Who this covers
This policy applies to the Groundwork website and services, operated by [legal entity name]. It covers visitors to our site and customers who place an order.
What we collect
| What | Examples | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are | Name, email address, phone number | To identify your order, send you updates, and reach you if the state needs something |
| Your business | Business name, street address, state, management structure, owner and organizer names | This is what goes on your formation documents — we cannot file without it |
| Your order | Package, add-ons, registered agent choice, tracking number, filing status and history | To fulfil what you bought and show you your progress |
| Payment | Confirmation that a payment succeeded, the amount, and a payment reference | To confirm your order. Our payment processor handles your card — we never see or store your full card number |
| Basic technical data | IP address and request logs generated by our hosting provider | Security, fraud prevention, and keeping the site running |
We ask a few optional questions in our order flow (such as your industry or whether you have run a business before). Those help us tailor guidance, and you can skip them.
How we use it
- To prepare and submit your formation documents to your state
- To apply for an EIN or prepare other documents you ordered
- To act as your registered agent and forward mail we receive for you
- To email you order confirmations, filing milestones, renewal reminders, and your tracking link
- To take payment and keep records of it
- To prevent fraud, abuse, and unlawful use of our service
- To meet our own legal and tax obligations
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing.
Your information becomes public when you file
When we submit your formation documents, the information in them becomes part of your state's public business record. Depending on your state, that typically includes your business name, principal address, registered agent name and address, and the names of members, managers, or organizers.
Anyone can search these records, and commercial data brokers routinely copy them. Once a filing is accepted, this cannot be undone — it is a permanent public record. Some states also require newspaper publication of your formation, which we will warn you about before filing.
If you act as your own registered agent, the address you list is the address that becomes public. If we act as your registered agent, our address appears instead of yours.
Who else sees your information
- Your state's filing office — the parts of your information that make up your filing. This is the point of the service.
- The IRS — where you ordered an EIN.
- Our payment processor (Stripe) — to take and confirm payment. Your card details go directly to them.
- Our email provider — to deliver order and status emails to you.
- Our hosting provider — which stores our site and database on our behalf.
- Professional advisors, or authorities — where we are legally required to disclose, or need to establish or defend a legal claim.
- A buyer — if our business is ever sold or merged, customer records may transfer as part of that, subject to this policy.
We share only what each of these needs to do its job, and we require our providers to protect it.
Cookies and tracking
We keep this simple. Our order flow saves your progress in your own browser's local storage so you can leave and come back without retyping everything — that data stays on your device and is cleared when your order is placed. We do not run advertising trackers or sell data to ad networks. Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs.
How long we keep it
We keep your filing records for as long as you are a customer and afterwards for as long as we need them to answer questions about a filing we made for you, to serve as your registered agent, and to meet tax and record-keeping obligations. Where you have asked us to delete your information and we are not required to keep it, we will.
Deleting your information with us does not remove your filing from your state's public record. Only your state controls that.
How we protect it
Your information is transmitted over encrypted connections and stored with our hosting provider under access controls. Our internal filing desk is protected by a private key. Card details never touch our systems. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take this seriously and we will tell you promptly if a breach affects your information.
Your rights
You can ask us to:
- Tell you what personal information we hold about you
- Correct information that is wrong
- Delete information we are not legally required to keep
- Stop sending you marketing email (order and filing status emails are part of the service you bought)
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights — for example, California residents have rights under the CCPA/CPRA, including the right to know, delete, correct, and not be discriminated against for exercising those rights. We do not sell or share personal information as those laws define it. Contact us using the details below and we will respond within the time your law allows.
Children
Groundwork is for adults forming businesses. Our services are not directed to anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top and post the new version here. If a change materially affects how we handle your information, we will make that clear.
How to reach us
Email: [support email]
Mailing address: [business mailing address]