Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated 2 July 2026

Sample template — not legal advice

This document is an illustrative template provided for demonstration purposes only. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer, and it must be checked and adapted with qualified legal counsel before you rely on it in production. Nothing here is binding or a substitute for professional legal advice.

This Privacy Policy explains how SettleMe Ltd. (“SettleMe”, “we”, “us”) collects, uses and safeguards personal data when you visit our website, create an account, or use our invoicing service. We take the privacy of studios and freelancers seriously and handle your information in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

SettleMe is an invoicing tool for studios and independents, operated by SettleMe Ltd., a company registered in England and Wales. For the personal data described here, we act as the data controller when you use SettleMe as a customer. When you send invoices to your own clients, you are the controller of that client data and we process it on your behalf as your processor.

Information we collect

We collect the following categories of information:

Account data — your name, email address, authentication identifier, and any profile details you choose to add.
Workspace data — your organisation name, branding, team members, roles and settings.
Invoice & client data — the invoices, quotes, line items and the customer contact details you enter in order to bill your own clients.
Payment data — billing details for your SettleMe subscription. Card payments are handled by Stripe; we do not store full card numbers on our servers.
Usage & device data — log data, IP address, browser type and product interactions, collected to keep the service secure and reliable.
Anonymous invoice tool — if you use our no-login invoice creator, we store your draft against a device cookie (not your identity) until you sign in or it expires. Only if you opt in, we also store a hashed device signal — never the raw details, never personal data — solely to enforce a fair-use limit of one free invoice per month. We record first-party funnel events (keyed to that same anonymous cookie id, with no personal data) to understand and improve the sign-up flow. Drafts and events are deleted on a retention schedule; if you sign in, your draft becomes a normal invoice in your workspace.
Communications — messages you send to our support team and your contact preferences.

How we use your information

To provide, maintain and improve the SettleMe service.
To create and administer your account and workspace.
To process subscription payments and send billing receipts.
To send service messages and, where permitted, product updates you can opt out of.
To provide support and respond to your requests.
To monitor, secure and troubleshoot the service and prevent abuse.
To comply with our legal, accounting and regulatory obligations.

Legal bases for processing

Under the UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases:

Contract — to deliver the service you signed up for and to manage billing.
Legitimate interests — to secure, improve and promote our service, in a way that is balanced against your rights and freedoms.
Consent — for optional cookies and certain marketing, which you can withdraw at any time.
Legal obligation — to meet accounting, tax and other statutory requirements.

Sharing and subprocessors

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with trusted service providers who help us operate SettleMe, under contracts that require them to protect it. Our key subprocessors are:

Stripe — payment processing for subscriptions and client-portal payments.
Resend — delivery of transactional and notification emails.
Our cloud hosting provider — secure hosting of the application and database.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to enforce our agreements, or in connection with a corporate transaction such as a merger or acquisition.

International data transfers

Some of our providers process data outside the United Kingdom. Where we transfer personal data abroad, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

Data retention

We keep personal data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service. After you close your account, we retain limited records for a reasonable period to meet legal, tax and accounting obligations, after which the data is deleted or anonymised.

Security

We use technical and organisational measures — including encryption in transit, encryption at rest, access controls and tenant isolation — to protect your data. No system can be perfectly secure, but we work continuously to safeguard the information you entrust to us.

Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a portable copy of your personal data, and to restrict or object to certain processing. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Cookies

We use a small number of cookies to keep you signed in and to remember your preferences. For the full details, see our Cookie Policy.

Children’s privacy

SettleMe is a business tool that is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with data, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will revise the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Email our privacy team at privacy@settleme.com, or write to SettleMe Ltd., Manchester, United Kingdom.