Billing and Payment Policy

Effective date: September 22, 2026

This policy explains how we quote, invoice and get paid for development work, and what happens when an engagement stops early or an invoice is disputed. It forms part of the Terms of Service. Where a signed Master Services Agreement or Statement of Work says something different, that document wins.

There is no subscription, seat, plan or trial. Seros sells development engagements. We are paid for work performed under a signed Statement of Work ("SOW").

1. How work is priced

Discovery sprint. A fixed fee, agreed in writing before the sprint starts. It buys a written specification, a technical approach, a price for the build, and an explicit list of what is out of scope. The document is yours whether or not you go on to build with us.
Build. A fixed fee, quoted from the discovery document and stated in the SOW.
Care plan. A monthly retainer covering the maintenance, monitoring and change allowance stated in the SOW.
Time and materials. Used only where scope genuinely cannot be fixed, and only when the SOW says so. Charged at $150 per hour, with an estimate and a not-to-exceed ceiling that we will not cross without a signed change order.
Work outside an agreed scope is charged at $150 per hour and requires a signed change order first.

All fees are in US dollars (USD) and exclude sales tax, VAT, GST and similar taxes, which are added where applicable. Whether the Services are taxable in a given place is a question for our advisers; see confirm with a qualified tax adviser.

2. Deposits and payment schedule

Unless the SOW says otherwise, a fixed-fee engagement requires a deposit of 50% before work begins. Work is scheduled when the deposit clears.
The remainder is invoiced on the milestones stated in the SOW. Where no milestones are stated, we invoice monthly in arrears for work performed.
Care plans are invoiced monthly in advance.
Expenses — travel, third-party licences, cloud and infrastructure costs incurred for your engagement — are passed through at cost with receipts, and are pre-approved in writing above the threshold stated in the SOW.

3. Invoicing and payment terms

Undisputed invoices are due within 30 days of the invoice date.
We invoice by email to the billing contact named in the SOW. Payment is by ACH bank transfer and cheque; card payment is not accepted.
If you need a purchase order number on the invoice, give it to us before the engagement starts. Terms printed on your purchase order or vendor portal do not apply.

4. Disputed invoices

If you dispute an invoice in good faith, tell us in writing before the due date with the specific reason and the disputed amount.
We will not pause work over the disputed portion while we work it out. You must pay the undisputed portion on time.
We aim to resolve a billing dispute within 5 business days.

5. Late payment and suspension

Overdue amounts may accrue interest at the lower of 1.0% per month, or the maximum the law allows, whichever is lower per month or the maximum permitted by law, plus reasonable collection costs.
If an undisputed invoice remains unpaid, we may pause work after at least 7 days' written notice and a chance to cure.
Pausing does not cancel the engagement or the debt. A paused engagement is rescheduled when payment clears, and the original schedule no longer binds us.
Intellectual property in Deliverables transfers on payment in full. Until then, you have no licence to use an unpaid Deliverable in production.

6. Stopping an engagement early

Situation	Outcome
You cancel before work starts	Deposit refunded, less any work already performed at your request.
You cancel mid-engagement	You pay for work performed to the cancellation date plus non-cancellable commitments we made in reliance on the SOW. Any balance of the deposit is refunded.
We cancel for convenience	You pay for work performed to date. We refund any prepaid amount for work not performed, and deliver work in progress in its then-current state.
We materially breach and cannot cure within 30 days	Refund of fees paid for the non-conforming work.
We suspend or terminate for your material breach of the Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy	No refund of work already performed.
A care plan is cancelled	Stops at the end of the month already paid for. Unused change-hour allowance does not carry over or refund.
Discovery sprint delivered, you do not proceed to build	No refund. The specification is the deliverable, and it is yours.
Taxes already remitted to an authority	Refunded only where we can recover them.

How to ask. Email team@seros.dev with the engagement name and the invoice number. We respond within 5 business days. Approved refunds are paid within 10 business days by the method used for the original payment.

Consumer protection law does not usually apply to business purchases, but where a mandatory local law gives you a stronger right, that law applies and this policy does not reduce it.

7. Estimates are not quotes

An estimate, budgetary range, or figure given in conversation is an indication only. The only binding price is the one in a signed SOW or change order. If our estimate turns out to be wrong on a fixed-fee engagement, that is our risk, not yours — the fixed fee holds unless the scope changes.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. A change does not affect an engagement under a SOW signed before the change takes effect. Notice is given under Section 17.12 of the Terms.

Questions: team@seros.dev.