# Refund Policy
Effective from 9 May 2026. Version 1.1.0.
This Refund Policy describes when and how ElevateFinance Private Limited ("**ElevateFinance**", the "**Supplier**", "**we**", or "**us**") issues refunds. The Platform operates two distinct surfaces with two distinct refund postures:
(a) the **white-label Platform** sold to Customers under the Master Services Agreement (the "**MSA**"), governed by clauses 1 to 3 below; and
(b) the **apex retail product** sold to individual Users at `elevatefinance.co`, governed by clauses 4 to 5 below.
Each is governed by Indian law. This Policy is read together with the MSA, the Terms of Service, the Privacy Policy, the Acceptable Use Policy, the Service Level Agreement, the Sub-Processor List, and the Disclaimer.
## Defined terms
In this Policy:
- "**Customer**" means a Chartered Accountant firm or other entity
that has accepted the MSA.
- "**End-User**" means a natural person whom the Customer has
authorised to use the Platform under the Customer's tenant.
- "**User**" means a natural person who uses the apex retail
product.
- "**Platform**" or "**Service**" means the software-as-a-service
product operated by ElevateFinance.
- "**Setup Fee**" means the one-time onboarding fee payable on the
Effective Date of the MSA.
- "**Annual Platform Fee**" means the recurring subscription fee
payable in advance for each Subscription Term under the MSA.
- "**Per-Filing Commission**" means the fee payable in arrears on
each filing event recorded against the Customer's tenant.
- "**Subscription Term**" has the meaning given in the MSA.
- "**Working Day**" means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or
declared public holiday at ElevateFinance's principal place of
business.
Capitalised terms not defined here have the meanings given in the MSA, the Terms of Service, or the Privacy Policy.
## 1. White-label Platform Fees -- Customers under the MSA
**Plain-language summary.** Customers under the MSA pay three components: a one-time Setup Fee, an Annual Platform Fee, and a Per-Filing Commission. Each component has a specific refund posture matched to the cost ElevateFinance has already incurred to deliver it.
### 1.1 One-time Setup Fee
**Plain-language summary.** The Setup Fee is non-refundable once the Customer's tenant goes live, because the onboarding cost has been incurred. If onboarding fails through ElevateFinance's fault and cannot be cured, the Setup Fee is refunded in full.
1.1.1 The Setup Fee covers ElevateFinance's onboarding cost, including super-admin review, agreement processing, subdomain provisioning, payment-partner direct-settlement onboarding, custom-domain transport-security provisioning where applicable, and the welcome session.
1.1.2 The Setup Fee is non-refundable once the Customer's tenant
is provisioned (i.e., once the lifecycle state machine has
transitioned to ACTIVE).
1.1.3 If provisioning fails for a reason wholly attributable to ElevateFinance and is not capable of cure within thirty (30) calendar days, ElevateFinance shall refund the full Setup Fee.
### 1.2 Annual Platform Fee
**Plain-language summary.** A pro-rata refund is available within a short cooling-off window at the start of the first Subscription Term, and on a material breach by ElevateFinance that is not cured within the cure period. Otherwise, the Annual Platform Fee is non- refundable.
1.2.1 The Annual Platform Fee is paid in advance for each Subscription Term and is refundable only on the following terms:
(a) **Cooling-off window.** A pro-rata refund of `(unused days /
365) x Annual Platform Fee` is payable on a written request
received within fourteen (14) calendar days of the start of the first Subscription Term. After the fourteen-day window, the Annual Platform Fee becomes non-refundable.
(b) **Material breach by ElevateFinance.** If ElevateFinance materially breaches the MSA and fails to cure within thirty (30) calendar days of written notice, the Customer may terminate and is entitled to a pro-rata refund of the unused Annual Platform Fee for the current Subscription Term.
(c) **Renewal.** A renewed Annual Platform Fee is non-refundable
except under (b).
### 1.3 Per-Filing Commission
**Plain-language summary.** The Per-Filing Commission is non- refundable once a filing event is recorded, because the compute, citation, and signed-receipt issuance against that filing have already been delivered.
1.3.1 The Per-Filing Commission is non-refundable once the
underlying filing event is recorded against the Customer's
tenant.
1.3.2 The Per-Filing Commission compensates ElevateFinance for the compute, citation work, and tamper-evident receipt issuance that have been delivered and that cannot be reversed.
### 1.4 Trial conversion
**Plain-language summary.** A trial that ends in non-payment is handled through the dunning state machine in the MSA. The trial itself carries no Fees, so nothing is owed to the Customer in respect of the trial.
1.4.1 A trial that ends in non-payment converts into the dunning state machine and ultimately to CHURNED if the unpaid invoice persists through the timeline at clause 8.7 of the MSA.
1.4.2 The trial period itself carries no Fees. Nothing is owed to the Customer in respect of the trial.
### 1.5 Service suspension by ElevateFinance for Customer breach
**Plain-language summary.** Suspension under the MSA does not trigger a refund unless the suspension is later determined to have been without fault of the Customer and lasts longer than fourteen (14) calendar days, in which case Fees are pro-rated.
1.5.1 Suspension under clause 12 of the MSA does not entitle the Customer to a refund of pre-paid Fees, save where the suspension is determined to be without fault of the Customer and lasts longer than fourteen (14) calendar days, in which case Fees are pro-rated.
