Payment Terms

Introduction

These Payment Terms govern all financial transactions for A.X.E.L Portal services provided by THEAX LTD (Company No. 11980590), trading as Axel Up, A.X.E.L, and AXEL.TRADE. These terms form part of our Terms of Service.

By subscribing to our services, you agree to these payment terms and authorize us to charge the payment methods you provide.

Payment Processor

All payments are processed by Stripe, Inc., a PCI Level 1 compliant payment processor. Stripe handles:

• Secure collection and storage of payment information
• Processing of subscription charges and one-time payments
• PCI DSS compliance for card data security
• Fraud detection and prevention

We do not store your complete payment card details on our servers. Stripe's services are subject to their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Subscription Billing

Monthly Auto-Renewal

A.X.E.L Portal subscriptions are billed monthly in advance:

• Charges automatically renew on the same date each month
• Your payment method will be charged automatically unless cancelled
• Billing occurs on the anniversary of your subscription start date
• You will receive an email receipt for each successful payment

Prorated Billing

• Upgrades: Immediate charge for the prorated difference to next billing cycle
• Downgrades: Credit applied to next billing cycle (no immediate refund)
• Mid-cycle changes: Calculated based on days remaining in current billing period

Free Trial

Trial Period

New customers receive a 30-day free trial with the following conditions:

• Website build only: Trial includes custom website creation
• Limited portal access: Basic A.X.E.L Portal features for evaluation
• No payment required: No credit card required to start trial
• Full portal access: Requires paid subscription activation

Trial Conversion

• Trial converts to paid subscription when you add payment details
• Full portal features unlock immediately upon payment
• Trial period ends upon payment or after 30 days (whichever comes first)
• Cancel anytime during trial with no charges

Payment Failures

Retry Process

If payment fails, we will attempt to collect payment as follows:

• Day 1: Immediate retry attempt
• Day 3: Second retry attempt with email notification
• Day 7: Final retry attempt with urgent notification
• Day 8: Account suspension if payment still fails

Account Suspension

During suspension:

• Portal access is restricted to read-only mode
• New data entry and AI features are disabled
• Data remains secure and accessible for viewing
• Service resumes immediately upon successful payment

Updating Payment Methods

You can update payment methods anytime in your account settings. We recommend:

• Keeping payment information current
• Adding backup payment methods
• Monitoring card expiration dates
• Updating details before card expires

Additional Seats

Immediate Billing

Extra seats are billed immediately when added:

• Prorated charge: Based on days remaining in current billing cycle
• Next billing cycle: Full price for additional seats included
• Instant activation: New team members can access the platform immediately

Seat Reduction

• Reduced seats take effect at next billing cycle
• No immediate refund for removed seats
• Credit applied to future billing
• Ensure users are deactivated before reducing seat count

One-Off Purchases: A.X.E.L Filing (CT600)

A.X.E.L Filing is charged per filing, not by subscription. The fee is £49 for each corporation tax return submitted, taken through Stripe Checkout. There is no recurring charge, no trial, and nothing to cancel.

• What you pay for: The preparation and submission of one CT600 return, with its accompanying accounts and computations, for one accounting period of one company
• When you pay: Payment is taken before submission. You can complete the whole return and preview the generated documents free of charge, and are only asked to pay at the point of filing
• Rejected submissions: If HMRC rejects a submission for a technical reason, you may correct and resubmit the same return for that period without paying again

Cancelling and Refunds: Everyone

Before your return is accepted by HMRC: if you have paid but the return has not yet been accepted, you may cancel and we will refund you in full.

After HMRC accepts the return: the service has been performed and the fee is not refundable. A return that HMRC has accepted cannot be recalled by us.

If HMRC rejects a submission, the service is not complete: you may correct and resubmit without paying again, or cancel for a full refund.

If You Are a Consumer: Your Right to Cancel

This section applies only if you are an individual acting wholly or mainly outside your trade, business, craft or profession. A limited company is not a consumer, and a director buying this service to meet their company's filing obligation will not normally be one either. If you are buying for a business, the statutory cancellation right below does not apply to you, and the refund position above governs.

