Terms of Service

Budget Spotlight

Last Updated: January 1, 2026

Effective Date: March 1, 2026

Important Notice

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING BUDGET SPOTLIGHT.

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

1. Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and Budget Spotlight App ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of the Budget Spotlight web application, including any associated services, features, content, and functionality (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you:

• Are at least 18 years of age
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
• Will use the Service in accordance with these Terms
• Accept our Privacy Policy

If you are using the Service on behalf of a household or organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

2. Description of Service

Budget Spotlight is a family budget management web application that provides:

• Account Tracking: Track checking, savings, credit cards, loans, and investment accounts
• Virtual Piggy Banks ("Piggies"): Allocate income to spending categories
• Transaction Management: Import, categorize, and track financial transactions
• Debt Tools: Snowball and Avalanche debt payoff calculators
• Household Sharing: Multi-user access with role-based permissions
• Analytics: Spending insights and financial reporting

2.1 What We Are NOT

BUDGET SPOTLIGHT IS NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISOR.

The Service is designed for informational and organizational purposes only. We do NOT provide:

• Investment advice or recommendations
• Tax advice or preparation services
• Legal advice
• Credit counseling
• Debt negotiation or settlement services
• Financial planning services
• Insurance advice

You are solely responsible for all financial decisions you make. The Service provides tools to organize your financial information, but does not make recommendations about what you should do with your money.

2.2 Data Accuracy

The Service relies on data you enter or import from financial institutions. We do NOT guarantee:

• The accuracy of imported transaction data
• The completeness of bank synchronization
• Real-time balance accuracy
• The accuracy of any financial calculations

You are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all data in your account.

3. Account Registration and Security

3.1 Account Creation

To use the Service, you must:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information
• Maintain and promptly update your registration information
• Keep your authentication credentials secure and confidential
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account

3.2 Authentication

You may sign in using:

• Email and password
• Social authentication (Google, Apple)

We require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for enhanced security. You are responsible for:

• Safeguarding your MFA devices and backup codes
• Not sharing authentication credentials with others

3.3 Account Security

You are solely responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to secure your account credentials.

3.4 Household Accounts

When you create or join a household:

• You agree to share financial data with other household members
• The household owner controls membership and permissions
• Member roles (Owner, Admin, Member, Viewer) determine access levels
• Leaving a household removes your access to shared data

4. Acceptable Use

4.1 Permitted Use

You may use the Service for lawful personal or household budget management purposes.

4.2 Prohibited Activities

You agree NOT to:

Data and Security Violations:

• Access or attempt to access accounts belonging to others
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our systems
• Attempt to reverse engineer the Service
• Introduce malware, viruses, or other harmful code

Abuse and Fraud:

• Use the Service for any illegal purpose
• Provide false or misleading information
• Impersonate another person or entity
• Use the Service to commit fraud or financial crimes
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations

System Abuse:

• Interfere with or disrupt the Service
• Overload our infrastructure with excessive requests
• Use automated means to access the Service (bots, scrapers)
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service

Content Violations:

• Upload or transmit offensive, harmful, or illegal content
• Harass, threaten, or harm other users
• Violate the intellectual property rights of others

4.3 Enforcement

We reserve the right to:

• Investigate suspected violations
• Suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms
• Report illegal activities to law enforcement
• Take any action we deem necessary to protect the Service

5. Subscription and Payment

5.1 Free and Premium Tiers

Budget Spotlight offers:

• Free Tier: Limited features at no cost
• Premium Tier: Full features for a subscription fee

Feature availability is described on our pricing page and may change.

5.2 Subscription Terms

Premium subscriptions are billed:

• Monthly: $7.99 per month
• Annually: $59.99 per year (save 37%)

Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled before the renewal date.

