Terms & Privacy

Terms of Service

PlainRefund (the Android app and the plainrefund.com website) is an educational calculation tool operated by Novema Solutions LLC. It takes the information you enter (income, withholding, deductions, filing status and number of children) and applies a math formula to estimate a refund or amount owed. It doesn't file tax returns, doesn't connect to the IRS or any state agency, and is not legal, accounting, or tax advice.

We are not a government agency. PlainRefund is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IRS or any state agency. The amounts and rules we use come from official sources, which we link to in the app and on the website.

Results are estimates based solely on the data you provide. We don't verify its accuracy, and we're not responsible for decisions you make based on these estimates. To file your actual return, use an authorized tax preparation service or consult a professional (CPA, EA, or tax attorney).

News and guides. News items summarize notices published by the IRS and state tax agencies, and guides explain general concepts. They are informational, may contain errors or become outdated, and always link to the official source, which is the one that counts.

Ads, affiliate links and work. The app and the website show third-party ads and links to other sites. Some links are affiliate links: if you buy or sign up through them, Novema Solutions LLC may earn a commission at no extra cost to you; we label them next to each link. We don't endorse advertised products or the content of external sites. Labor information (minimum wage, overtime, leave) is general and not legal advice; PlainRefund is not an employment agency and isn't part of any hiring process.

Changes. We may update these terms; the version posted here is the one in effect.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

PlainRefund (the Android app and the plainrefund.com website) is operated by Novema Solutions LLC. This policy explains what data is used and why.

Your calculations. The numbers you enter in the calculator (income, deductions, withholding, filing status, number of children, whether you have Social Security numbers — just yes or no, never the number — and state) are processed only on your device. We don't send them to any server or share them with anyone. Your history of recent calculations is stored only on your device, and you can delete it at any time. If you use the quick form on the website's home page, the amounts are passed to the calculator in a part of the page address that your browser doesn't send to any server.

Preferences. Your state, the place you work (if you choose one), language and notification choices are stored on your device so the app remembers them.

Usage statistics. We use Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how the app and the website are used (for example, which screens are opened or which state is selected). To do this, it uses an app-instance identifier and your device's advertising ID (in the app) or cookies and similar identifiers (on the website), and derives an approximate location (country or region) from your IP address. This data is statistical, doesn't include your amounts or financial details, and isn't used to identify you.

Notifications and suggestions. If you turn on notifications on your phone, Firebase Cloud Messaging gives your device an identifier so we can send alerts for the state, language and topics you chose. Personal news suggestions are picked on your own device based on the articles you've already read; that list never leaves your phone. The weekly roundup is the same for everyone in your state and language. You can turn any of these off in Settings at any time.

News. When you open a news article, we add one view to an anonymous counter for that article. Your device remembers which articles it already counted so they aren't counted twice; we don't store who read what.

Advertising. The Android app shows ads from Google AdMob, and the plainrefund.com website may show ads from Google AdSense on its content pages (news and guides). Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet. In the app, Google uses your device's advertising ID and similar information to serve and measure ads. Where the law requires it (for example in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland), we ask for your consent first, and in the app you can change it at any time in Settings > Privacy choices. You can opt out of personalized advertising in Google's Ads Settings (adssettings.google.com) or at www.aboutads.info, and on your phone you can reset or delete your advertising ID (Settings > Google > Ads or Settings > Privacy > Ads). To learn how Google uses this data, visit policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Website. When you visit plainrefund.com, our hosting provider (Google Firebase) processes technical data, such as your IP address and browser type, to deliver the pages and protect them from abuse. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site still works, though ads may be less relevant.

Links to other sites. We link to official sources such as IRS.gov and state tax agencies. Those sites have their own privacy policies.

Affiliate links. Some links to other companies in the Work tab and in some news articles and guides are affiliate links managed by CJ (Commission Junction). When they're shown or you open them, CJ and the destination company may receive technical data such as your IP address and use cookies to record that you came from PlainRefund; they follow their own privacy policies. We record statistically that a link was tapped and for which company, without your amounts. We may earn a commission; it doesn't change what you pay.

Your choices. We don't sell your personal information. You can delete your calculation history in the app, and uninstalling it removes the data stored on your phone. If you have questions or want to exercise your rights over your data, email us at support@plainrefund.com.

Children. PlainRefund is not directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect data from them.

Changes. If we change this policy, we'll update the date above.

Contact

Questions about these terms or your privacy? Email us at support@plainrefund.com.