Data retention
How long we keep your data, and exactly why.
- 7-year tax records (IRS)
- GDPR & CCPA rights
- Export anytime
- Delete on request
Last updated: October 9, 2026 · Effective: Jan 1, 2026
Our guiding principles
Before the specifics what we believe about your data.
Minimize collection
We collect only what's necessary to run Tabby and meet legal requirements — nothing speculative.
Retain only what's needed
Once a retention period expires, data is securely and permanently deleted — not kept "just in case."
Protected while we hold it
Everything retained stays encrypted and covered by our full security infrastructure — see our Security page.
Your control, always
You can access, export, correct, and delete your data at any time, subject to what the law requires us to keep.
The specifics
Retention periods by data type
| Data type | Retention period | Why |
|---|---|---|
Account & identity | ||
| Name, email, business info, profile | Life of account | Needed for notifications, billing, and support. |
| Account data after deletion | 90 days | Ensures backups are complete and pending disputes are handled. |
Financial & transaction data | ||
| Bank transactions, categorization | 7 years min. | IRS record-keeping requirement for tax filings. |
| Expense reports & receipts | 7 years min. | Required for audit and deduction support. |
| Invoices & payment records | 7 years min. | Business documentation and tax compliance. |
| Financial reports & summaries | 7 years min. | May be needed to support an IRS inquiry or return. |
Communications & support | ||
| Support emails & chat | 3–5 years | Resolving disputes and training our support team. |
| Support tickets | 5 years | Historical resolution reference. |
| Feedback & surveys | 2 years | Product improvement; deleted sooner on request. |
Usage & analytics | ||
| Login history | 90 days | Spotting unauthorized account access. |
| Feature usage & analytics | 2–3 years | Improving the product experience. |
| AI training data | Indefinite, anonymized | Improves categorization accuracy; never linked back to you. |
| Error & crash logs | 30 days | Diagnosing and fixing bugs quickly. |
Authentication & security | ||
| Hashed passwords | Account life + 90 days | Authentication; never stored as plain text. |
| MFA / 2FA seeds | Account life + 30 days | Two-factor login verification. |
| Session data | 24 hours | Keeping you securely signed in. |
| Access event logs | 1 year | Detecting suspicious activity. |
Marketing preferences | ||
| Email & SMS preferences | Until you opt out | Respecting your communication choices. |
| Marketing email activity | 2 years | CAN-SPAM Act compliance. |
| Referral data | 1 year | Commission tracking and attribution. |
Backups & disaster recovery | ||
| Daily / weekly / monthly backups | 30 days – 1 year rolling | Recovery from corruption, failure, or disaster. |
| Deleted data inside backups | 90 days | Grace period to restore accidental deletions. |
Third-party integrations | ||
| Plaid connection tokens | Account life + 30 days | Maintains your live bank connection. |
| Stripe payment data | 7 years | Payment reconciliation compliance. |
| OAuth tokens (connected apps) | Until revoked | Keeps third-party integrations working. |
Why 7 years for financial records? The IRS can audit a return up to 3 years after filing (6 if it suspects underreporting income by 25%+). Most accountants recommend 7 years to be safe, and some states — California among them — require up to 8. We follow the longest applicable rule, and retain financial records even after account deletion so you're covered in an audit.
When you leave
What happens when you delete your account
Immediate — within hours
Your account is deactivated, access is removed, your data leaves our active systems, and your subscription is canceled (with a prorated refund if applicable).
Short-term — within 30 days
Account data is cleared from backups, your email is removed from marketing systems, and any invited users lose access.
Long-term — up to 7 years
Financial records are retained for tax compliance; other categories follow the schedule above.
To delete your account
Want it deleted faster?
You can request accelerated deletion for anything not legally required to be retained: marketing data is removed immediately on opt-out, usage logs within 30 days, and support records within 60 days. We can’t accelerate deletion of financial records (7-year requirement) or data tied to an open dispute or legal hold. Email support@usetabby.com with “Accelerated Data Deletion Request” in the subject line.
Your data rights
What you can do, and how
Right to access
Download your data anytime from Settings → Export Data, or email privacy@usetabby.com for a full report.
Timeline: within 30 days
Right to correct
Update account info or transaction categorizations directly in your dashboard, or ask our team to fix it for you.
Timeline: immediate to 30 days
Right to delete
Delete your account from Settings, or request targeted deletion of specific data types via email — except what the law requires us to keep.
Timeline: within 30 days
Right to portability
Export your data in CSV, PDF, or Excel from Settings, or request a full export including financial records.
Timeline: within 30 days
Right to opt out of marketing
Click "Unsubscribe" in any email, text STOP, or update your preferences in Settings.
Timeline: immediate
Right to restrict processing
Toggle off analytics, AI training, or marketing under Settings → Privacy, or specify restrictions by email.
Timeline: within 30 days
Legal holds & litigation
How we destroy data
Once deleted, it's gone. The one exception: data still inside our backups can be restored for up to 90 days after deletion. After that window, it's permanently and irreversibly removed — even from us.