Refund and Cancellation Policy

Quick answer: Government fees are non-refundable once submitted. For professional fees, a 100% refund is available if cancelled before work begins. If cancelled after work starts, a proportionate refund is issued based on work completed. Certain delivered services, such as signed valuation reports and filed tax returns, are strictly non-refundable.

Refund and Cancellation Policy

What is Refund and Cancellation Policy?

Virtual Auditor Private Limited ("Company", "we", "us") values transparency in all our client engagements. This Refund and Cancellation Policy explains the terms under which refunds are available for each category of service we provide.

1. General Principles

• All fees consist of two components: Professional Fees (our service charges) and Government Fees (statutory fees paid to MCA, CBDT, CBIC, RBI, IPO, DPIIT, DGFT, EPFO, ESIC, and other authorities on your behalf).
• Government fees are non-refundable once submitted to the respective authority, as we act only as an intermediary and have no control over government processing.
• Professional fees refund eligibility depends on the stage of work completed at the time of cancellation.
• All refund requests must be submitted in writing to support@virtualauditor.in within 30 days of the service date.
• Refunds are processed within 7-10 business days of approval, to the original payment method.
• GST paid on professional fees will be adjusted as per applicable GST law.

2. Service-Specific Refund Terms

2.1 Company Registration Services (Pvt Ltd, LLP, OPC, Section 8, Indian Subsidiary)

• Before filing with MCA: 100% refund of professional fees. Government fees refunded if not yet paid to MCA.
• After name approval but before SPICe+ submission: 75% refund of professional fees. Name reservation fee (₹1,000) is non-refundable.
• After SPICe+ submission to MCA: No refund of professional fees or government fees, as the application is under processing.
• If MCA rejects the application due to our error: Full rework at no additional cost, or 100% refund of professional fees.
• If MCA rejects due to client-provided incorrect information: Additional charges apply for re-filing.

2.2 Valuation Services (Startup, ESOP, FEMA, 409A, IBC, Companies Act, Income Tax)

• Before commencement of work: 100% refund of professional fees.
• After data collection but before analysis: 50% refund of professional fees.
• After draft report delivery: No refund, as the substantive work is complete.
• If report contains material errors due to our oversight: Free revision or corrected report at no charge.
• If client provides materially different information after report delivery: New engagement required at standard fees.
• Express delivery charges: Non-refundable once express timeline is confirmed.

2.3 GST Services

• GST Registration: Before application submission — 100% refund. After submission — no refund (government fees non-refundable).
• GST Return Filing: Before filing on portal — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• GST Appeal / SCN Reply: Before submission to authority — refund proportionate to work not completed. After submission — no refund.
• GST LUT: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• GST Cancellation: Before application submission — 100% refund. After submission — no refund.

2.4 Income Tax Services

• ITR Filing: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• Income Tax Notice Response: Before submission — refund proportionate to work not completed. After submission — no refund.
• Income Tax Appeal: Before filing Form 35/36 — refund proportionate to work not completed. After filing — no refund. Pre-deposit amounts paid to the tax department are non-refundable by us.
• Transfer Pricing Documentation: Before delivery of report — 50% refund if more than 50% of work is pending. After delivery — no refund.

2.5 FEMA Compliance Services

• FC-GPR / FC-TRS Filing: Before submission to AD bank — 100% refund. After submission — no refund.
• ECB Compliance: Before filing — refund proportionate to work not completed. After filing — no refund.
• FEMA Compounding: Before application to RBI — 50% refund. After application — no refund. Compounding fee paid to RBI is non-refundable.
• FEMA Valuation: Same terms as valuation services above.

2.6 Trademark and IP Services

• Trademark Registration: Before filing — 100% refund of professional fees. Government filing fee (₹4,500/₹9,000) is non-refundable once paid.
• Trademark Objection Reply: Before submission — 75% refund. After submission — no refund.
• Trademark Renewal: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund (government fee non-refundable).
• Copyright Registration: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.

2.7 Company Secretary Services

• Annual Filing (MGT-7A, AOC-4): Before filing with MCA — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• Director Appointment/Resignation: Before filing DIR-12 — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• Share Transfer: Before filing SH-4 — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• Company Name Change: Before RoC approval — refund proportionate to work not completed. Government fees non-refundable after submission.

2.8 Compliance Registrations

• MSME/Udyam Registration: Free service — no refund applicable.
• FSSAI Registration: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund (government fee non-refundable).
• Import-Export Code (IEC): Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• ESI/EPF Registration: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• Professional Tax Registration: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• Shop & Establishment Registration: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund.
• Digital Signature Certificate (DSC): Before issuance — 100% refund. After issuance — no refund (DSC is linked to applicant identity).

2.9 Forensic Accounting and Due Diligence

• Before commencement of investigation: 100% refund minus any expenses incurred.
• After commencement: Refund proportionate to work not completed, based on milestones defined in the Engagement Letter.
• After delivery of final report: No refund.

2.10 Virtual CFO Services

• Monthly retainer is non-refundable for the current billing month.
• Cancellation requires 30 days' written notice. Fees for the notice period are payable.
• Advance payments for future months are fully refundable.

2.11 Startup Advisory Services

• DPIIT Recognition: Before filing — 100% refund. After filing — no refund (free government service).
• Funding Advisory: Retainer-based — cancellation with 15 days' notice; refund for unused months.
• Due Diligence: Same terms as forensic accounting services.

3. How to Request a Refund

Step 1: Email support@virtualauditor.in with subject line "Refund Request — [Service Name] — [Invoice Number]".

Step 2: Include: your name, contact details, service engaged, invoice number, reason for refund request, and preferred refund method.

Step 3: Our team will acknowledge your request within 48 hours.

Step 4: Refund decision will be communicated within 5 business days of acknowledgement.

Step 5: Approved refunds are processed within 7-10 business days.

4. Non-Refundable Items

The following are non-refundable under any circumstances: government fees and statutory charges already paid to any authority; DSC tokens once issued and activated; stamp duty paid for document execution; notarisation and apostille charges; courier and logistics charges already incurred; and express/priority processing surcharges once the timeline is confirmed.

5. Service Guarantee

If our work contains material errors due to our oversight: we will rectify the error at no additional cost; if rectification is not possible, a full refund of professional fees will be provided; government fees for re-filing (if required due to our error) will be borne by us.

6. Dispute Resolution

If you are not satisfied with the refund decision, you may: request a review by a senior partner within 15 days; escalate to the Managing Director via registered post to our Chennai office; or pursue mediation/arbitration as per our Terms and Conditions.

7. Contact Us

For refund queries, contact us at:

Email: support@virtualauditor.in

Chennai (HQ): +91 99622 60333

Bangalore: +91 95139 39333

Mumbai: +91 77000 89597

Office Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM IST