or device data needed to operate the consent banner and preference center.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

•Provide, operate, and maintain the Service (budgeting, transaction tracking, account syncing)
•Process payments and manage your subscription through Stripe
•Sync your bank account data through Plaid at your request
•Send transactional emails (account confirmations, subscription updates, group invitations) through Postmark
•Detect and fix errors, monitor performance, and improve the Service
•Analyze usage patterns to improve features and user experience
•Manage cookie consent, analytics preferences, and advertising measurement choices
•Respond to your support requests and communications
•Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share data with service providers that help us provide, secure, support, analyze, and market the Service. Some analytics or advertising tools may be considered a "sharing" of personal information under certain state privacy laws; where applicable, you can control these tools through our consent and opt-out choices.

Provider	Purpose	Data Shared
Clerk	Authentication	Name, email, session data
Stripe	Payment processing	Email, subscription and billing data
Plaid	Bank account connectivity	Connection tokens (not your bank credentials)
Postmark	Transactional email	Email address, message content
PostHog	Product analytics	Account-linked usage events, masked session recordings
Termly	Consent management	Consent choices, anonymous browser identifier, general location and device data
Sentry	Error monitoring	Error reports, aggregate performance metrics (credentials stripped)
Google Ads	Conversion measurement and ad campaign effectiveness	Ad click and conversion data, browser and device data
Render	Hosting infrastructure	Application data (encrypted at rest and in transit)

We may also disclose your information if required by law, legal process, or government request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Purpose Budget, our users, or the public.

4. Collaborative Spaces

Purpose Budget allows you to create shared "Spaces" and invite other users to collaborate on a budget. When you share a Space, invited members can see the financial data within that Space (accounts, transactions, budgets, categories) based on their assigned role (owner, editor, or viewer). Your email address is visible to other members of Spaces you belong to.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Service. If you delete your account, we permanently delete all associated data (transactions, accounts, budgets, preferences, and Plaid connection tokens) from our active database. Some data may persist in encrypted backups for a limited period consistent with our backup retention schedule before being overwritten or deleted. Third-party service providers (such as Stripe, Clerk, Plaid, and Postmark) may independently retain certain records in accordance with their own retention policies and legal obligations. We may also retain records as required by law (e.g., billing records for tax purposes). We also retain anonymized, aggregated data that cannot be used to identify you.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, including:

•Encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest for all data
•Role-based access controls and tenant isolation (all data is scoped to your Space)
•No storage of bank login credentials (handled entirely by Plaid)
•Automatic stripping of sensitive data (tokens, passwords, API keys) from error reports
•Rate limiting on API endpoints to prevent abuse

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights and Choices

All Users

•Access and Export: You can export all of your data (transactions, accounts, budgets) in JSON, CSV, or QIF format from Settings > Data & Privacy.
•Deletion: You can delete your account and all associated data at any time from your settings or by emailing support@purposebudget.com. See our Account Deletion page for details.
•Cookie and Analytics Choices: You can change cookie, analytics, and advertising preferences at any time through the "Manage Cookies" link in the site or dashboard footer.
•Bank Disconnection: You can disconnect linked bank accounts at any time from your account settings, which revokes the Plaid access token.
•Email Unsubscribe: Marketing and promotional emails include an unsubscribe link. Transactional emails (password resets, billing receipts) cannot be opted out of while your account is active.

European Economic Area (EEA) Residents

If you are in the EEA, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, data portability, and object to processing. Our lawful bases for processing are: performance of a contract (providing the Service), legitimate interests (improving the Service, preventing fraud), and consent where required for analytics, advertising, and similar technologies. To exercise these rights, contact us at support@purposebudget.com.

U.S. State Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, including California under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), you may have the right to know what personal information we collect, request access or deletion, correct inaccurate information, opt out of certain sharing or targeted advertising, and avoid discrimination for exercising your rights. We do not sell personal information. To the extent our advertising or analytics tools are considered a "sharing" of personal information under applicable law, you can opt out through our cookie and consent tools or by contacting us at support@purposebudget.com.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@purposebudget.com and we will promptly delete it. Users between 13 and 18 should use the Service only with parental or guardian consent.

9. International Data Transfers

Purpose Budget is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards with our service providers for international transfers.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, by sending you an email notification. The revised policy applies when it becomes effective.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: support@purposebudget.com
Mail: Purpose Budget LLC, 5900 Balcones Drive Ste 100, Austin, TX 78731