Security
Settledge runs on servers in London and asks everyone who signs in for a second step.
The short versionEach line is set out below
LondonServers and nightly backups
Two stepsAn authenticator app or a passkey, for every account
As the bank sent itThe app never edits an imported bank line
Servers in London
Settledge runs on DigitalOcean in London. Your books and receipts are stored in the UK, with nightly backups to private storage in London. The database sits on an encrypted volume, and receipts and backups are encrypted at rest by the storage provider.
Two services handle some data outside the UK, in the United States. Anthropic reads receipts and documents when you use AI reading, and Postmark sends the email Settledge sends. The privacy policy lists both.
Two-step sign-in and passkeys
Every account uses two-step sign-in, with an authenticator app or a passkey. A passkey can be the only second step you set up. Recovery codes alone do not get anyone in.
Private receipts
Receipts sit in private storage, never at a public address. Each time one is opened, the app makes a short-lived link for it, and that link stops working soon after.
A history of changes
Changes to expenses and to bank matches are kept in a history, so you can see what changed. A correction is a new record. It does not overwrite the old one.
Imported bank lines are never edited
A bank line is stored as it arrived, and the app never edits or deletes it. Sorting, matches and notes are kept beside it, so what your bank said can always be checked. Erasing an account is covered below.
Bank data stays out of the logs
Bank transaction details are not written to Settledge's logs.
Keeping, exporting and erasing your records
Bank lines, expenses, receipts and invoices are VAT records, and Settledge keeps them for at least six years. Your company can export everything it holds. You can ask for your account to be erased. Records that must be kept stay, and you are told why.
Backtracking Limited, which runs Settledge, is registered with the ICO, number ZC292915.
Who can see what
Each person on a company has a role. An owner can do everything, including inviting people and changing roles. An admin can do what an owner can, except make someone an owner. A member records expenses, receipts, bank lines and invoices, but cannot take exports or change settings. An accountant keeps the records, takes exports and works on VAT returns, but cannot change settings or manage members.
One company's books are kept apart from every other company's.
Questions
Where are my books stored?
On DigitalOcean servers in London. Anthropic and Postmark, which read receipts and send email, work in the United States.
Who can see my books?
The people your company adds, each with a role that limits what they can see and change. Every one of them signs in with two steps.
Can I export or delete my data?
Your company can export everything it holds. You can also ask for your account to be erased, apart from records that must be kept for six years.
Is Settledge an accountant?
No. Settledge is bookkeeping software, not an accountant. It keeps records your accountant can check.
What happens to my bank lines?
They are stored as they arrived, and the app never edits or deletes them. Your sorting and matches are kept beside them. If you ask for your account to be erased, records that must be kept for six years stay.
Records your accountant can check.
Give your accountant a sign-in of their own. Every change carries a name, and the quarter-end pack hands over each quarter as plain files.
Five demo companies, one for each VAT set-up.
Sign-up is early access, by invitation. See pricing