Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Nature of Professional Services

Unlike physical goods, the services provided by The Online Tax (accounting, tax filing, legal drafting, and corporate advisory) are intangible and involve the immediate deployment of professional time, intellectual capital, and technological resources. Therefore, our standard policy dictates that professional fees are generally non-refundable once the service execution has commenced.

2. Government Fees & Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Many of our services (such as Private Limited Company Incorporation, Trademark Registration, or FSSAI Licensing) require us to pay statutory fees, stamp duties, or challans directly to the Government of India (MCA, GSTN, CGPDTM, etc.) on your behalf. Under no circumstances are government fees, stamp duties, or third-party vendor costs refundable once they have been paid, regardless of the outcome of your application.

3. Eligibility for Full Refunds

You are entitled to a 100% full refund (minus any payment gateway transaction charges) under the following specific conditions:

• Duplicate Payment: If a technical error resulted in your card or account being charged twice for the same service.
• Cancellation Before Initiation: If you request a cancellation in writing before our team has started processing your case, drafting documents, or assigning a dedicated professional to your file (typically within 24 hours of payment).
• Inability to Serve: If The Online Tax determines that we are legally or operationally unable to provide the service you paid for.

4. Non-Refundable Scenarios

Refunds will not be issued under the following circumstances:

• Change of Mind: If you decide you no longer need the service after our professionals have already commenced work, drafted documents, or provided consultations.
• Delay or Non-Cooperation: If the service cannot be completed because you failed to provide the necessary documents, OTPs, or signatures within a reasonable timeframe (typically 30 days from the request).
• Government Rejections: Our fees are charged for the preparation, filing, and professional representation of your application. We do not guarantee approvals. If a government officer rejects your license, trademark, or appeal based on their discretion or your factual history, our professional fee remains non-refundable.
• Portal Downtime: Delays caused by the crashing or maintenance of government portals (e.g., Income Tax e-Filing, MCA21, GST portal) are outside our control and do not qualify for a refund.

5. Partial Refunds / Milestone Billing

In complex, multi-stage projects (such as Corporate Audits, ITAT Tribunal Appeals, or large-scale clean-up accounting), if you choose to terminate the engagement midway, we will assess the quantum of work already completed. We reserve the right to retain a prorated portion of the professional fee corresponding to the milestones achieved and refund the unutilized balance.

6. How to Request a Cancellation or Refund

To initiate a refund or cancellation request, please follow these steps:

1. Email our billing department at billing@theonlinetax.in from your registered email address.
2. Include your Invoice Number, Service Name, and a clear reason for the cancellation request.
3. Our management team will review the request against the work-in-progress logs and respond within 3 to 5 business days.

7. Refund Processing Timeline

If your refund request is approved, the approved amount will be credited back to your original method of payment (Credit Card, Net Banking, UPI, etc.). Please allow 7 to 10 business days for the funds to reflect in your bank account, depending on your bank's processing timelines.

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8. Contact Billing Support

If you have a dispute regarding a charge or need clarification on a billing matter, we are here to help: