Last updated: 18 July 2025
1. Introduction
Vatchecker.co.uk ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our VAT checking service.
Vatchecker.co.uk ("we", "us", "our") is operated by Pricing Logic Limited, a company registered in England & Wales (Company No 16278309). We are the data controller for personal data processed through this website.
2. Information We Collect
| Data Type | Purpose | Retention | Lawful Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAT Numbers | VAT verification | 24 hours (cache) | Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)) |
| Domain Names | VAT lookup | 24 hours (cache) | |
| Company Names | Business search | 24 hours (cache) | |
| IP Address | Security & fraud prevention | 30 days (logs) | |
| Technical Data | Service optimization | Aggregated indefinitely |
Lawful basis: We rely on Legitimate Interests (UK GDPR Art 6(1)(f)) to process business-profile data for fraud-prevention and invoice-validation purposes. Users can object to this processing by emailing hello@pricinglogic.com.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information to:
- Provide and maintain our VAT checking service
- Process your VAT verification requests
- Improve and optimize our service
- Monitor for fraudulent or illegal activity
- Comply with legal obligations
4. Data Storage and Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
5. Data Retention
We retain VAT lookup data temporarily for caching purposes to improve service performance. This cached data is automatically deleted after 24 hours. We do not permanently store the VAT numbers or company information you search for. Server-access logs are retained for 30 days for security; aggregated analytics are retained indefinitely.
6. Data Sharing
We share data only with:
- Hosting & CDN providers (UK/EU data centres) under DPA-compliant agreements;
- HMRC and Companies House when we make an API call on your behalf;
- Law-enforcement or regulators if legally required.
Companies House Disclaimer: Companies House data is supplied "as is". Companies House does not verify the accuracy of the information filed.
7. Security
All traffic is encrypted with TLS 1.2+; API keys are stored encrypted, rotated quarterly and never hard-coded.
8. Third-Party Services
Our service may use third-party APIs and services to verify VAT information. These services have their own privacy policies, and we recommend reviewing them. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties.
9. Cookies
We set only essential cookies that are strictly necessary for the service to function. No consent banner is required under PECR Regulation 6.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| __session | CSRF protection and load balancing | Session (expires on browser close) |
We set no analytics, advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. For more information about cookies, visit the ICO website.
10. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Object to processing of your data
- Request data portability
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@pricinglogic.com. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the ICO.
11. Attribution
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
12. Children's Privacy
Our service is not intended for use by children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us through our website.