How LegalCost.us collects, uses, and protects your information. We keep it simple because your privacy matters.
Effective Date: July 27, 2026 • Last Updated: July 27, 2026
LegalCost.us ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website at legalcost.us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit our site, how we use it, and what choices you have. We designed this policy to be readable, not buried in legal jargon.
The short version: our calculators run entirely in your browser. We never see the numbers you enter. We do use analytics to understand traffic patterns and display ads to keep the site free. That is the extent of it.
Key Point
All calculator computations happen locally in your web browser using JavaScript. The numbers you type into our calculators (income, fines, fees, settlement amounts) are never transmitted to our servers. We never collect, store, or have access to the data you enter into any calculator on this site.
When you close the browser tab or navigate away, the data you entered is gone. We do not use local storage, session storage, or any client-side persistence mechanism to save your calculator inputs.
We do not require you to create an account, log in, or provide any personal information to use our calculators or read our content. We collect only the following categories of information automatically when you visit.
Usage data via analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors find and use our site. GA4 collects data such as pages visited, time spent on each page, referring website, browser type, device type, screen resolution, and approximate geographic location (city or region level, not street address). Google Analytics uses cookies to distinguish unique visitors. IP addresses are anonymized by default in GA4.
Server logs. Our hosting provider (Hostinger) automatically records standard server log information. This includes your IP address, browser user-agent string, the pages you requested, and the date and time of each request. Server logs are used solely for security monitoring and troubleshooting and are retained according to our hosting provider's policies.
Cookie consent preference. When you click "Accept" or "Decline" on our cookie banner, we store your choice in your browser's local storage (key: lc_cookie) so we do not ask you again on your next visit. This is not a tracking mechanism. It stores only the word "accepted" or "declined."
A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a website. We use cookies from third-party services, not our own first-party cookies (aside from the consent preference described above, which uses local storage rather than a cookie).
| Cookie / Technology | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga, _ga_* |
Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique visitors, tracks session data | Up to 2 years |
| Various ad cookies | Ad network partners (e.g. Google AdSense, others) | Serves relevant ads, frequency capping, reporting | Varies by provider (up to 2 years) |
lc_cookie |
LegalCost.us (local storage) | Stores your cookie consent preference | Persistent until cleared |
How to control cookies. You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Blocking cookies will not affect the functionality of our calculators, since they do not depend on cookies. You can also decline cookies via our cookie banner when you first visit the site.
For Google's advertising cookies specifically, you can opt out through Google Ads Settings. For other ad networks, you can opt out through the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page or the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page.
For a detailed breakdown of every cookie we set and how long each one lasts, see our Cookie Policy.
LegalCost.us is a free resource supported by display advertising. We work with one or more advertising partners and ad networks, which may include Google AdSense and other providers. These partners may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other websites. This is commonly called interest-based or personalized advertising.
We do not control which specific ads are shown. The appearance of any advertisement on our site does not constitute an endorsement of the advertised product or service. Advertising revenue allows us to keep all calculators and content free for everyone.
You may opt out of personalized advertising through your ad network's settings. For Google, visit Google Ads Settings. For a broader opt-out across multiple networks, visit the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance.
Some pages on LegalCost.us contain affiliate links to legal services, attorney-matching platforms, or related products. If you click an affiliate link and complete a purchase or registration, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate relationships never influence our calculator results, editorial content, or recommendations. All affiliate links are clearly disclosed on the pages where they appear, typically with language such as "Sponsored" or "LegalCost.us may receive compensation."
We use the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy governing how it handles your data.
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with any third parties beyond what is described in this policy.
We retain Google Analytics data for 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted by Google. Server logs are retained according to our hosting provider's standard retention schedule, typically 30 to 90 days. We do not maintain any database of visitor information, because we do not collect personal information directly.
LegalCost.us is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the details below and we will take steps to remove that information.
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and its amendment, the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), give you specific rights regarding your personal information.
Right to know. You have the right to request what personal information we have collected about you. As described above, we do not directly collect personal information. The only data related to you would be anonymized analytics data processed by Google.
Right to delete. You can request deletion of any personal information we hold. Since we do not maintain a database of personal information, there is nothing for us to delete on our end. You can clear cookies and local storage from your browser at any time.
Right to opt out of sale. We do not sell personal information. The use of advertising cookies for personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" under CCPA's broad definition. You can opt out of personalized ads through your ad network's settings (e.g. Google Ads Settings), the NAI opt-out page, or by declining cookies on our cookie banner.
Non-discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. Our calculators and content are freely available to all visitors regardless of their privacy choices.
If you are visiting from the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR provide you with additional rights.
Legal basis for processing. We process data based on legitimate interest (analytics to improve the site) and consent (advertising cookies, collected via our cookie banner).
Your rights include: the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, data portability, and the right to object to processing. Since we do not directly collect personal data beyond anonymized analytics, in most cases there is no personal data for us to access, correct, or delete. If you believe we hold information about you, contact us and we will confirm what exists and act on your request. You can exercise your cookie preferences at any time by clearing your browser data and revisiting the site, which will re-trigger the cookie consent banner.
Data transfers. Data processed by Google Analytics and Google AdSense may be transferred to the United States. Google participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. For details, see Google's data transfer frameworks.
If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal with each request. There is no industry standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. We do not currently alter our data collection practices in response to DNT signals. You can control tracking through your cookie settings and through the opt-out links provided in this policy.
We use HTTPS (SSL/TLS encryption) across our entire website to protect data in transit between your browser and our servers. Our hosting provider maintains server-level security measures including firewalls, DDoS protection, and regular security updates.
Since we do not collect or store personal information directly, the risk of a data breach affecting your personal data on our systems is minimal. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of any information transmitted to third-party services (Google Analytics, Google AdSense) through our site.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
If we make material changes that significantly affect how we handle your information, we will provide prominent notice on our website before the changes take effect.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your data, or your privacy rights, you can reach us at contact@legalcost.us or through our contact page.
We respond to privacy requests within 30 days as required under GDPR, and within 45 days as required under CCPA.
LegalCost.us • Privacy Policy • Last reviewed July 27, 2026