1. Purpose of This Disclaimer
This Disclaimer (the “Disclaimer”) describes the nature, limitations, and intended use of the ExpenseGhost service (the “Service”) operated by ExpenseGhost Labs, Inc. (“ExpenseGhost,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). It is a long-form companion to the consent text presented at points of action within the Service (for example, when you download a tax export, generate an estimate, or accept an automated categorization). It is incorporated by reference into, and forms a binding part of, our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
By accessing or using any feature of the Service, including by downloading any export, viewing any estimate, or relying on any automated suggestion, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and accepted this Disclaimer.
2. What ExpenseGhost Is
ExpenseGhost is a software-as-a-service technology platform that helps individuals and organizations capture receipts, synchronize bank and card transactions through Plaid, classify expenses against IRS Schedule C and related tax frameworks, and produce tax-shaped summaries that can be reviewed by a qualified tax professional or used as a starting point for self-filing. The Service consists of automated extraction, classification, calculation, and presentation tools backed by machine-learning models, rule-based heuristics, and structured datasets.
3. What ExpenseGhost Is Not
ExpenseGhost is not, and these communications, outputs, and calculations do not constitute or substitute for, any of the following:
- A tax preparer or tax return preparer. ExpenseGhost does not hold a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN), is not a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Enrolled Agent (EA), tax attorney, registered tax-return preparer, or other licensed preparer in any jurisdiction. ExpenseGhost does not prepare, sign, or e-file federal, state, local, or foreign tax returns.
- A representative before any taxing authority. ExpenseGhost does not represent users before the Internal Revenue Service, any state or local department of revenue, or any foreign tax authority, and is not authorized to do so.
- A provider of legal, accounting, financial-planning, investment, or fiduciary advice. Nothing in the Service constitutes legal advice, an attorney-client relationship, a fiduciary relationship, an investment recommendation, an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities, or an opinion on the appropriateness of any transaction for your circumstances.
- A money-services business or money transmitter. ExpenseGhost does not hold, transmit, or transfer customer funds. Payment processing is performed by Stripe; bank-account aggregation is performed by Plaid.
- A regulated financial institution. ExpenseGhost is not a bank, lender, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, insurance carrier, or similar regulated entity.
- A substitute for professional judgment. The Service is designed to augment, not replace, the judgment of a licensed professional. You are solely responsible for the decisions you make on the basis of any output of the Service.
4. Estimates Are Estimates
Every figure produced by the Service — including quarterly tax estimates, year-to-date projections, deduction calculations, set-aside guidance, Schedule C line totals, Form 1065, Form 1120-S, and Form 1120 summaries, profit-and-loss reports, and trial balances — is an estimate derived from the data you have connected, the categorizations applied (whether automatically or manually), and the rules in force at the time of calculation. Estimates may materially differ from your actual tax liability or actual financial position for reasons including, without limitation:
- Simplified calculation methods. Federal estimates for pass-through entities use single-filer brackets and do not reflect filing status, dependents, alternative minimum tax, net investment income tax, self-employment tax interactions, or phase-outs. State estimates use simplified flat rates rather than graduated brackets, and do not account for credits, deductions, exemptions, local taxes, or jurisdiction-specific rules.
- Incomplete data. Estimates reflect only the transactions synchronized at the time of calculation and the categorizations then applied. Missing transactions, uncategorized items, mis-categorized items, duplicate entries, currency conversions, and timing differences will all affect the result.
- Changing tax law. Tax law changes frequently, sometimes retroactively, and the rules embedded in the Service may not reflect the most recent guidance, regulations, judicial interpretations, or administrative practice applicable to your situation.
- Edge cases and exceptions. Real tax law contains exceptions, safe harbors, elections, and fact-specific tests that automated software cannot fully evaluate, including those relating to depreciation, capitalization, inventory, accounting method changes, related-party transactions, hobby-loss rules, passive-activity rules, and entity-level elections.
Tax exports are watermarked “DRAFT” to make this character explicit on the face of the document. You agree not to remove, obscure, or otherwise alter the watermark or any accompanying disclaimer text.
