Privacy Policy

Last updated October 28, 2026

The short version: Ballast keeps only what it needs to save your budget. We don't sell your data, we don't show ads, and we don't use tracking or analytics tools.

Who we are

Ballast is a paycheck budget tracker available at ballastus.com. Questions about this policy can be sent to ballastusft@gmail.com.

What we collect

• Account details. If you create an account with a username and password, we store your username and a securely hashed version of your password. We never store your password itself.
• Google sign-in. If you sign in with Google, we receive your Google account ID, your email address, and your first name. We use these only to sign you in and to create your username. We don't receive your Google password or access to anything else in your Google account.
• What you enter in Ballast. Bills, due dates, income, savings goals, card balances and other numbers you type in are saved to your account so you can see them on any device.
• Sign-in cookie. When you're signed in, we set one cookie that keeps you signed in for up to 30 days. During Google sign-in, a short-lived cookie protects the sign-in from tampering.

Using Ballast as a guest

If you use Ballast without an account, everything you enter stays in your own browser on your device. It isn't sent to us. If you later create an account or sign in on that browser, your guest entries are moved into your account so you don't lose them.

How we use it

Only to run Ballast: to sign you in, save your budget, and show it back to you. We don't sell, rent or share your information with advertisers or data brokers, and we don't use it to build profiles about you.

Where it's stored

Ballast runs on Cloudflare, which hosts the site and stores account data on our behalf. Text on our pages uses fonts served by Google Fonts, so your browser contacts Google to load them. Data is sent over encrypted (HTTPS) connections.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and budget data until you delete it or ask us to delete your account. Sign-in sessions expire after 30 days or when you sign out.

Your choices

• You can edit or delete any entry inside Ballast at any time.
• To delete your whole account and everything saved in it, email ballastusft@gmail.com from the address on your account, or include your username. We'll confirm once it's done.
• You can remove Ballast's access to your Google account at any time from your Google Account settings, under "Third-party apps & services."

Children

Ballast isn't intended for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them.

Changes

If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page. Significant changes will also be noted on the site.

Not financial advice

Ballast is a tool for organizing your own numbers. It provides budgeting information, not financial, tax or legal advice.