Privacy Policy
Last updated: November 15, 2026
Who we are
Selfroll is a free do-it-yourself payroll calculator for small S-corporation owners. Selfroll is operated by Civil Story. In this policy, "we," "us," and "our" mean Civil Story. "You" means anyone who visits the site or uses the app.
If you have questions about this policy, email us at [email protected].
The short version
- Your payroll data never leaves your browser.
- It is encrypted with a passphrase only you know. We cannot see it, and we cannot recover it if you lose your passphrase.
- There are no accounts and no analytics. We have no server that receives payroll data.
- Our hosting provider may keep standard server logs.
- Ads appear on public pages and free tool pages that hold no payroll data. They never appear in the private payroll app, which shows names, Social Security numbers, pay, and company data.
- On ad-supported pages, Google and its partners may use cookies to show and measure ads. You can accept or decline personalized ads.
- The private app runs at its own separate web address (app.getselfroll.com), a different website origin from the public site (getselfroll.com). Your encrypted vault is stored only on the app address, and ad scripts on the public site cannot read it. Use a long, unique passphrase. See "Separate website origins" below.
What stays in your browser and how it's protected
Everything you enter into the Selfroll app stays on your device. This includes company details, employee names, Social Security numbers, pay rates, pay history, and tax settings.
Here is how it is protected:
- Encryption. Your data is encrypted with AES-GCM. The encryption key is derived from your passphrase using PBKDF2 (PBKDF2-SHA256, 600,000 iterations for new saves).
- Local storage only. The encrypted data is saved in your own browser's local storage (localStorage). It is not sent to us or to anyone else.
- Decrypted only in the private app. Your payroll data is decrypted only inside the private app at app.getselfroll.com. Ad-supported pages never load or decrypt it and never display it.
- Your passphrase is yours. We never receive your passphrase. If you lose it, we cannot unlock or recover your data.
- Plain-English input stays local. When you type payroll instructions in plain English, simple rules in your browser read them. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Backups. You can export an encrypted backup file. That file is protected by the same passphrase. Where you store it is up to you.
Selfroll never holds, moves, or transmits money. It never connects to a bank. It never files anything with any government agency. It fills draft forms for you to review, sign, and file yourself.
Which pages show ads and which don't
Pages with ads:
- The homepage
- All guide pages
- The public "what changes" page
- Four free tool pages that hold no payroll data:
- Getting started (/welcome.html), which has an "I agree" checkbox for the public site
- Deadline calendar (/calendar.html), which shows generic deadlines with no amounts
- Setup checklist (/checklist.html)
- Next steps (/next-steps.html)
Pages without ads:
- The legal pages (Terms and this Privacy Policy).
- The private payroll app at app.getselfroll.com, a separate website origin from the public site at getselfroll.com. This includes company setup, employees, Social Security numbers, EIN, bank nicknames, pay stubs, paycheck and transfer amounts, the private deposit calendar with amounts, and the draft PDF forms. The app loads no ad or analytics scripts. A strict Content Security Policy on the app address blocks third-party scripts. The app has its own "I agree" checkbox. An agreement saved on the public site is not visible to the app.
Opening tool pages from the app. If you open a tool page from inside the app, it opens in a new tab. The app tab keeps your data unlocked only in its own memory. The tool page does not receive your unlocked data.
Separate website origins
The public, ad-supported pages run at getselfroll.com. The private payroll app runs at app.getselfroll.com. These are different website origins, so the browser keeps their storage separate.
Your encrypted payroll vault is stored only on the app address. Third-party scripts that run on ad-supported pages (such as Google's ad code) cannot read the vault or other data stored on the app address. The vault is encrypted with a key derived from your passphrase (PBKDF2-SHA256, 600,000 iterations for new saves).
The public site may store your terms agreement record for that site, your ad-consent choice, your deadline calendar choices (your federal and state deposit schedule types only, no amounts), and your setup checklist ticks. Ad code on those pages could technically read those public-site items. They do not include your payroll data.
What this means for you:
- Use a long, unique passphrase. Don't reuse one from another site.
- Agree in the app as well. Ticking "I agree" on the public Getting started page does not carry over to the app, because the two addresses do not share storage.
What we don't collect
- No accounts. You do not sign up or log in. We do not collect your name, email address, or password to use the app.
- No analytics. We do not use analytics tools on the site.
- No payroll data on any server. We have no server that receives, stores, or processes your payroll data. We cannot see it.
- No scripts in the private app. The app at app.getselfroll.com loads no ad or analytics scripts, and its Content Security Policy blocks third-party scripts.
What the hosting provider may log
Selfroll is a static website hosted by a third-party hosting and content delivery provider (for example, Cloudflare Pages). Like most web hosts, the provider may keep standard server logs when you visit. These logs can include:
- Your IP address
- Your browser's user agent (browser type and version, operating system)
- The pages you requested and when
These logs are kept by the hosting provider under its own policies. They do not include the payroll data you enter in the app, because that data never leaves your browser.
