Payment & Refund Policy

RGossips — operated by Rude Labs Private Limited

Registered office: Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh, India

Effective date: 9 June 2026 · Version 1.0

This Payment & Refund Policy (“Policy”) governs all payments made on, and refunds processed through, the RGossips platform at rgossips.com (the “Platform”). It must be read together with our Influencer Consent Policy, Brand Consent Policy, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. By making any payment on the Platform, you accept this Policy.

Placeholders in [square brackets] must be completed by Rude Labs Private Limited before publication. Figures, timelines, and percentages should be confirmed with a Chartered Accountant and with your payment partner (Razorpay / Cashfree).

1. Definitions

• Platform / We / Us / RGossips — the influencer-marketing portal operated by Rude Labs Private Limited.
• Brand — a business or individual that funds and runs campaigns to engage Influencers.
• Influencer — a creator who applies to, and delivers, campaigns through the Platform.
• Pro Subscription — an optional paid upgrade that unlocks enhanced Platform features.
• Campaign Funds — money a Brand deposits to engage an Influencer for a specific campaign.
• Escrow — the secured holding of Campaign Funds with our payment partner until release conditions are met.
• Platform Fee / Commission — the fee RGossips charges for facilitation, [X]% of campaign value or a fixed fee as displayed at checkout.
• Campaign Lifecycle — the stages: APPLIED → APPROVED → NEGOTIATION → AGREED → DRAFT_SUBMITTED → FEEDBACK → FINAL_ACCEPTED.
• Completed Campaign — a campaign that reaches FINAL_ACCEPTED status.

2. Our role and the payment model

RGossips operates as a marketplace and e-commerce operator. Influencers supply their services directly to Brands; RGossips facilitates discovery, contracting, secured payment, and delivery, and charges a Platform Fee for doing so.

Because we collect Campaign Funds on behalf of Influencers, RGossips acts as an e-commerce operator under applicable Indian tax law and complies with the related TCS and TDS obligations described in Section 7.

All amounts on the Platform are in Indian Rupees (INR).

3. Payment types

The Platform processes three distinct payment flows. Each has its own refund treatment (Section 5).

3.1 Pro Subscription (paid to RGossips)

A recurring or one-time fee paid by an Influencer or Brand to access premium features. This is a direct service supplied by RGossips.

• GST: charged at 18% on the subscription value and shown on a GST-compliant invoice (SAC 9983 / 998314).
• Subscriptions auto-renew (where applicable) unless cancelled before the renewal date.

3.2 Campaign Funds (paid by a Brand into Escrow)

When a Brand engages an Influencer, the agreed campaign amount plus the Platform Fee is collected and the campaign amount is held in Escrow with Razorpay / Cashfree.

• Release: Campaign Funds are not released to the Influencer until the campaign reaches FINAL_ACCEPTED, or until a dispute is resolved under Section 6.
• Platform Fee: RGossips's revenue, subject to 18% GST.
• Influencer GST: Influencers are currently individuals who are not GST-registered, so no GST is charged on the Influencer's service and the Brand pays no GST on the Influencer fee.

3.3 Influencer Payout (released from Escrow to the Influencer)

On FINAL_ACCEPTED, the campaign amount (net of any applicable TDS, Platform Fee, and statutory deductions) is paid out to the Influencer's verified bank account, typically within [T+X] business days.

4. Invoices, taxes, and statutory deductions

Every transaction generates a record that itemises:

• the base amount,
• GST charged on RGossips's Platform Fee / Subscription (18%), and
• TDS deducted on payout, where applicable (Section 7.1).

Influencers and Brands can download GST-compliant invoices and TDS/TCS statements from their dashboards.

5. Refund rules by payment type

5.1 Pro Subscription refunds

• Pro Subscriptions are digital services delivered immediately on activation and are non-refundable once activated, except where required by law.
• A cooling-off window of [X] days applies only if no premium feature has been used during that window. If any premium feature has been accessed, the subscription is treated as consumed and is non-refundable.
• If you cancel a recurring subscription, you retain access until the end of the current paid period; no pro-rata refund is issued for the unused portion of that period.
• Refunds approved under this clause are returned to the original payment method within [5–10] business days.

5.2 Campaign Funds refunds (Brand)

Refund eligibility depends on the Campaign Lifecycle stage at the point of cancellation:

• Before AGREED (at APPLIED, APPROVED, or NEGOTIATION): the campaign amount in Escrow is fully refundable to the Brand. The Platform Fee is [refundable / non-refundable] as displayed at checkout.
• At AGREED but before any deliverable is submitted (DRAFT_SUBMITTED not yet reached): the campaign amount is refundable less a cancellation fee of [X]%, where applicable. The Platform Fee is non-refundable.
• At or after DRAFT_SUBMITTED: refunds are not automatic and are assessed through the dispute process (Section 6). Partial release to the Influencer for work performed may apply.
• After FINAL_ACCEPTED: the campaign is complete and funds are released to the Influencer; no refund is available except in cases of proven fraud, handled under Section 6.