5. Automated Classification and AI Outputs
The Service uses machine-learning models, rule-based classifiers, and third-party large language models (including those operated by Anthropic) to extract data from receipts, classify transactions, suggest categories, summarize content, and generate exports (collectively, “AI Outputs”). AI Outputs are generated probabilistically and may contain errors, omissions, or hallucinated content, including incorrect dates, amounts, merchant names, categories, or tax treatments. AI Outputs are provided as suggestions for your review; they are not determinations of deductibility, accuracy, completeness, authenticity, or compliance.
You are solely responsible for reviewing, verifying, correcting, and validating every AI Output before relying on it for any business, accounting, tax, legal, or other purpose. We do not warrant that AI Outputs are fit for any particular purpose, suitable as evidence of any tax position, or sufficient to satisfy any recordkeeping, substantiation, or audit requirement under applicable law.
6. Filing and Recordkeeping Are Your Responsibility
Whether you self-file or engage a licensed tax professional, you are solely responsible for:
- selecting, engaging, and paying any tax professional you elect to use;
- providing complete, accurate, and timely information to your tax professional;
- reviewing every figure, classification, and supporting document generated by the Service before signing or filing any return or making any payment;
- ensuring that each expense qualifies as a legitimate business deduction under applicable law and that adequate documentation exists to substantiate the deduction (including receipts, business purpose, mileage records, contemporaneous logs, and any other documentation required by 26 C.F.R. § 1.274-5T or analogous rules);
- maintaining records consistent with the retention periods required by the Internal Revenue Code, applicable state law, and any contractual obligations to which you are subject;
- the timely filing and payment of all taxes, including quarterly estimated payments, and for any penalties, interest, or additional assessments arising from late, incorrect, or incomplete filings.
7. Per-Action Consent and Audit Logging
Because the inputs underlying any output of the Service may change between sessions, we obtain a fresh consent each time you take a sensitive action, including each tax-export download. Consent is per-action and is not retained from one session to the next. The dialog presents the verbatim disclaimer text in force at that moment, and the action does not proceed until you affirmatively indicate acceptance.
For each such action, we record the timestamp, the user account, the action type and parameters (for example, the export type and tax year), the IP address and browser identifier from which the action was taken, and a cryptographic hash of the disclaimer text shown. We retain this audit record for the periods described in our Privacy Policy as a forensic record of what was presented and what was accepted. We do not use the audit record for marketing purposes.
8. No Reliance Without Independent Review
You agree that you will not file any tax return, make any tax payment, settle any dispute, enter into any contract, or take any other legally significant action in sole reliance on any output of the Service. You will obtain independent review by a qualified, licensed professional appropriate to the matter (for example, a CPA or EA for tax questions; a licensed attorney for legal questions) before taking any such action. Use of the Service does not establish, and you will not represent that the Service or ExpenseGhost establishes, any preparer-client, attorney-client, fiduciary, or other professional relationship.
9. Where to Find a Licensed Preparer
The Internal Revenue Service maintains a public directory of credentialed return preparers, searchable by ZIP code and credential type, at irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and state CPA societies maintain analogous directories. Most credentialed preparers are willing to use a tax-shaped export from the Service as a starting point and to make any corrections required by your specific circumstances.
10. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EXPENSEGHOST AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, LICENSORS, AND SUPPLIERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY TAX PENALTIES, INTEREST, ADDITIONAL TAX ASSESSMENTS, AUDIT COSTS, PROFESSIONAL FEES, LOST DEDUCTIONS, OR OTHER COSTS, LOSSES, OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF OR RELIANCE ON ANY OUTPUT OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING ANY ESTIMATE, CATEGORIZATION, EXPORT, OR AI OUTPUT. YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF YOUR FILINGS, RECORDS, AND BUSINESS DECISIONS. THE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS OF LIABILITY SET FORTH IN OUR TERMS OF SERVICE ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE AND APPLY IN FULL.
11. Updates to This Disclaimer
We may update this Disclaimer from time to time to reflect changes in the Service, applicable law, or our internal practices. The “Last Updated” date at the top indicates when this Disclaimer was last revised. Material changes will be communicated as described in our Terms of Service. The cryptographic hash recorded against historical actions references the version of the disclaimer text in force at the time of each action; this Disclaimer supersedes prior versions only with respect to actions taken on or after the effective date.
12. Contact
For questions about this Disclaimer or about the limitations of any feature of the Service:
General inquiries: hello@expenseghost.app
Legal notices: legal@expenseghost.app
Company: ExpenseGhost Labs, Inc.