### 1.6 Termination by the Customer mid-cycle
**Plain-language summary.** Termination by the Customer mid-cycle for reasons other than ElevateFinance's material breach does not trigger a refund of pre-paid Fees.
1.6.1 Termination by the Customer mid-cycle, for any reason other than ElevateFinance's material breach, does not entitle the Customer to a refund of pre-paid Annual Platform Fees.
### 1.7 Commercial-purchaser acknowledgement
**Plain-language summary.** A Customer is a commercial purchaser under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, not a "consumer". The remedies in this clause 1 are governed by the Indian Contract Act 1872 and the MSA.
1.7.1 The Customer is a commercial purchaser within the meaning of Section 2(7) of the Consumer Protection Act 2019. The remedies in this clause 1 are governed by the Indian Contract Act 1872 and the MSA.
1.7.2 The Customer is not a "consumer" under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 in respect of the Platform.
## 2. Refund mechanism -- white-label Platform Fees
**Plain-language summary.** Refunds are processed back to the original instrument. The listed payment partner's processing time applies. GST credit notes are issued under the CGST Act 2017 where applicable.
2.1 Refunds are processed through the same payment instrument used for the original payment, typically within seven (7) Working Days of ElevateFinance's approval. The listed payment partner's standard processing time may add a further two (2) to seven (7) Working Days.
2.2 Goods and Services Tax credit notes are issued under Section 34 of the CGST Act 2017 where applicable, with adjustment under Section 15 of the CGST Act 2017 to maintain the net consideration to ElevateFinance where the rate of any tax on the supply has changed.
2.3 Refunds are made in Indian Rupees regardless of the currency of the original payment. Where the original payment was in a foreign currency, conversion is at ElevateFinance's bank's prevailing rate on the date of refund processing.
## 3. Disputes and chargebacks -- white-label
**Plain-language summary.** Disputes go through the in-product
support inbox first. An unjustified chargeback is recoverable as a
debt under the MSA.
3.1 The Customer shall raise any payment dispute in good faith with ElevateFinance through `support@elevatefinance.co` before initiating a chargeback with the Customer's bank or card issuer.
3.2 An unjustified chargeback is recoverable from the Customer as a debt under the MSA, including any chargeback fee charged by the listed payment partner.
## 4. Apex retail product -- individual Users
**Plain-language summary.** The apex retail product is sold to
individual Users. The Consumer Protection Act 2019 governs
alongside this Policy.
The apex retail product (the consumer flow at `elevatefinance.co`, excluding the white-label tenant subdomains) is governed by the Consumer Protection Act 2019 in addition to this Policy.
### 4.1 Cancellation window
**Plain-language summary.** A retail User may cancel within seventy- two (72) hours of payment, with the refund tapered against the state of the filing.
4.1.1 A retail User may cancel a purchase within seventy-two (72) hours of payment, on the following terms:
(a) **No filing has been generated**: full refund.
(b) **A draft has been generated but not filed**: fifty percent
(50%) refund.
(c) **The return has been filed with the Income Tax Department**: no refund. The value has been delivered.
### 4.2 Service defect
**Plain-language summary.** If the Platform is materially defective in a way that affects a User's filing, ElevateFinance will fix it and re-file at no further charge where possible. If re-filing is not possible because the filing window has closed, ElevateFinance will refund the affected fee.
4.2.1 If the Platform is defective in a material respect (such as a citation error in the Computation Engine that materially overstates or understates the User's tax liability) and the defect is reported to ElevateFinance within fifteen (15) calendar days of the User becoming aware:
(a) ElevateFinance shall use commercially reasonable efforts to
issue a corrected computation and re-file at no further charge;
and
(b) if re-filing is not possible because the Income Tax Department's filing window has closed, ElevateFinance shall refund the fee paid for the affected filing.
### 4.3 Subscription renewals
**Plain-language summary.** Renewals of any apex subscription follow the same fourteen-day cooling-off window as clause 1.2.
4.3.1 Renewals of any apex subscription product are refundable on the same fourteen-day cooling-off window as clause 1.2(a).
## 5. Apex retail refund mechanism
**Plain-language summary.** Refund processing follows clause 2. The User receives an email confirmation when the refund completes.
5.1 Refund processing follows clause 2.
5.2 The User's notification of refund completion is delivered to the email address on the User profile.
## 6. Statutory rights
**Plain-language summary.** Nothing in this Policy excludes a statutory right. The Consumer Protection Act 2019 carve-out is preserved for retail Users.
6.1 This Policy does not exclude or limit any statutory right that the Customer or the apex retail User has under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, the DPDP Act, or any other Applicable Law.
## 7. Contact
**Plain-language summary.** Refund requests go to the support inbox with the order number and the reason.
7.1 Refund requests are submitted to `support@elevatefinance.co` with the order or invoice number and the reason for the refund.
## 8. Grievance Officer
**Plain-language summary.** A dissatisfied User can escalate to the Grievance Officer named in the Privacy Policy.
8.1 If the Customer or the apex retail User is dissatisfied with the resolution of a refund request, the matter may be escalated to the Grievance Officer named in the Privacy Policy and the DPDP Grievance Redressal page, for redressal under the DPDP Act and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2021.
## 9. Cross-references
This Policy is read together with:
- Master Services Agreement
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
- Acceptable Use Policy
- Service Level Agreement
- Sub-Processor List
- DPDP Grievance Redressal
- Disclaimer
- Cookie Policy