Privacy Policy
Benefit Guardian is a free website with guides to US government benefits and credit card benefits. There are no accounts, no sign-up and no forms that store what you type. This page explains the little information that is involved when you visit.
The short version
- The benefits checker, the card checker and the calculators run in your own browser. Your answers are not sent to us.
- We count visits with two privacy-focused tools that use no cookies. We also count how visits start and which links and tools get used, never what you choose or type in them.
- If you email us, we have your email address and message, and we use them only to reply.
- We do not sell or share information for advertising.
Visit counts
GoatCounter. We use GoatCounter to see how many people visit and which pages they read. It records the page address, the site that sent you (if any), your browser and operating system type, your screen size and an approximate location such as the country. GoatCounter uses no cookies and does not store your IP address or browser string; it stores counts, not a profile of you.
How the site gets used. Through GoatCounter we also count a few actions, each as a simple tally: what kind of page a visit starts on (for example an article or a tool) and whether it goes on to another page; whether a page stayed on screen for 30 seconds; using a tool such as the benefits checker or the state picker; following a link to another website (we record the page you were on and the other site’s name, such as ssa.gov); and opening a calendar reminder. These counts never include your state, your answers or anything you type, and nothing is stored on your device to make them. They tell us whether people come for the guides or the tools, and which guides lead people to the official agency, so we know what to improve. See GoatCounter’s privacy policy and its explanation of how it counts visits.
Cloudflare Web Analytics. We also measure page loads and page speed with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which Cloudflare says uses no cookies or local storage and does not fingerprint visitors. See Cloudflare Web Analytics and Cloudflare’s privacy policy.
Hosting
The site is hosted by Vercel. Like any web host, Vercel receives the standard information your browser sends with each request, such as your IP address and browser type, so it can deliver pages and protect the site from abuse. See Vercel’s privacy policy.
What we do not collect
- No names, Social Security numbers, income, bank details or card numbers.
- No accounts or passwords.
- No answers from the checkers or calculators; they stay on your device.
Calendar reminders
Some guides offer an “add to calendar” link for a deadline. The calendar file contains only the deadline and a link back to the guide; adding it sends nothing to us beyond the count that a reminder was opened. The reminder lives in your own calendar app.
Links to other sites
Our guides link to official government websites, and their privacy policies apply when you visit them. The “Amazon deals” link in the menu is an affiliate link: if you buy something after following it, we may earn a commission, and Amazon’s privacy policy applies on Amazon. We take no commission from any government program or card company.
If you email support@benefitguardian.org, we receive your email address and whatever you write. We use it only to answer you, and you can ask us to delete it.
Children
The site is meant for adults and is not directed at children under 13.
Your rights
Because we do not keep accounts or profiles, the only personal information we may hold is an email you sent us. You can ask to see or delete it at any time by writing to support@benefitguardian.org; we will answer within 30 days. California residents have the rights described in the California Consumer Privacy Act; we do not sell or share personal information.
Changes
If this policy changes, we will update the date at the top of this page.