Payments and billing

1. What you pay for

Before you pay, your order shows an itemized total that keeps these amounts separate:

• Government fees: state filing fees and other agency fees. Each state sets its own fees. You pay them through Firmlane, and we pay them to the agency on your behalf.
• Firmlane service fees: $0 on eligible standard formations. Any other service shows its service fee before you order.
• Optional services: only the ones you select.
• Recurring charges: the renewal price and interval of any recurring service, and when the first renewal would happen.
• Taxes: if a tax applies, it is shown as a separate line before you pay.

There are no hidden fees. The prices on your order are fixed when you place it, and we keep a record of exactly what you agreed to pay.

If we have not been able to confirm a state's current fee, we show it as pending confirmation and do not take payment for that filing until the fee is confirmed.

Our prices are in US dollars (USD). Payment methods for India may show an amount in Indian rupees (INR), as explained in section 4.

2. Payment methods

The methods you see depend on your country, your order's currency and amount, and which methods are currently enabled. We check availability on our servers. Your detected location is used only to suggest defaults.

2.1 Card payments through Stripe

• Card payments are processed by Stripe. You enter your card details in Stripe's secure payment form. Firmlane does not receive or store full card numbers.
• Your bank may ask you to confirm the payment.
• A card payment counts as received when Stripe confirms it to us. Reaching a confirmation page in your browser does not by itself confirm a payment.
• Stripe's own terms and privacy policy apply to how it processes your payment.

2.2 Bank transfers

We may offer an international bank transfer and an Indian bank transfer in INR. These are manual methods. We offer them only when an administrator has enabled them and verified the receiving account details.

• Use only the bank details shown for your order in your Firmlane account. If anyone asks you to pay to different details, by email, chat or any other way, do not pay, and contact [email protected] (opens in a new tab).
• Include your order's unique payment reference exactly as shown, so that we can match your payment.
• Send the exact amount due. Banks along the way may deduct their own fees. If we receive less than the amount due, we will tell you the remaining balance, and your order will wait until it is paid. If we receive more, we will refund the difference or, if you agree, apply it to your order.

2.3 UPI (India)

We may offer UPI, only when an administrator has enabled it and verified the receiving UPI ID. This is Firmlane's own UPI checkout: you pay directly to Firmlane's business UPI ID, with no payment company in between.

• We show the exact INR amount to pay, valid for a limited time. It is the INR amount at the exchange rate shown plus a few paise (at most 0.99 INR) that are unique to your payment, so that we can recognise it. Pay that exact amount, in one payment.
• You can scan the QR code or open your UPI app from the payment page. After paying, enter the 12-digit UTR (UPI transaction reference) shown in your app. Each UTR can be used for one payment only.
• We match your payment using credit alerts from Firmlane's own bank, which show the amount, the UTR and the UPI ID and name of the account that paid. We keep these details with your payment record.
• Your payment stays pending until it is matched and approved by our team. If our bank's alert matches your UTR and the exact amount, your payment may be confirmed automatically, without a manual review.

2.4 Crypto (where offered)

We may offer payment in Bitcoin (BTC), USDT on TRON (TRC-20), USDT on BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20), BNB or TRX. This is Firmlane's own crypto checkout: you send the coins directly to Firmlane's receiving address, with no payment company in between. We offer it only when an administrator has enabled it and verified the receiving addresses.

• You choose a coin, and we show the exact amount, the receiving address and the network. For Bitcoin, BNB and TRX the amount is converted from the USD price at a market rate that stays fixed for a limited time; USDT counts as 1 US dollar.
• Send the exact amount, on the exact network shown. Coins sent on another network, or a different coin, cannot be credited and may be lost.
• After you send it, give us the transaction hash. We check the transaction on the public blockchain and wait for the number of network confirmations shown before your payment counts as received. A payment is confirmed only when the blockchain shows the full amount reaching our address.
• Crypto payments are final. Once sent, they cannot be reversed or cancelled by you, by us or by anyone else.
• If less than the amount due arrives, we will ask you for the balance before we start work. If more arrives, we will refund the difference.
• We will never ask for your private keys or recovery phrase.

