Billing practices
VAT calculation, payment details and more. Guide on how to better us our billing system. This guide will be mostly used by our subscribers.
- Changing your Subscriber data
- Payment methods
- VAT or not
- Billing Portal
- Refunding procedure
- Approving an offer
- Do we accept customers from all countries?
- Dedicated Service Agreements (contracts)
Changing your Subscriber data
Context
When you become a Cloud68.co Subscriber we provide you with your dedicated page on our billing system hosted at billing.cloud68.co. Since there is an obligation for both you and our team to have your Subscriber details updated, here is a quick guide to show how you to update your billing details.
How to edit your billing details
The first time you need to edit your billing details, you need to open a support ticket by sending an email at support (at) cloud68 (dot) co (full guide here: https://docs.cloud68.co/books/faqs-tech-support/page/how-can-i-ask-for-tech-support) and request your unique Subscriber Dashboard URL. Once you receive the URL, you need to click on the 'Edit Details' button on the page and change your billing details there.
Important: you are required to change your billing details the soonest and definitely before your next billing cycle. You are also required to inform us that your billing details have changed if you receive an invoice from our team.
Payment methods
We offer several convenient payment options to make it easy for you to pay for our services. Please review the available methods and currency policies below.
Accepted Payment Methods
Debit and Credit Cards
We accept all major debit and credit cards through our secure payment gateway powered by Stripe.
How to pay:
- You will receive an invoice webpage via email through our billing system;
- Click the "Pay Now" button on the invoice page - located in the upper right side of the page;
- Enter your card details securely through Stripe's payment form;
- Your payment will be processed.
Bank Transfer
You can pay us directly via bank transfer using the banking details provided on your invoice.
How to pay:
- Use the IBAN and banking details included in your invoice;
- Include your invoice number as the payment reference;
- Processing time may vary depending on your bank (typically 1-3 business days).
Note: Our primary banking provider is Wise.com, ensuring secure and efficient international transfers.
Currency Policies
Managed Hosting Services
- Accepted Currency: Euro (EUR) only.
Add-On Services
- Primary Currency: Euro (EUR);
- Secondary Currency: US Dollar (USD) - accepted on a case-by-case basis;
- USD payments are less common and may not always be accepted at our discretion.
Payment Methods We Don't Accept
Cryptocurrencies
We do not currently accept cryptocurrency payments due to the logistical challenges associated with processing these transactions. We may consider adding cryptocurrency support in the future, but no timeline has been established.
Need Help?
If you have questions about payment methods, invoice details, or need assistance with your payment, please contact our support team. We're here to help ensure your payment process is smooth and straightforward.
VAT or not
VAT might apply in some cases and not apply in other situations depending on the legal setup of your entity.
For EU-Based Subscribers
With a VAT Number:
If you're a business within the EU and have a valid VAT number, we do not charge VAT on your invoices. This is known as a reverse charge mechanism. It's essential that you provide us with your VAT number during the completion of the "instance request" form.
Example: A digital agency based in Germany provides their VAT number. Their Cloud68 invoice will be without VAT.
Without a VAT Number:
Individuals or entities without a VAT number are required to pay VAT at the rate applicable in their country. This includes businesses not registered for VAT and consumers.
Example: A freelancer in Spain without a VAT number requests a Nextcloud instance from Cloud68. The invoice will include Spanish VAT at the current rate.
VAT RATES: Check here for the VAT rates based on your location.
For Non-EU Based Subscribers
Subscribers outside the EU are not charged VAT on our services.
Example: A startup based in Canada has an active PeerTube instance with Cloud68. They won't be charged VAT in their invoice.
Billing Portal
(more content to be added)
Refunding procedure
Currently, we provide our Subscribers with a 15-day trial to all our instances (Partnerships such as ProtonMail or Deflect are not included). If you are happy with the service and decide to proceed with the renewal of the service, you can proceed with a monthly/yearly payment. Otherwise, we proceed with off-boarding and the Subscriber does not make a payment.
There is only one reason where there can be a refund:
- Your invoice data are incorrect: customer's name, amount, currency etc.
In this case, the previous invoice will be deleted, and you will receive a new invoice.
Cancellation of an invoice
The Subscriber (you) need to email office@cloud68.co to request the cancellation of the service.
If you made the payment through a credit card, we can refund the via our payment gateway provider (Stripe). A small fee might be applied due to third party costs of these transactions.
If you made the payment via a bank transfer, we will have to ask the Subscriber for their bank details and sent the transfer 'manually'.
