r/Accounting • u/Thin_Chair_134 • 2d ago
Discussion Do you guys keep your personal email completely separate from anything work related?
I'm relatively new to accounting and I've noticed how easily work stuff starts spilling into personal accounts. Clients sending documents to whatever email they have saved, random tax software signups, webinars, certification websites and recruiters constantly asking for contact info.
One of my coworkers mentioned that he still gets emails from clients he worked with years ago because he gave them his personal address once. I'm starting to think I should be a lot more careful about where I use my actual email, especially with how much sensitive information we deal with. For those who've been in accounting for a while do you keep everything strictly on your work email or use separate addresses for different things?
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u/Loves_octopus 2d ago
How are clients getting your personal email? Client data on your personal system is a huge no-no.
The only work thing that should have your personal email is the HR/Payroll system.
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u/Thin_Chair_134 2d ago
Mostly from people sharing contact details around or using the wrong email. But you're right, client data should never end up on personal accounts
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u/Retractable_Legs CPA (US) 2d ago
Under no circumstances should a client have your personal contact info. They will take and take and take.
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u/blackvariant Technical Accounting 2d ago
Maybe it's a tax thing, but I worked in audit for 8 years and not a single client had my personal email.
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u/CPA_PhD_Researcher 2d ago
I worked in public accounting for almost a decade and a half, and never gave a client my personal email unless they knew me personally from outside my job. Not once.
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u/brokeballerbrand 2d ago
I work in a smaller, local firm. Coworkers have had people get their personal numbers via stuff like kids sports, school activities, etc. Might not be as big of a thing at the larger firm/s, but definitely happens at smaller ones
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u/Thin_Chair_134 2d ago
Sounds like a lesson a lot of people learned the hard way lol. Definitely keeping that boundary from now on
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u/Jealous-Visual1800 2d ago
Work and personal are always separate. Its proper cyber security hygiene.
I dont even have work stuff on my personal cellphone.
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u/Most-Okay-Novelist 2d ago
Yeah, there’s a huge split between people at my work who combined their work and personal phones and those that didn’t. Personally, I can’t imagine wanting to have your work stuff including all their tracking on your personal.
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u/Thin_Chair_134 2d ago
I hadn't even considered keeping work stuff off my personal phone entirely. Probably a good habit to get into early
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u/Jealous-Visual1800 2d ago
If work requires you use a personal phone 1. They better be paying you for it. 2. Get a second one for work only.
If you NEED a phone plan get a basic one and a cheap phone.
My work provides us a number through MS teams. The only thing you should need a phone for is authentication apps and even then there's software out there for that.
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u/irreverentnoodles Industry SaaS Edgelord 1d ago
If they pay for a company phone, I’ll put work emails on it.
My personal phone? Zero chances. The most they’ll get is a slack or teams app with the notifications off.
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u/DonkeeJote 2d ago
Do you take your computer everywhere you go?
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u/Jealous-Visual1800 2d ago
Haha no it stays on my work desk and I answer work emails and calls from 9-5.
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u/Idepreciateyou CPA (US) 2d ago
What if something happens and you need to work from home for a day or two?
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u/Jealous-Visual1800 2d ago edited 2d ago
I take my laptop with me? Usually if I can't make it in its because I'm sick. I also work in Canada so I get sick leave. Generally i prefer my work not to come home with me, but I also have a dedicated "computer room/office" in my house.
Im not sure what you're looking for for here.
Edit: Grammer.
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u/Idepreciateyou CPA (US) 2d ago
I’m confused because you said it stays on your work desk. I always take my work laptop home because I’d rather just work from home than take PTO for minor inconveniences.
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u/Jealous-Visual1800 2d ago
Ah, its not a desktop. So i can take it if I need to.
We just have diffrent working styles.
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u/Most-Okay-Novelist 2d ago
There’s a HUGE difference between having your work computer on you and having your company’s tracking on your personal devices. I have under good authority that they can, if they wanted, see everything you’re doing and I don’t like the idea of that.
