Refund Policy

At a Glance

Use this table as a quick reference. Full details for each scenario are in the sections below.

1. The Basics

RealIDPrep charges a retainer fee to begin work on your case. This retainer covers up to two hours of document research and ordering time and represents a commitment of our team's time and resources to your engagement.

Because our work begins shortly after payment — and because researching government records and submitting orders requires real labor that cannot always be undone once started — our refund policy is built around one key distinction: whether work has started or not.

We are committed to being fair. We do not hide behind fine print. If you have a billing concern, we want to hear from you directly before you take any other action.

2. Cancellation Window

2.1 Full Refund Eligibility

You are eligible for a full refund of your retainer if both of the following conditions are met:

1. You submit your cancellation request within 5 business days of the date your payment was processed, and
2. RealIDPrep has not yet begun active work on your case at the time your request is received.

Both conditions must be satisfied. Meeting the time window alone does not guarantee a refund if work has already commenced.

2.2 Why Business Days?

We use business days — not calendar days — because we don't always begin a case the same day payment is received. Depending on case volume and intake timing, work may begin anywhere from immediately to 1–3 business days after payment. Using business days ensures you have a fair and realistic opportunity to cancel before your case starts, regardless of when you paid.

2.3 Case Start Notification

We will send you an email notification when your case moves to active status and work begins. That notification marks the point at which the retainer is earned and the cancellation window closes. If you are considering canceling, please do so before receiving that notification.

3. When Work Has Started

Once RealIDPrep has begun active work on your case — meaning our team has commenced research, initiated contact with any agency, or taken any substantive action toward locating or ordering your documents — the retainer fee is fully earned and non-refundable.

This applies regardless of:

• How far along your case is at the time of cancellation
• Whether document orders have been placed or delivered yet
• Whether you choose to discontinue use of our Services before completion

The retainer compensates us for the time, expertise, and resources committed to your case from the moment work begins — not just upon delivery of your case file.

3.1 Late Cancellation Requests

If you request a cancellation after the 5-business-day window has passed but work has not yet started — for example, due to an unusually high case volume causing a delay — we will review your request on a case-by-case basis and respond with our determination within 3 business days. We do not guarantee a refund in this scenario, but we will not dismiss the request without a fair review.

4. Government & Third-Party Pass-Through Fees

In addition to our service retainer, your case may involve fees charged by government agencies, vital records offices, courts, or other third-party issuers for producing certified copies of your records. These fees are collected from you and remitted directly to the issuing agency on your behalf — we do not mark them up. Certified records are then dispatched by the agency directly to your address.

4.1 Fees Already Submitted

Pass-through fees that have already been submitted to a government agency or third-party issuer on your behalf are non-refundable by RealIDPrep. Once a fee has been remitted, it is in the hands of that agency and subject to their own policies, which we cannot control or override.

4.2 Fees Not Yet Submitted

If you cancel your case and pass-through fees have been collected but not yet remitted to any agency, those amounts will be refunded to you in full as part of your cancellation.

4.3 Agency-Issued Refunds

In rare cases, a government agency may issue a refund of a previously submitted fee — for example, if they are unable to process your request. Because certified records and any related agency refunds are handled directly between the agency and you, any such agency refund goes directly to the address or payment method you provided to that agency. If a refund was collected through us, we will pass it through to you in full within 5 business days of receipt.

5. DMV Rejection

Our Services are complete when we have researched your records, submitted the orders on your behalf, and delivered your case file. The certified documents are sent directly from the issuing agencies to you. The final determination of whether those documents are accepted rests entirely with the relevant DMV or government authority — not with RealIDPrep.