Approving an offer
Before the trial period ends, you will receive a quote (offer) asking if you would like to upgrade to a paid subscription or not.
1. If you are happy with the service, and you want to upgrade to a paid subscription.
You will receive an email with a link to your offer. Click on that link, and you'll' be able to view your quote. To approve it, click on the "Approve" button on the top-right of the page, and this will automatically convert your quote to an Invoice.
In this new invoice, you will see a "Pay Now" button in the top-right of the invoice, click on that Button and then fill in your credit card details to pay the invoice.
2. If you would like to cancel the instance.
In that case, when applicable we send you a backup of the data, and we proceed with the deletion of your instance.
Do we accept customers from all countries?
Our services are available worldwide, but certain limitations apply due to international sanctions, legal obligations, and internal policies. This does not mean that we agree or don't agree with these sanctions, but it means that given our current legal setup we are unable to support customers/business/organisations links to the following countries or territories (listed in alphabetical order):
- Afghanistan
- Belarus
- Crimea
- Cuba
- Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Iraq
- Myanmar
- North Korea
- Russian Federation
- Syria
- Venezuela
Please note that the list is subject to change without any notification based on the compliance regulations we need to follow.
Additional note
Read this if you or your company are a tax resident in one of the countries that are in the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.
As of 21.02.2023 Russia (along with a few other countries) has been added to the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. In other words, from the official announcement, Russia no longer cooperates with the European Union in matters of taxation.
Receiving invoices from an entity located in a country that is part of EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.
According to European Council’s website, the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes is composed of countries that have failed to fulfill their commitments to comply with tax good governance criteria within a specific timeframe and countries which have refused to do so. The list is reviewed and updated twice a year.
When we, as an Estonian company, buy/sell services from a legal person registered in a country that is added to the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes then our company (and other Estonian companies) is obligated to withhold income tax of 20% from the invoice sum while making the payment. The withholding income tax is declared and paid to Estonian Tax Authorities. The obligation to withhold income tax arises if, at the time of making the payment, the vendor country is included in the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes with whom Estonia has not concluded a double tax treaty.
Invoicing an entity located in a country that is part of EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.
The same rules apply if the services are business related and ordered for the Estonian company’s (Cloud68.co OÜ in this case) benefit.
Is there a solution if an entity listed in the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes?
Due to the reasons listed (above), current sanctions, and our finance management office internal policies, we can NOT currently allow payments to or from Russian entities. We know this is a very delicate situation, but at the moment we can not avoid this and are legally obligated to follow these guides and rules. We are monitoring the situation and will update this page if there is a change.
Dedicated Service Agreements (contracts)
We are dedicated to providing reliable, secure, and scalable managed hosting services using open-source software. Whether you're looking for our core managed hosting solutions, services offered in partnership with third parties, or additional add-on services, ordering our services is simple and straightforward:
All our services can be ordered through the respective online forms available on our website.
Why Do We Use Online Forms?
Our online ordering system ensures a streamlined, efficient process for all customers, allowing us to focus on what we do best—delivering excellent hosting services and friendly human support. As we continue to grow and serve an increasing number of small- and medium-sized teams, automating some of our operational procedures such as service agreements helps us avoid unnecessary complexity and focus in what we do better.
Custom Contracts for Large Organizations
For organizations requiring individual contracts (such as NGOs, co-ops, or businesses with specific needs), we offer custom agreements starting at 14,000 EUR per year (or the equivalent in USD). You can still get our services if you don't have this budget, but the process is by filling in the online forms for each service.
Why Is There a Minimum for Custom Contracts?
Custom contracts involve additional time and effort, including:
-
Back-and-forth communication between our team and your organization.
-
Tailoring terms to meet unique requirements.
-
Administrative overhead in creating, managing, and maintaining these agreements.
While we’re happy to accommodate such requests for larger budgets, offering custom contracts for a lower fee would be honestly unsustainable. Imagine managing hundreds of individual agreements—this would require at least one full-time team member dedicated solely to handling contracts. By limiting custom contracts to larger commitments, we can ensure our team remains focused on delivering top-tier managed hosting services and support to all our customers.
Benefits of Our Standardized Process(es)
-
Efficiency: Our online forms eliminate unnecessary delays, enabling quicker onboarding and service delivery.
-
Scalability: As our customer base grows, this approach ensures we can continue providing excellent service without bottlenecks.
-
Focus on Quality: Reducing administrative overhead allows our team to concentrate on maintaining and improving our hosting services.