2.5 PayPal

• Where offered, you can pay with PayPal. You approve the payment in PayPal's own window; Firmlane does not receive your PayPal login or the card or bank details stored in your PayPal account.
• A PayPal payment counts as received when PayPal confirms it to us. Reaching a confirmation page in your browser does not by itself confirm a payment.
• PayPal's own terms and privacy policy apply to how it processes your payment.

3. How manual payments are confirmed

• Each order has a unique payment reference.
• After you send a bank transfer or UPI payment, you can tell us in your account that you have sent it and upload proof of payment if you have it. Your payment then shows as pending confirmation.
• Telling us you have sent a payment, or uploading a receipt, helps us find it but does not confirm it. A payment is confirmed only when we match it, by reference and amount, to funds we have actually received.
• When your payment is matched, your order moves to payment confirmed and we start work.

Bank transfers can take several business days to arrive, and we cannot promise how long a transfer will take. If your payment has not been confirmed after 3 business days, contact support with the date, amount and reference you used.

A payment request may expire if it is not paid within 7 days. UPI payment requests and crypto payment quotes expire sooner (crypto quotes after 48 hours), and the checkout page shows exactly when. If that happens, you can start a new payment, and we will show you any change in the amount before you pay.

4. Currency conversion for INR

When you use an INR payment method, we calculate the INR amount from the USD price using an exchange-rate snapshot taken when the order is placed. The INR amount is shown before you pay and does not change for that payment, even if exchange rates move afterward. Our team sets the rate based on current market rates.

For card payments, your card issuer may convert the charge into your own currency and may charge its own fee for doing so.

5. Taxes

If sales tax or another tax applies to a service, we show it as a separate line before you pay.

6. Order and payment records

Your account shows each order, its items and its payment status, and we email you when a payment is confirmed. Keep your order number and payment reference for your records.

7. Recurring services and automatic renewal

• Recurring services, such as registered agent service after the first year included on eligible formation orders, compliance and annual report services, and business address and mail service, show their renewal price and interval before you order.
• A service renews automatically only if you give explicit consent to automatic renewal. We record when you gave that consent. Without it, the service ends at the end of its current period unless you choose to renew.
• We send a reminder before each renewal, with the renewal date and amount. We send it 30 days and again 7 days before the renewal date.
• You can cancel any time before the renewal date from your account or by contacting support. Canceling stops future renewals, and the service continues until the end of the current period.
• If you agree to automatic renewal, the renewal is charged to the payment method you authorize for it. If a renewal can't be charged, we let you know and you can pay it from your dashboard.
• If a renewal payment fails, we will tell you and give you a chance to pay. If it stays unpaid, the service may end.
• If a renewal price changes, we will tell you before the renewal, and you can cancel before you are charged.

8. Refunds

See our refund policy for when government fees and service fees can be refunded and how refunds are paid.

9. Chargebacks and disputes

If you see a charge you do not recognize or think is wrong, please contact us first. We can usually fix a problem faster than a dispute can.

If you open a dispute or chargeback with your card issuer:

• we will share relevant order records with Stripe and your card issuer, such as what you ordered, your acceptance of our terms, and evidence that filings were submitted;
• we may pause work on the order, and on related services, while the dispute is open;
• if the dispute is decided in your favor, the disputed amount is returned to you through your card issuer. We cannot recover government fees already paid to a state, and we may stop services that are no longer paid for; and
• if you dispute charges for services that you authorized and that we delivered, we may suspend your account.

10. Payment security

• Card payments are handled by Stripe. We will never ask for your full card number by email or chat.
• Receiving bank and UPI details, and crypto receiving addresses, are entered and verified by an administrator before they are shown to customers.
• Every change to a payment's status is recorded, including who made it and why.

11. Contact

Email [email protected] (opens in a new tab) or use our contact page. Please include your order number and payment reference.

Operator: Firmlane, 47 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011