Effective August 8, 2026 · applies to benefitsdecoder.com and the Benefits Decoder apps (which are the same service)
The short version: The decoder does not ask you to create an account or log in. Running a decode does not ask for your email. Buying a report on the website goes through Stripe, which collects an email for the receipt. The optional reminder list and the employer enquiry form also collect an email if you choose to give one. Your PDF is read on your device; only the extracted plan text is sent to be analyzed, and it isn't stored. Your finished report lives in your own browser, not on our servers. We don't sell data, we don't run ads, and we don't use tracking cookies.
The decode itself asks for no name and no email address, and there is no account or login. The questions we ask (who you're covering, age bracket, expected care, savings comfort) stay in your browser and are used only to run the math. They're never tied to an identity, because the decode does not ask for one.
Your PDF is read on your device; only the extracted plan text is sent to be analyzed, and it isn't stored. The PDF file itself is not uploaded. The extracted text is sent over an encrypted connection and analyzed once. That analysis uses Anthropic's Claude API as a processor; under the commercial terms we use, your text is not used to train AI models. While the analysis runs, the decoded result sits in a short-lived job record so your browser can pick it up, and that record is deleted when it is delivered. We keep no copy of your guide or your finished report. A separate counter stores how many decodes a payment has used, keyed by the payment code, not by your guide.
Your finished report is stored in your browser's local storage on your device. Clearing your browser data deletes it. We can't see it, and we couldn't recover it for you. That's the tradeoff of keeping it off our servers.
On the website, the unlock is handled entirely by Stripe, our payment processor. Stripe collects your card details and email (for your receipt) under Stripe's privacy policy. We never see your card number. In the iOS app, the unlock is bought through Apple's In-App Purchase instead, under Apple's privacy policy; Apple never shares your payment details or identity with us. Either way, what we receive is an anonymous transaction code confirming payment, and we keep a simple decode count against that code to prevent abuse. We can't connect it to your name.
We use Umami, a privacy-first analytics service: no cookies, no personal data, no tracking across sites, just aggregate counts like "how many people visited today." If you'd rather not be counted at all, visit the opt-out page.
If you write to support@benefitsdecoder.com, we'll have whatever you send us, and we use it only to help you. Writing to us does not add you to any list.
There is now one optional mailing list: the open enrollment reminder. You are on it only if you typed your address into that form yourself. It is used for two emails a year, one at the start of open enrollment season and one when the figures behind the math change, and nothing else. The list is stored on our systems; sending is handled by Kit, our email provider, under Kit's privacy policy. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe, and unsubscribing removes your address. We do not sell, rent or share the list.
This list is entirely separate from the decoder. Using the calculators or running a decode does not ask for an email address or an account. Buying a report on the website is handled by Stripe, which collects an email for the receipt, as described under Payment.
The employers page has a contact form that asks for a name, an email address, and a message. We keep what you send so we can reply and follow up, and for nothing else. It never joins a mailing list, and we don't share it. If you'd like an enquiry deleted, say so in it or write to us and it's gone.
The Benefits Decoder apps for Android and iOS are the website in an app wrapper. They collect nothing beyond what's described above, request no device permissions, and have no ads.
Benefits Decoder is for adults making workplace benefits decisions and isn't directed at children under 13.
If this policy ever changes, the new version will be posted here with a new effective date. Given how little we collect, we don't expect much to change.
Benefits Decoder is operated by Decoder Labs LLC, which is the entity responsible for the handling described above. Written questions or requests about your data can go to the address below and will reach a person, not a queue.
Ask a human: support@benefitsdecoder.com.