The short version
Entry payment (onboarding $2,000 one time, or onboarding with the Type 1 examination $4,000 one time): Either entry is fully refundable within 7 days of payment. On the Type 1 entry that window also closes early if your audit report is generated first: after report generation the engagement is non-refundable because the independent CPA firm has begun substantive work that cannot be undone. The onboarding entry buys no examination, so no CPA firm work can have begun on it and the 7 days are the only condition.
Type 2 subscription ($600 per month on a 12-month term, or the same term paid in full on a single $7,000 invoice): You accept that 12-month term, and what it commits you to, at checkout before the subscription starts, and we record that acceptance. Full refund within 7 days of your first charge, and that refund releases you from the term. After those 7 days the term applies: you owe the whole 12 months, the monthly charge is a payment schedule rather than a month to month contract, and if you cancel, billing and access continue to the end of the term, then stop. No prorated refunds for unused time. If you paid the term in full, cancelling keeps your access to the end of the months you paid for.
Quoted engagements: Any audit after your included first one is arranged on request and quoted before it begins. You owe nothing until you accept the quote, and once accepted the same rule as your entry payment applies: refundable within 7 days if the auditor has not yet begun substantive work on that engagement.
What you can get refunded
- Your entry payment, within 7 days of payment. Both entries qualify on the same footing: onboarding ($2,000) and onboarding with the Type 1 examination ($4,000). On the Type 1 entry the request also has to reach us before report generation. Full refund, no questions asked. Email Surya at surya@polaralabs.com with your account email and order ID. Refund processed via Stripe within 5 to 10 business days.
- A quoted engagement, within 7 days of accepting the quote AND before the auditor begins work. Same process and timing as the entry payment.
- Type 2 subscription, within 7 days of your first charge. Full refund and release from the term. After the 7-day window the 12-month term applies in full: you owe the whole 12 months, you keep access to the end of the term, and renewals stop after that.
What we cannot refund
- After your audit report is delivered. The CPA firm's substantive work is complete and that portion of your purchase covers an executed third-party engagement.
- Mid-period Type 2 subscription charges for time already elapsed in the billing period. You keep access through the end of the cycle but the period itself is not prorated.
- Admin-waived accounts. If you did not pay anything, there is nothing to refund.
How to request a refund
Email surya@polaralabs.com with the subject line "Refund request" and include:
- The email address on your Polara Labs account
- The Stripe order ID or rough date of payment
- One sentence on why. Not because we are gatekeeping, but because we want to learn what to fix
Surya replies personally within 1 business day. If approved, the refund is initiated through Stripe and lands on your original payment method within 5 to 10 business days depending on your bank.
If something goes wrong
If our platform has a bug, our auditor drops the ball, or anything else on our side prevents you from completing your audit, we will refund you in full regardless of the 7-day window. We are a small team and we will make it right.
Disputes and chargebacks
We strongly prefer that you email Surya before filing a chargeback with your card issuer. Chargebacks cost both sides money and time, and we will work with you faster directly. That said, your statutory chargeback rights are not waived by these terms.
Why this policy is short: SOC 2 audits are real services with real costs once the auditor begins work. Before the report is generated, none of that cost has been incurred yet, so we can refund without risk to either side. After the report is generated, the work is done. That is the line. Everything else is conversation.