5.3 Influencer non-performance

If an Influencer fails to deliver agreed content within the agreed timeline, or delivers content that materially fails the agreed brief and is not remedied through the FEEDBACK stage, the Brand may raise a dispute (Section 6). On resolution in the Brand's favour, Campaign Funds are refunded from Escrow, in whole or in part, less any non-refundable Platform Fee.

5.4 Barter campaigns

Where a campaign is structured as barter (the Brand provides product or services instead of cash), no Campaign Funds pass through Escrow and cash refunds do not apply. Return or non-acceptance of barter goods is governed by the terms agreed between the Brand and Influencer at the AGREED stage. Brands remain responsible for any TDS on benefits/perquisites under Section 194R as applicable (Section 7.3).

6. Disputes and Escrow release

• Either party may raise a dispute before FINAL_ACCEPTED via the Platform's dispute mechanism.
• During an active dispute, Campaign Funds remain frozen in Escrow; no release or refund occurs until resolution.
• RGossips reviews submitted evidence (briefs, deliverables, communications, stage-transition history) and decides on release, refund, or partial settlement, considering the stage at which the dispute arose.
• RGossips's resolution is final at the Platform level. This does not limit either party's statutory rights.

7. Taxes — how deductions are applied

The following reflects the general position for an e-commerce operator and is not tax advice. Rates and section numbers should be confirmed with a Chartered Accountant before go-live, as Indian tax law is amended periodically.

7.1 TDS on Influencer payouts (Section 194O / Section 393, Income-tax Act 2025)

All Influencers are currently resident individuals. As an e-commerce operator, RGossips deducts TDS on the gross amount of services facilitated for them, at the time of credit or payment, whichever is earlier. In practice, an Influencer earning up to ₹5,00,000 in a financial year (with PAN on file) attracts NIL TDS:

• The ₹5,00,000 threshold is assessed per Influencer, per financial year, on a cumulative basis across all campaigns.
• Where TDS is deducted under this section, the Brand is not required to deduct TDS again on the same payment under any other provision.
• RGossips deposits the TDS, files the relevant TDS return, and issues Form 16A to the Influencer. Deducted TDS reflects in the Influencer's Form 26AS and can be claimed when filing their income-tax return.

7.2 TCS under GST (Section 52, CGST Act)

GST TCS under Section 52 applies only to GST-registered suppliers. As all Influencers are currently unregistered individuals below the GST registration threshold, no GST TCS is collected on their payouts and no GSTR-8 filing arises for Influencer supplies at this stage. This begins only if and when an Influencer becomes GST-registered (for example, on crossing the ₹20 lakh aggregate-turnover threshold), at which point RGossips will collect TCS at 0.5% (0.25% CGST + 0.25% SGST, or 0.5% IGST) on that Influencer's net taxable supplies and file GSTR-8 monthly.

7.3 Section 194R (benefits / barter)

For barter campaigns, the obligation to deduct tax on benefits or perquisites under Section 194R rests with the Brand providing the benefit, not with RGossips. The Platform flags barter campaigns to assist Brand compliance but does not deduct on the Brand's behalf.

7.4 GST on RGossips's own fees

GST at 18% applies to the RGossips Platform Fee / Commission and to Pro Subscriptions, and is shown on GST-compliant invoices.

8. Payout timelines and verification

• Payouts are initiated on FINAL_ACCEPTED and completed within [T+X] business days, subject to successful identity and bank-account verification.
• In line with our progressive KYC model, PAN is required at or before first payout. Payouts may be held until mandatory verification is complete.
• Payouts are processed via Razorpay / Cashfree to the Influencer's verified bank account. Transaction fees, where applicable, are borne by [RGossips / the Influencer] as disclosed at the time of the campaign.

9. Failed payments, chargebacks, and reversals

• If a Brand initiates a chargeback or payment reversal after funds have been released or a campaign delivered, RGossips reserves the right to recover the amount, suspend the account, and withhold future payouts pending resolution.
• Payments that fail at the gateway are not charged; if a duplicate charge occurs, the duplicate is refunded to the original payment method within [5–10] business days.

10. Currency, fees, and price changes

• All transactions are in INR.
• Payment-gateway, convenience, or processing fees, where applicable, are disclosed before payment.
• RGossips may revise Subscription pricing or Platform Fees prospectively. Changes do not affect campaigns already at or beyond AGREED, or subscription periods already paid for.

11. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified on the Platform, and where required, your renewed consent will be requested. Continued use of the Platform after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

12. Governing law and contact

• This Policy is governed by the laws of India. Courts at Dehradun, Uttarakhand have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to applicable consumer-protection law.
• For payment or refund queries, contact: info@rgossips.com.

Last updated: 9 June 2026. © Rude Labs Private Limited. All rights reserved.