Legal
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Missing Piece Tech LLC (“CheckMate,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects information in connection with the CheckMate payroll service, our website, and related applications (collectively, the “Service”). CheckMate is a product of Missing Piece Tech LLC.
By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
1. Who this Policy covers
The Service is used by two kinds of people: (a) employers — the businesses and business owners who set up a company, run payroll, and pay for the Service; and (b) employees and contractors — the workers who are paid through the Service and who access pay stubs and tax documents through the employee portal.
For most employee information, the employer is the party that decides why and how the information is processed (the “controller”), and CheckMate acts as a service provider (“processor”) that processes that information on the employer’s behalf to deliver the Service. This distinction is described further in Section 4.
2. Information we collect
Information you provide
- Account and business information: your name, email address, password, business name, business type, address, and Employer Identification Number (EIN).
- Employee and contractor information: names, contact information, home addresses, Social Security Numbers (SSNs), tax withholding elections (Form W-4 data), compensation, pay schedules, and employment classification.
- Financial and payment information: bank account details used to fund and receive payroll, collected and verified through our payment processor. We do not store full bank credentials on our own systems.
- Identity verification information: information you provide to satisfy “know your customer” (KYC) and identity-verification requirements, collected through our payment processor.
- Business verification documents: the IRS letter assigning your business its EIN, and one bank document naming your business as the holder of the account we debit. These are uploaded by the employer and reviewed by CheckMate staff before the business can run payroll. See “Identity and business verification” below.
- Communications: information you provide when you contact support or join our waitlist.
Information collected automatically
- Usage and device information: log data, IP address, browser type, pages viewed, and similar technical information generated when you use the Service.
- Error and diagnostic data: limited technical information captured when the Service encounters an error, used to diagnose and fix problems. We take steps to keep sensitive fields out of these logs.
We treat SSNs, EINs, and bank information as sensitive. SSNs and EINs are encrypted at rest, and we never intentionally log SSNs, raw payment tokens, or encryption keys.
3. How we use information
- To provide, operate, and maintain the Service, including calculating payroll and taxes.
- To facilitate direct deposits and collect payroll funds through our payment processor.
- To generate pay stubs and tax documents (such as W-2s, 1099-NECs, and Form 941).
- To verify identity and comply with legal, tax, and anti-fraud obligations.
- To send transactional messages, reminders, and important notices about your account.
- To provide customer support and respond to your requests.
- To secure the Service, prevent abuse, and diagnose technical problems.
- To improve the Service and develop new features.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
4. Employer and employee roles
When an employer uses the Service to run payroll, the employer directs what worker information is entered and how it is used for payroll purposes. In that context, the employer is the controller of that information and CheckMate processes it as a service provider under the employer’s instructions and our agreement with the employer.
If you are an employee or contractor and you want to access, correct, or delete information held about you, please contact your employer first. We will assist the employer in responding to those requests as required by law.
5. How we share information
We share information only as described here:
- Service providers (sub-processors). We use trusted third parties that process personal
information on our behalf to deliver the Service. These currently include:
- Stripe — payment processing, identity verification, bank linking, and payouts.
- Cloudflare — application hosting and encrypted document storage.
- Hetzner — infrastructure hosting for our database.
- Cadence — delivery of transactional email. Cadence is operated by Missing Piece Tech LLC on the same infrastructure as the rest of the Service, not by an outside company.
- Employers and their authorized users. Worker information is available to the employer that entered it and its authorized administrators.
- Legal and safety. We may disclose information to comply with law, regulation, legal process, or a governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of CheckMate, our users, or others.
- Business transfers. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.
6. Identity and business verification
Before a business can run its first payroll, we verify two things: that the person setting up the account is who they say they are, and that the bank account we will debit belongs to the business. This section explains what happens to the information collected for each.
Identity verification through Stripe
We use Stripe to verify your identity. Stripe collects name, email, phone number, address, facial images, identity document images, and ID numbers as well as advanced fraud signals and information about the devices that connect to its services. Stripe shares this information with us and also uses this information to operate and improve the services it provides, including for fraud detection. You may also choose to allow Stripe to use your data to improve Stripe’s biometric verification technology. You can learn more about Stripe and read its privacy policy at https://stripe.com/privacy.
We ask for this only from the business owner or administrator who sets up a company — never from employees or contractors who are paid through the Service. Of the information above, the only thing we keep on our own systems is the outcome: a flag recording that verification succeeded. We do not store your identity document images or the data extracted from them, and we do not use them for any purpose other than deciding whether to enable payroll on your account.
We use Stripe for identity document verification. Stripe retains a copy of all the data provided as part of a verification. You may also have consented to allow Stripe to use your data to improve their technology. You can delete your information from Stripe’s servers or revoke your consent by contacting us using the form at Stripe support: https://support.stripe.com.
Business documents we review ourselves
Separately, we ask an employer to upload two business documents: the IRS letter assigning the business its EIN, and one bank document naming the business as the holder of the account we will debit. Unlike the identity check above, these are stored by us and read by CheckMate staff, who compare them against the business and bank details on the account and then approve or decline the business for payroll.
Access is limited to CheckMate staff who perform that review and to administrators of the business that uploaded them. We deliberately do not ask for bank statements or transaction history. If we decline a submission, the reason is sent to the business owner. These documents are retained with the company’s records as described in “Data retention” below, because they are the evidence behind a decision to move money on that business’s behalf.
7. Data security
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information, including encryption of sensitive fields (such as SSNs and EINs) at rest using AES-256, and encryption in transit. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Data retention
We retain information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service. Payroll and tax records are retained to meet legal requirements — the IRS requires a minimum of four years of payroll tax records, and we generally retain them for up to seven years. Generated pay stubs and tax documents are retained for the same period. We may retain certain information longer where required by law or to resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.
9. Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal information, and to appeal a denial of these rights. To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in Section 12. If you are an employee or contractor, see Section 4. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
10. Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to operate the Service, keep you signed in, and remember your preferences. We do not use advertising cookies. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but some features may not function without them.
11. Children’s privacy
The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Employee information processed for payroll is provided by employers in an employment context.
12. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.
13. Contact us
If you have questions about this Policy or our privacy practices, contact us at legal@paywithcheckmate.com.