DMV rejections can occur for reasons entirely outside our control, including but not limited to:

• Individual examiner interpretation of document requirements
• Policy changes implemented by the DMV after your documents were ordered
• Errors or inconsistencies on documents as issued by the originating government agency
• Information provided to us by you that did not match agency records
• Office-specific requirements that differ from published state guidelines

If your documents are rejected and you believe the rejection resulted directly from an error made by RealIDPrep — not by the DMV, an issuing agency, or based on information you provided — please contact us at legal@realidprep.com. We will review the situation and work with you toward a resolution, which may include additional research at no extra charge. Refunds in this scenario are evaluated case-by-case.

6. Additional Hourly Fees

If your case requires more than the two hours of work covered by your retainer, additional time is billed at the overage rate for your service tier — $50.00/hr for Standard, $75.00/hr for Complex, and $150.00/hr for Express — prorated to the nearest 15 minutes. We will always contact you for approval before incurring any billable time beyond your retainer coverage. We will not proceed with additional work without your explicit authorization.

If you believe you were billed for hourly time you did not authorize or that was not reasonably necessary to your case, please contact us at legal@realidprep.com within 10 business days of receiving your invoice. We will review the time records and respond within 3 business days. Disputed overage charges that we cannot substantiate will be credited or refunded.

7. Cancellation by RealIDPrep

In certain circumstances, RealIDPrep may cancel your engagement. The refund treatment depends on the reason for cancellation:

7.1 Cancellation Due to Client Fault

If we cancel your engagement due to Client misrepresentation, provision of false information, suspected fraud, or abusive conduct toward our team, no refund will be issued for work already performed. Any government fees already submitted are also non-refundable.

7.2 Cancellation Due to Our Inability to Complete Services

If RealIDPrep cancels your engagement for reasons within our control — such as an inability to staff your case or a determination that we cannot complete the requested ordering through no fault of your own — you will receive a pro-rated refund of the retainer reflecting the portion of work not yet performed. Any government fees not yet submitted will also be refunded in full.

7.3 Cancellation Due to Circumstances Beyond Either Party's Control

In cases where an engagement must be terminated due to circumstances beyond either party's control — such as a government agency permanently closing its records access, a change in law, or a force majeure event — we will work with you individually to determine a fair resolution.

8. How to Request a Refund

To request a refund or raise a billing concern, follow these steps:

1. Email us at legal@realidprep.com with the subject line "Refund Request — [Your Full Name]".
2. Include your full name, the email address used at intake, and your payment date.
3. Briefly describe the reason for your request.
4. We will acknowledge your request within 1 business day and provide a determination within 3 business days.
5. If your refund is approved, it will be processed within 5–10 business days to your original payment method.

9. Chargebacks & Payment Disputes

We understand that chargebacks exist to protect consumers, and we respect your right to use them when genuinely warranted. However, we ask that you contact us at legal@realidprep.com before initiating a chargeback with your bank or card issuer.

Here is why this matters:

• Most billing disputes can be resolved directly and faster than the chargeback process allows.
• Chargebacks initiated without first contacting us may be contested. We maintain detailed records of all case activity, client communications, and service agreements, which we will provide to your card issuer as part of any dispute response.
• A chargeback that is reversed in our favor may result in termination of your service engagement without refund eligibility.

If you contact us first and we are unable to reach a satisfactory resolution within 5 business days, you remain free to pursue any remedy available to you, including a chargeback. We simply ask for the opportunity to make it right before that step is taken.

10. Refund Processing Time

Once a refund has been approved by RealIDPrep, it will be issued to your original payment method within 5–10 business days. The exact timing depends on your bank or card issuer's processing schedule, which is outside our control once we initiate the refund.

You will receive an email confirmation when your refund has been initiated on our end. If your refund has not appeared within 10 business days of that confirmation, please contact your bank first, then reach out to us if the issue is unresolved.

Refunds are issued in U.S. dollars to the original payment method only. We do not issue refunds by check, cash, or alternative payment method unless the original payment method is no longer valid, in which case we will work with you to arrange an appropriate alternative.

Contact Us

For all refund requests, billing questions, or payment disputes, please reach out to our team directly. We respond to all refund-related inquiries within 1 business day.