Advertising and cookies on ad-supported pages
Selfroll is free because of ads. Ads appear only on the ad-supported pages listed above. Ads never appear in the private payroll app or on the legal pages.
Ad formats. Ads may include:
- Display ads placed within articles
- A sidebar ad on wide screens
- Ads at the end of articles
- Google Auto ads, including anchor ads (stuck to the top or bottom of the screen) and vignette ads (full-screen ads that can appear between page views and can be skipped)
Google AdSense. We may use Google AdSense to show ads on ad-supported pages. Here is how it works:
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other sites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies lets it and its partners serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
- Google and its partners may use cookies and similar identifiers to measure ads.
Opting out of personalized ads. You can:
- Opt out of personalized advertising from Google at https://adssettings.google.com
- Learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
- Opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising at https://www.aboutads.info
Consent banner. A banner appears on all ad-supported pages, including the tool pages. It asks whether you accept or decline personalized ads. If you decline, only non-personalized ads are shown. Non-personalized ads may still use cookies for things like frequency capping, fraud prevention, and measurement, as described in Google's policies.
No ads in the app. The private payroll app, which shows names, Social Security numbers, pay, and company data, loads no ad scripts and no analytics scripts.
Local storage items
Selfroll stores these items in your browser's local storage:
| Item | What it holds | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Encrypted payroll vault | Your company, employee, and payroll data, encrypted with your passphrase | So the app works and your data stays on your device |
| Terms agreement record | A record that you ticked "I agree" to the Terms and Privacy Policy | So you are not asked again on every visit |
| Ad-consent choice | Whether you accepted or declined personalized ads | So the banner remembers your choice |
| Deadline calendar choices | Your federal and state deposit schedule types only (no amounts) | So the deadline calendar shows the right dates |
| Setup checklist ticks | Which setup checklist items you have ticked | So the checklist remembers your progress |
The encrypted payroll vault and the app's terms agreement record are stored on the app origin (app.getselfroll.com). The other items in this table are stored on the public site origin (getselfroll.com). Google and its partners may also set their own cookies on ad-supported pages, as described above.
Your choices
- Delete your data in the app. Use the delete data button in Settings to remove your payroll data from this browser.
- Clear browser storage. You can clear local storage and cookies for the site in your browser settings. This removes your encrypted vault, your terms agreement record, your ad choice, your deadline calendar choices, and your setup checklist ticks. Export a backup first if you want to keep your data.
- Change your ad choice. Click the "Ad choices" link in the site footer at any time to accept or decline personalized ads.
- Use the opt-out links. See the links in the advertising section above.
Before using the app, you must tick the "I agree" checkbox in the app itself to accept the Terms and this Privacy Policy. The Getting started page on the public site also has an "I agree" checkbox, but that record stays on the public site and does not carry over to the app.
Emails you send us
If you email us at [email protected], we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message. We use it only to reply to you and handle your request.
Please do not send us Social Security numbers, pay details, or other sensitive payroll data by email. We do not need them to answer your questions.
Children
Selfroll is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The app is a business tool and is not meant for use by anyone under 18.
State privacy rights
Some U.S. states give residents privacy rights, such as the right to know, delete, or opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information.
- We do not sell payroll data. We never receive your payroll data, so we cannot sell or share it.
- Ad cookies may count as "sharing." Under some state laws, letting ad partners use cookies on our ad-supported pages for personalized ads may count as "sharing" personal information. To opt out, decline personalized ads in the consent banner or through the "Ad choices" link in the footer. After that, only non-personalized ads are shown.
- Data we hold. Because payroll data stays in your browser, you control it directly. You can delete it at any time using the steps in "Your choices." For questions about emails you have sent us, contact us at the address below.
Security limits
We designed Selfroll so your payroll data stays encrypted on your own device. No system is perfectly secure, though. Please keep these limits in mind:
- Your device matters. If someone has access to your device or browser, or if your device has malware, your data could be at risk.
- Your passphrase matters. A weak passphrase is easier to guess. Use a long, unique one and keep it safe. We cannot reset or recover it.
- Public-site storage. Scripts on ad-supported pages could technically read items stored on the public site origin, such as your ad-consent choice, calendar choices, or checklist ticks. They cannot read the encrypted vault or other data stored on the app origin. Your payroll data stays protected only as long as your passphrase is strong and secret.
- Lost data cannot be recovered by us. Clearing your browser, switching browsers or devices, or losing your passphrase can mean losing your data. Export encrypted backups regularly and store them somewhere safe.
- Third parties. We do not control the hosting provider, Google, or other ad partners. Their practices are covered by their own policies.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, we may ask you to review and agree again before using the app.
Contact
Selfroll is operated by Civil Story.
Email: [email protected]