For consumers, this is a distance contract, and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 would normally give you 14 days to cancel and receive a refund.

Filing cannot always wait 14 days. So at the declaration step, before payment is taken, you are asked to confirm two things:

• That you want us to begin the service immediately, rather than waiting for the 14-day cancellation period to expire; and
• That you understand you will lose your right to cancel once the service has been fully performed, which happens when HMRC accepts your return

You do not have to agree. If you would rather keep the full cancellation period, simply do not submit: your draft and documents remain available, and you will not be charged.

None of this affects your statutory rights. If the service is not performed with reasonable care and skill, you keep your remedies under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and we will put right any failure that is ours.

None of this affects what you owe HMRC. The £49 is our fee for filing. Any corporation tax due is paid separately by you, directly to HMRC.

Refund Policy

Monthly Subscriptions

• No partial month refunds: Payments are non-refundable for partial billing periods
• Cancel anytime: Cancellation prevents future charges but doesn't refund current period
• Exceptional circumstances: Refunds may be considered for technical failures or billing errors

Refund Considerations

• Case-by-case basis: If you're not satisfied within the first 30 days of a paid subscription, contact us to discuss a refund on a case-by-case basis.
• Exceptional circumstances: Refunds may be considered for technical failures or billing errors

Stripe Connect

Customer Payment Processing

When your customers pay invoices through A.X.E.L Portal:

• Direct to your account: Payments go directly to your connected Stripe account
• No platform involvement: We don't handle or hold customer funds
• Your responsibility: You manage customer refunds and disputes
• Stripe fees apply: Standard Stripe processing fees deducted automatically

Platform Fees

• A.X.E.L platform fee: Separate charge to your subscription payment method
• Not deducted from customer payments: Platform fees don't affect customer transactions
• Transparent billing: Platform fees clearly itemized on your invoices

Chargebacks and Disputes

Subscription Disputes

For subscription-related disputes:

• Contact us first to resolve issues directly
• We provide documentation to support legitimate charges
• Disputed charges may result in service suspension pending resolution

Customer Invoice Disputes

For customer payment disputes on your invoices:

• Handled directly between you and your customer
• Subject to Stripe's dispute resolution procedures
• A.X.E.L Portal provides transaction records as evidence
• You remain liable for chargeback fees and reversals

Currency and Pricing

Base Currency

• Primary currency: British Pounds (GBP)
• International customers: Charges converted by your bank/card issuer
• Exchange rates: Determined by Stripe and your payment provider
• Currency conversion fees: May apply based on your bank's policies

Price Changes

• Existing customers: 30 days' advance notice for price increases
• Grandfathering: Existing rates maintained where possible
• Optional upgrades: New features may be offered at additional cost

Late Payment

Interest on Overdue Amounts

In accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998:

• Interest rate: 8% above the Bank of England base rate per annum
• Calculation: Daily interest on overdue amounts
• Collection costs: You may be liable for reasonable debt collection expenses
• Commercial customers only: Statutory interest applies to business accounts

Debt Recovery

Persistent non-payment may result in:

• Referral to debt collection agencies
• Legal action for debt recovery
• Additional costs and fees
• Impact on credit rating

Tax Treatment

VAT (Value Added Tax)

• THEAX LTD is not currently VAT registered. All prices shown are inclusive and no VAT is charged.
• Should THEAX LTD become VAT registered in the future, VAT will be added at the prevailing rate and customers will be notified in advance of any price changes.
• Invoices and receipts are available for download in your account.

Business Expenses

• A.X.E.L Portal subscriptions typically qualify as business expenses
• Consult your accountant for tax deductibility in your situation
• Detailed invoices provided for accounting purposes

Payment Security

We maintain high security standards:

• PCI DSS compliance: Through Stripe's certified infrastructure
• Encryption: All payment data encrypted in transit and at rest
• Tokenization: Payment methods stored as secure tokens only
• No card storage: Full card numbers never stored on our servers