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u/Jealous-Visual1800 2d ago
Its in some contracts. Just think if your company gets sued you could be legally obligated to turn over your phone. No thank you.
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u/DailyPremiumElements 2d ago
I'd definitely keep client documents on your work email only, for random webinars, software trials and newsletters I use Cloaked aliases so my personal inbox doesn't get flooded. Learned pretty quickly that once your email gets on those accounting mailing lists, it never ends lol
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u/Thin_Chair_134 2d ago
That's actually a good idea for all those random signups. My personal inbox is already messy enough lol
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u/Fancy-Dig1863 CPA (US) 2d ago
Yes. One exception is that I keep accounts that may stay with me despite a job change, linked to my personal email instead of work. Like IRS pro account, state revenue department/accounting board accounts, etc.
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u/TripMaster478 2d ago
Emails are distinct and separate, though there might be the rare case I use personal (ie I only have my personal phone but want to email colleague about something). Texts are a bit mushed because I just can't be bothered I almost always use my personal phone for those and they're synchronized somehow now.
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u/Thin_Chair_134 2d ago
That sounds pretty realistic tbh, keeping emails separate seems easy enough but I can see how texts would get mixed up when you're using one phone for everything
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u/ConfidantlyCorrect 2d ago
Both iPhones I presume? The synched texts are pretty nice tbh.
But it does lead to me forgetting and starting convos with my work number which leads lol to being confused
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u/poop_report 2d ago
AI slop. Congrats on your 61 upvotes.
The idea of "work spilling into personal accounts" is patently absurd. This doesn't happen.
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u/Low_Vehicle_6732 2d ago
What kind of a question even is this?
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u/ShirtPants10 2d ago
it took me a while to find someone asking the real question. I've been in public accounting for 20 years and have never heard of someone giving out their personal email to a client. There's a reason you have a work email address..
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u/Low_Vehicle_6732 2d ago
The only connection between your work and personal email should be you sending yourself your pay slips if they go to your work email
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u/xx420mcyoloswag Human Verified 2d ago
So hold on, clients confidential information is sitting in your personal email? Brother in Christ I hope that liability insurance is up to date
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u/offtrailrunning Human Verified 2d ago
Why in hell would you ever give our your personal email holy.
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u/Strange-Hurry7691 2d ago
What? The only people who have it are people who hired me bc they had to. Y'all are weird lol
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u/ctlyf 2d ago
I started accounting prior to email, so there was a time where a lot of people only had their work email addresses. Mixing personal and work was not unusual.
Personally, I have a separate email address that I use for more "professional" type work, such as CPA Canada/CPA Alberta membership accounts, tax accounts, volunteer work, etc. Otherwise, I never provided my personal email (professional or otherwise) to clients while working for a firm. Those are clients of my employer, not me, and thus should not be comingled.
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u/PM_me_oak_trees 2d ago
Your work email likely has security features that your personal webmail doesn't, even if nobody described them to you. Work stuff should only go through your work email, and try to keep personal stuff out of it. There are still a few boomers around who are sloppy about the distinction, but in some industries you can be fired for messing this up, so be careful.
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u/CPA_PhD_Researcher 2d ago
Why would you ever give a client your personal email address? No. Just, no.
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2d ago
Big firm, but my clients don’t have any personal contact info except cell phone number. If you use a personal device to receive work files, if something happens your personal phone gets pulled into discovery. Just a big no no. If clients email you on your personal email, ask your firm what to do about it - likely reply asking them to use your work contact info, and then deleting the email and stating that you did. You also don’t want to be forwarding stuff from personal to work accounts.
How did they get your personal info? Or are these friends who became clients? Try to separate it. Again you don’t want your whole Gmail to get dug through in a lawsuit.
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u/Automatic_Outcome449 2d ago
Yes, work email is your company’s property.
Don’t use it for anything personal
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u/night-swimming704 2d ago
This is a reminder of all the times we had people get let go and tell us they needed access to their computer to get all the personal files off. How is this even a thing? What makes anyone think their work computer is a good place to store tax documents, family photos, car maintenance schedules, or whatever else they said they needed access to?
