Cookie Policy

Last updated: March 2026

1. What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites function properly, to improve user experience, and to provide information to website operators.

Cookies may be "first-party" (set by the website you are visiting) or "third-party" (set by a different domain). They may be "session" cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent" cookies (remaining on your device for a set period or until you delete them).

2. How We Use Cookies

We use a limited number of cookies on assessnow.co.uk. We categorise them as follows:

Essential cookies. These are necessary for the Service to function. They enable core features such as authentication, session management, and your cookie consent preferences. We do not require your consent for essential cookies, as the Service cannot operate without them.

Analytics cookies. These help us understand how visitors use the Service, which pages are most popular, and how users navigate between pages. Analytics cookies are only activated after you provide explicit consent through our cookie banner. If you choose "Essential only", no analytics cookies are set.

We do not use any advertising cookies, social media tracking cookies, or cookies for behavioural profiling.

3. Essential Cookies

Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of the Service. Without these cookies, core features such as logging in, maintaining your session, and remembering your cookie preferences would not work. These cookies do not collect information that identifies you for marketing purposes.

Our essential cookies include:

  • Authentication cookies set by Supabase to manage your login session and verify your identity when you access firm or admin areas of the Service.
  • Session cookies that maintain your state as you navigate between pages (for example, preserving your Assessment progress).
  • Consent preference cookie that records whether you have accepted or declined analytics cookies, so that we do not ask you again on each visit.

4. Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics (GA4) to collect anonymised information about how visitors use the Service. This helps us identify areas for improvement and understand which features are most useful.

Analytics cookies are consent-gated. They are only loaded after you click "Accept all" on our cookie banner. If you choose "Essential only", no analytics cookies are placed on your device and no data is sent to Google Analytics.

When activated, Google Analytics collects information such as: the pages you visit, the time you spend on each page, how you arrived at the Service (for example, from a search engine or direct link), your approximate geographic location (country or city level, based on anonymised IP), and your device and browser type.

We have configured Google Analytics to anonymise IP addresses before processing. We do not use Google Analytics to identify individual users, and we do not link analytics data to any personal data we hold.

5. Third-Party Cookies

In addition to Google Analytics (described above), the following third-party service may set cookies during your use of the Service:

Stripe. When you make a payment, Stripe may set cookies on your device for fraud prevention, security verification, and payment processing. These cookies are set directly by Stripe and are subject to Stripe's cookie policy. We do not control these cookies.

We do not use any other third-party cookies, including those from social media platforms, advertising networks, or retargeting services.

The following table lists the specific cookies used on the Service.

Essential Cookies

Cookie NameProviderPurposeTypeExpiry
sb-*-auth-tokenSupabaseAuthentication session tokenFirst-party, persistentSession duration
sb-*-auth-token-code-verifierSupabasePKCE authentication flow verificationFirst-party, persistentSession duration
assessnow_cookie_consentAssessNowRecords your cookie consent preference (essential only or all cookies)First-party, persistent365 days

Analytics Cookies (Consent Required)

Cookie NameProviderPurposeTypeExpiry
_gaGoogle AnalyticsDistinguishes unique visitors by assigning a randomly generated identifierFirst-party, persistent2 years
_ga_[ID]Google AnalyticsMaintains session state and tracks interactions across pagesFirst-party, persistent2 years

Third-Party Cookies (Payment)

Cookie NameProviderPurposeTypeExpiry
__stripe_midStripeFraud prevention and payment securityThird-party, persistent1 year
__stripe_sidStripeFraud prevention and session-level payment securityThird-party, sessionSession duration

Note: Stripe may set additional cookies during the payment process. For a full list, please refer to Stripe's cookie policy.

When you first visit the Service, you will see a cookie banner offering you a choice between "Accept all" (enabling both essential and analytics cookies) and "Essential only" (enabling only cookies necessary for the Service to function).

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Manage cookies" link in the website footer. This will re-display the cookie banner, allowing you to update your choice. We will not set non-essential cookies unless you enable them.

If you have previously accepted analytics cookies and wish to opt out without changing your site-wide preferences, you can also install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On, which prevents Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits.

We currently require opt-in consent for all analytics cookies. We do not rely on any PECR Regulation 6 exception for statistical measurement cookies. If our approach changes in the future, we will update this Cookie Policy and the cookie banner accordingly.

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. The exact steps vary by browser. Below are links to cookie management instructions for common browsers:

Please note that disabling or deleting essential cookies may prevent certain features of the Service from functioning correctly, including authentication and session management.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, our practices, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

If we introduce new categories of cookies (for example, if we were to add marketing or advertising cookies in the future), we will update this policy and seek your consent where required.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact us:

Email: support@assessnow.co.uk