Fair terms, stated plainly

Refund Policy

Every service is quoted at a flat rate before work begins, and every refund is decided by one simple question: how far had your documents come when you asked? This page sets out exactly what happens in each case.

Effective October 28, 2026

The short version

Before filing, a 30% hold fee covers the work already done.

If your documents have not yet been filed and you ask for a refund, we will return your payment less a 30% hold fee for the documents that have already been prepared. That fee pays for the time spent drafting, formatting and reviewing your paperwork — work that has already been carried out. If nothing had been started when you asked, nothing is withheld.

Once your documents have been filed, the preparation fee has been earned and is no longer refundable.

Where your matter stands decides the outcome

The date you asked for a refund is the date we work from. We look at your file as it stood that day and apply the corresponding terms below.

Full refund

You asked for your money back before we began preparing your documents. Nothing has been drafted, so the hold fee does not apply and your payment is returned in full.

Refund less a 30% hold fee

Your documents have not been filed, but preparation work has already been carried out. A 30% hold fee is retained for the documents that were prepared, and the remaining 70% is returned to you.

Preparation fee not refundable

Your documents have already been filed. The preparation work was completed and delivered, so the preparation fee has been earned and cannot be returned.

Filing fees are never refundable by us

Court, county and agency filing fees are paid straight through to the office that receives your filing. Whether those fees come back is entirely that office's decision, not ours.

Notarization fee earned once performed

A notarization fee covers the act of notarizing. Once the notarization has taken place it cannot be undone, so the fee is not refundable. If an appointment does not go ahead, contact us and the fee will be refunded or credited toward a new appointment.

Requesting a refund in three steps

Tell us in writing

Send a short message through our contact page with your name, the service you paid for, and the date of payment. Written requests give us a clear record of the date you asked.

We confirm where your matter stands

We check whether your documents had been prepared, and whether anything had been filed, as at the date of your request. That is what decides the amount due back to you.

We send the amount owed

Approved refunds go back to the original payment method used at checkout, typically within 5 to 10 business days. Your bank may add a short processing period.

A few more things worth knowing

Corrections come before refunds: If a document we prepared contains an error on our part, we will correct it at no charge and as quickly as possible. Getting your paperwork right is usually worth more to you than a refund, so we treat that as the first remedy.
Where the money goes: Refunds are returned to the original payment method used at checkout. We do not issue refunds as store credit, and we do not transfer them to a third party.
Please talk to us before disputing a charge: If something about your order is wrong, contact us first. A chargeback stops the refund process while your bank investigates, which slows down the very outcome you are asking for. Most problems are settled in a single message.
Partial work, partial hold: Where you paid for several documents and only some were prepared, the 30% hold fee is applied to the documents actually prepared, not to the whole order.
This policy may be updated: The version on this page is the one that applies to your order on the date you request a refund. Earlier terms are not brought back afterwards.

Ready to put it in writing?

Send us a message and we will confirm exactly what is due back to you, in writing, before anything is processed.

McCarthy's Legal Documentation Preparation Services is not a law firm and does not give legal advice, opinions or recommendations on how to resolve a legal matter. Refund terms above apply to document preparation and notary services only.