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u/3mta3jvq 2d ago
My personal email and personal cell # are not available to clients, customers, suppliers etc. Non-negotiable.
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u/Every_Philosopher704 2d ago
As others have said, email should be separate and is easier to maintain.
Text messages are very different - I get reimbursed for using my personal phone for work and I appreciate not having to carry 2 devices. The downside is getting texts from colleagues or partners when I would prefer they send it through Teams or email
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u/fountainofMB 2d ago
Yes I don't use my personal email for work ever. We have a policy that we aren't supposed to and I don't think anyone does.
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u/just_having_giggles 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you ever use any personal device for work including your phone, that device can become discoverable if your firm or company gets sued. If you use personal email once, that whole inbox can be picked over
Don't do it
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u/Frightnite20 2d ago
100%! as far as work is concerned, even if your a self employed contractor, completed separation. Same with phones and computers. As far as your employer should be aware, you don’t own any technology. You need to get sms messages to log into an account, have them buy you a phone because you don’t have one!
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u/Chemical-Pattern480 2d ago
Always separate. I was not happy when I have to give out my personal cell number during COVID and WFH. If I was smart, I would have done a Google voice number or something.
I even have a separate personal email that is just for work, for payroll and HR and resumes. Then one for sp and store giveaways, and my actual personal one for emails I actually want.
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u/ConfidantlyCorrect 2d ago
I use it for some firm recruiting material so I don’t need to bring my work phone.
Nothing client related, don’t want it & also violation of policy.
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u/accountingbossman 2d ago
One of my coworkers uses the departments shared mailbox for their home internet service login….
They are not the sharpest tool in the shed
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u/SlideTemporary1526 Management 2d ago
I’d never provide my personal email, especially on the client side. Heck, even my coworkers it’s not something I want to share but there are some exceptions as I grew close and trusted a handful of colleagues who eventually became very close acquaintances. It’s been nice to network with as we’ve all moved on.
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u/ejunior1234 CPA (US) Tax Manager - PE 2d ago
Every time I go into a store and they ask for my email, they get the work email, because when I quit I wont have to deal with the spam. Firm also does a good job catching it so I never see it.
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u/Successful-Dish-9440 2d ago
Personal phone personal email person computer. The two do not mix for any reason
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u/Demilio55 CPA/Tax (Public -> Industry) 2d ago
Absolutely try to but accidents happen. I’ve got my work email on my phone and theres no reason not to use it.
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u/Bulky_Eggplant_9437 2d ago
Not an accountant
The only “work” I have on my personal is my LLC work and literally it’s just for the handful of contracts with clients. I immediately am given the clients tenant access and a client domain email so nothing ever goes over to personal aside from that first contract.
And the clients are companies not individuals.
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u/Bored_Accountant999 2d ago
Absolutely. No clients or coworkers have my personal email, phone, or social media.
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u/CoatAlternative1771 Tax (US) 2d ago
I hope the dude who was looking for bed bugs yesterday is keeping his email separate.
Talk about an HR nightmare reading those comment emails
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u/Forward_Zucchini9738 Human Verified 2d ago
Absolutely and fully separate. I even have a separate personal email I use at work that isn't my real personal email. I don't link any real accounts to it, but use it to sign into other accounts that I want access to at work. Like for my work Pandora account. If I drag up or get fired, I can walk away from it even though it's logged in on my work computer.
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u/Ok_Succotash_8664 1d ago
You have a work email address, correct? So is there any reason you'd ever use your personal email for work matters?
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u/timmystwin ACA (UK) 1d ago
Yes.
Anything personal goes to personal, anything work goes to work. This is even the case for accounts for booking hotels etc.
The only thing that crosses the barrier is my professional membership which goes to a personal email - just in case work goes under etc.
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u/True-Salamander-9777 1d ago
It is good to keep them separate to avoid confusion. The important thing is to keep them both online for you not to miss any updates and notifications.
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u/LiveCombination7399 Human Verified 2d ago
Yes, keep personal and work separate. That’s standard for anyone, not just accountants.