5.3 Payment Processing

Payments are processed by Stripe. By subscribing, you:

• Authorize recurring charges to your payment method
• Agree to Stripe's terms of service (opens in new tab)
• Are responsible for keeping payment information current

5.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings or Stripe's customer portal. Upon cancellation:

• You retain Premium access until the end of your billing period
• Your account reverts to Free tier features
• Your data is retained (subject to our data retention policy)

5.5 Refunds

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable. However, we may provide refunds at our discretion:

• For accidental purchases (within 48 hours)
• For billing errors
• As required by applicable law

Contact support@budgetspotlightapp.com for refund requests.

5.6 Price Changes

We may change subscription prices with 30 days notice. Price changes apply at the next renewal after the notice period.

6. Third-Party Services

6.1 Bank Connections

The Service may connect to your financial institutions through:

• Manual Import: You upload CSV, OFX, or QFX files
• SimpleFIN: Automated sync service (user pays SimpleFIN directly at $15/year)
• Plaid: OAuth-based bank connections

6.2 Third-Party Terms

When using third-party integrations:

• You agree to the third party's terms of service
• We are NOT responsible for third-party service availability
• We are NOT responsible for data accuracy from third parties
• Third-party services may have their own fees

6.3 Third-Party Liability

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Our Property

The Service, including its design, features, code, graphics, logos, and content, is owned by us and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Service for personal purposes in accordance with these Terms.

7.2 Your Data

You retain ownership of the financial data you input or import into the Service. By using the Service, you grant us a license to:

• Store and process your data to provide the Service
• Generate anonymized, aggregated statistics (not linked to you)
• Back up your data for disaster recovery

7.3 Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the Service, you grant us an unrestricted, perpetual license to use such feedback without compensation or attribution.

8. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy. By using the Service, you consent to our data practices as described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Disclaimers

10. Limitation of Liability

11. Indemnification

12. Dispute Resolution

12.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing a formal dispute, you agree to contact us at support@budgetspotlightapp.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

12.2 Binding Arbitration

BY USING THE SERVICE, YOU AGREE TO RESOLVE DISPUTES THROUGH BINDING ARBITRATION RATHER THAN IN COURT.

Any dispute arising from these Terms or the Service shall be resolved through final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its rules.

The arbitration shall be conducted:

• In California, United States
• By a single arbitrator
• In English
• According to the laws of California, United States

This arbitration provision does not apply to consumers in the European Economic Area (EEA). If you are a consumer in the EEA, you may bring claims in the courts of your country of residence.

12.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AGREE TO RESOLVE DISPUTES ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS ONLY.

You waive any right to participate in a class action, class arbitration, or representative action against us.

12.4 Exceptions

The following may be resolved in small claims court:

• Claims within the court's jurisdiction
• Actions to protect intellectual property rights
• Actions to obtain injunctive relief

12.5 Opt-Out

You may opt out of binding arbitration by notifying us in writing within 30 days of creating your account. Send opt-out requests to legal@budgetspotlightapp.com.

13. Termination

13.1 By You

You may terminate your account at any time through account settings. Upon termination:

• Your access to the Service ends immediately
• Your data is deleted according to our retention policy
• Active subscriptions are canceled (no refund for partial periods)

13.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account:

• For violation of these Terms
• For illegal or fraudulent activity
• For non-payment of fees
• At our sole discretion with reasonable notice

13.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your license to use the Service ends
• We may delete your data (after any legally required retention)
• Provisions that should survive termination will remain in effect

14. General Provisions

14.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

14.2 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.

14.3 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

14.4 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision.

14.5 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

14.6 Notices

We may provide notices through:

• Email to your registered address
• In-app notifications
• Posting on the Service

You should send notices to: legal@budgetspotlightapp.com

14.7 Force Majeure

We are not liable for any failure to perform due to causes beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, government actions, or internet disruptions.

14.8 Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Email notification
• In-app notification
• Posting the updated Terms on the Service

Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

15. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms, contact us:

Email: legal@budgetspotlightapp.com

Support: support@budgetspotlightapp.com

Website: https://www.budgetspotlightapp.com

Summary of Key Points

BY USING BUDGET SPOTLIGHT, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS OF SERVICE.