Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using SortBooks ("the Service"), operated by SortBooks Pty Ltd ("we", "us", "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you are using the Service on behalf of a business or other entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

2. Service Description

SortBooks is an AI-powered bookkeeping automation platform that:

• Connects to your Xero accounting software via their official API
• Automatically syncs and categorises your bank transactions using AI
• Provides AI-powered financial reports, BAS/GST summaries, and cash flow analysis
• Offers an AI CFO assistant for financial questions and insights
• Assists with bank reconciliation

SortBooks is a bookkeeping automation tool. It is not a licensed accounting firm, tax agent, or financial adviser. You should consult qualified professionals for tax, legal, and financial advice.

3. Account Registration

• You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorised access to your account
• You may not share your account or allow others to access it without proper team invitations
• One person or entity may maintain multiple accounts for separate businesses

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or to facilitate illegal activities
• Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Service
• Access other users' accounts or data without authorisation
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to access the Service beyond the provided API
• Attempt to circumvent rate limits, usage quotas, or security measures
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
• Use the AI features to generate fraudulent financial records or false reports
• Resell or redistribute the Service without our written consent
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure

5. Billing and Payments

5.1 Free Trial

New accounts receive a 14-day free trial with full access to the selected plan's features. No credit card is required to start a trial. At the end of the trial, you must subscribe to a paid plan to continue using the Service.

5.2 Subscription Plans

We offer monthly subscription plans with varying feature limits. Current plans and pricing are displayed on our pricing page. Prices are in Australian Dollars (AUD) unless otherwise stated and are exclusive of GST where applicable.

5.3 Monthly Billing

Subscriptions are billed monthly in advance. Your billing cycle starts on the date you subscribe and renews on the same date each month. All payments are processed securely through Stripe.

5.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time. Upon cancellation:

• Your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period
• You will not be charged for subsequent billing periods
• Your data is retained for 30 days after the subscription ends
• You can re-subscribe at any time to restore access

5.5 Refunds

We generally do not offer refunds for partial billing periods. However, if you experience a significant service issue, please contact us at hello@sortbooks.work and we will review your case. Refund decisions are made at our sole discretion.

5.6 Price Changes

We may change our pricing with at least 30 days' notice. Existing subscribers will be notified by email. Price changes take effect at the start of the next billing cycle following the notice period.

6. Data Ownership

You own your data. All financial data, transaction records, reports, and other content you create or import through the Service remains your property. We do not claim ownership of your data.

You grant us a limited licence to process, store, and transmit your data solely for the purpose of providing the Service. This licence terminates when you delete your account or when your data is removed per our retention policy.

We may use anonymised, aggregated data (that cannot identify you or your business) to improve our AI models and the Service. This does not include sharing identifiable financial data.

7. AI Features Disclaimer

SortBooks uses artificial intelligence to categorise transactions, generate reports, and provide financial insights. While we strive for high accuracy:

• AI categorisations are suggestions and should be reviewed by you or your accountant
• AI-generated reports may contain errors and should not be solely relied upon for tax lodgements
• The AI CFO assistant provides general financial guidance, not professional financial advice
• You are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of your financial records
• We recommend having a qualified accountant review AI-assisted work before lodging tax returns

8. Service Availability

We target 99.9% uptime for the SortBooks platform, measured on a monthly basis. This excludes:

• Scheduled maintenance windows (announced at least 24 hours in advance)
• Third-party service outages (Xero API, Stripe, OpenAI)
• Force majeure events
• Issues caused by your internet connection or equipment

In the event of significant downtime exceeding our target, affected customers on paid plans may request a pro-rated service credit by contacting hello@sortbooks.work within 30 days of the incident.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

• The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement
• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, or business interruption
• Our total liability for any claims arising from the Service is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim
• We are not liable for errors in AI-generated categorisations, reports, or recommendations
• We are not liable for actions taken by third-party services (Xero, Stripe, OpenAI)

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including under Australian Consumer Law.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SortBooks, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third-party rights.

11. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, code, AI models, documentation, and branding, is owned by SortBooks Pty Ltd and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of the Service without our written consent.

12. Termination

By you: You may terminate your account at any time from the settings page or by contacting us. Your data will be retained for 30 days after termination, then permanently deleted.

By us: We may suspend or terminate your account if:

• You violate these Terms or our Acceptable Use policy
• Your payment fails and is not resolved within 14 days
• We are required to do so by law
• We discontinue the Service (with at least 90 days' notice)

Upon termination, you will have an opportunity to export your data before it is deleted.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales, Australia.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

• Email: hello@sortbooks.work
• Website: sortbooks.work