This reminded me of our experience with Gusto - we signed up to their R&D credit payroll offset service in May last year - their offset fee is calculated as a percentage of the benefit you get. We filed our federal tax return in September, so there naturally wasn't any payroll offsetting until October. They still charged for services they didn't deliver so it was more cash out on day one which really goes against the purpose of the tool. They argued it was in the small print that said "we charge when you sign up" when I ticked a box. I thought that was quite outrageous. I still do.
I'm not sure if it's naiveté, it's probably more that we are all complacent. If all Facebook/Instagram users (and perhaps, even if only those with children), stopped using, that would be an actual stick, wouldn't it.. But we don't (I'm not excluding myself).
We signed up to Gusto's payroll offset services for the R&D credits we claimed. Their website states that the offset mechanism starts the quarter after you file. However, they start charging you from April (at $328.59/month). So, best case, you pay for 3 extra months before the service starts, or more likely, if you've filed in the next quarter (like a lot of other start-ups), 6 months of fees before they do any type of offsetting (which is also limited to 12 months). This did not feel right. When I reached out to Gusto, I was told I pressed the "continue" button when submitting so have agreed (which I understand). BUT - there is no information in their sales pitch on their website about this, nor in their terms of service. I think is is misleading, but I thought perhaps I'm being naive? Anyone else had a similar issue?