Cookie Policy
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies and similar technologies CalcHub.uk uses, why we use them, how long they last, and how you can manage them. It sits alongside our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service.
2. Categories of cookies we use
The cookies CalcHub.uk may set fall into four standard categories, as defined by the ICO. The first category is strictly necessary and cannot be disabled without breaking core functionality. The others are only set after you give consent.
2.1 Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are essential to operate CalcHub.uk and deliver the services you ask for (for example submitting the contact form, or remembering your colour theme so the page does not flash from dark to light on every navigation). They do not require consent under PECR.
| Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| session-id | Maintains an anonymous session for the contact form and CSRF protection. | Session (deleted when you close the browser) |
| csrf-token | Cross-site request forgery token, required for safely submitting the contact form. | Session |
| theme-preference | Stores your chosen colour theme (light / dark / system) so the Site renders correctly on each visit. | 1 year |
| cookie-consent | Records that you have seen and made a choice on the cookie banner. Without it the banner would reappear on every visit. | 6 months |
2.2 Performance and analytics cookies
These help us understand how visitors use CalcHub.uk in aggregate — which calculators are popular, which pages are slow, what proportion of visitors are on mobile. We use this to improve the Site. All analytics data is anonymised. We prefer cookieless analytics (Plausible) where possible. We do not use analytics for advertising profiling or behavioural targeting.
| Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Plausible (no cookie) | Anonymous, aggregated traffic analytics. Plausible Analytics is cookieless and GDPR-compliant by design — no personal data is processed. | n/a (no cookie set) |
| _ga / _ga_* | Set by Google Analytics 4 (if enabled) to distinguish unique visitors. IP-anonymised; only loaded after analytics consent. | Up to 13 months |
2.3 Functional cookies
These remember choices you make on the Site to give you a more personalised experience — for example which UK nation's rules you want a calculator to apply by default, or your dark-mode preference.
| Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| recent-calculators | Locally stores the slugs of calculators you have recently used so we can show a "Recently used" list. Stored in your browser only, never sent to our server. | 90 days (local storage) |
| preferred-region | Remembers whether you selected England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for region-aware calculators. | 1 year |
2.4 Targeting / advertising cookies
CalcHub.uk currently does not carry advertising or third-party advertising cookies. If we ever introduce advertising or affiliate tracking, we will update this policy, list the relevant cookies in this section, and obtain your opt-in consent before any such cookie is set.
3. Third-party cookies
Some services we use may set their own cookies on your device when their content loads on CalcHub.uk:
- Cloudflare — our CDN may set a
__cf_bmbot-management cookie and similar security tokens. These are strictly necessary for the Site to be served safely and are set on a first-party basis. Cloudflare cookie policy. - Plausible Analytics (if enabled) — Plausible is cookieless by design and does not set any cookie on your device. See plausible.io/data-policy.
- Google Analytics (if enabled and you consent) — sets the
_gaand_ga_*cookies. See Google's cookie policy. - Embedded content — if a CalcHub.uk page ever embeds an interactive iframe (for example an HMRC widget or a YouTube explainer), that third-party may set its own cookies. We will note this on the page concerned.
We have no control over third-party cookies set by these providers. Please refer to their own privacy and cookie policies.
4. Retention periods
Retention by category:
- Strictly necessary: session only, or up to 12 months for theme/consent persistence.
- Performance / analytics: up to 13 months for Google Analytics, or none if Plausible is used (cookieless).
- Functional: up to 12 months.
- Targeting / advertising: not currently used; if introduced, no longer than 12 months and only with consent.
Where we store information in localStorage rather than a cookie (for example a recent-calculators list), the data remains on your device until you clear your browser storage.
5. Legal basis (PECR + UK GDPR)
Cookies are governed in the UK by two overlapping regimes:
- The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) — requires informed consent before non-essential cookies are set on your device. Strictly necessary cookies are exempt from the consent requirement.
- The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 — apply where cookies process personal data (including online identifiers). The lawful basis we rely on is consent for analytics and functional cookies, and legitimate interests for strictly necessary cookies essential to security and service delivery.
You can withdraw consent for non-essential cookies at any time using the controls below.
6. Do Not Track signals
Where your browser sends a Do Not Track (DNT) or Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, CalcHub.uk honours it where technically feasible by treating it as a withdrawal of consent for non-essential cookies. Note that there is no universal standard for DNT — some third parties we use may not respond to the signal in the same way.
7. How to manage cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent parts of the Site (such as the contact form) from working.
- Google Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data. See support.google.com.
- Mozilla Firefox:Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data. See support.mozilla.org.
- Apple Safari (macOS): Safari → Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data. See support.apple.com.
- Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies and site data. See support.microsoft.com.
- iOS Safari: Settings app → Safari → Clear History and Website Data.
- Android Chrome: Chrome menu → Settings → Site settings → Cookies.
For general guidance and to learn more about cookies, see aboutcookies.org or the ICO's guidance on cookies.
8. Consent management
On your first visit you will see a cookie banner with a clear choice to accept, reject or customise non-essential cookies. Your choice is stored in the cookie-consent cookie for up to 6 months, after which the banner is shown again so you can refresh your decision.
You can revisit your choices at any time using the button below. Clicking it clears your stored consent and reopens the cookie banner on your next page view.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time — for example, if we change analytics providers or introduce new functional cookies. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent change. Material changes will be flagged with a banner on the Site for at least 30 days.
10. Contact
For cookie-related queries, including requests to exercise your data-protection rights, please contact us:
- Email: avalonsuport@gmail.com
- Contact form: /contact/
- UK supervisory authority: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — helpline 0303 123 1113.