> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bumara.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Paying fees
> Regulator fees and handling fees — what you are charged, how to pay, and how payment is verified before submission.
Some filings and most service requests carry a fee. Bumara always shows you what the fee is and
what it is made of before you commit to anything.
## What you are charged
| Part | What it is | Who sets it |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| **Regulator fee** | What the regulator charges for the service | The regulator |
| **Handling fee** | Bumara's charge for preparing and lodging the submission | Bumara |
| **Total** | The two added together | — |
The two are always shown separately. You can see exactly how much is going to the regulator and
how much is Bumara's charge.
Regulator fees change when the regulator changes them. Bumara keeps the current fee against each
service and keeps a record of previous fees, so a payment made last year still shows the amount
that applied at the time.
## Example fees
**Fees change when regulators change them.** The figures below are examples to show the shape of
a fee, not a price list. Always trust the amount shown on your actual request — that is the fee
in force for your service, your entity type and today's date.
Fees vary by service and entity type.
| Service | Entity | Regulator fee |
| -------------------- | --------------- | ------------- |
| PACRA name clearance | Local company | K120.20 |
| PACRA name clearance | Foreign company | K266.67 |
| PACRA name clearance | Business name | K111.20 |
## When payment is required
| Situation | What happens |
| ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| No fee applies | The payment gate is skipped entirely |
| A fee applies | The filing sits at **Awaiting payment** until it is paid and verified |
| The fee is included in your plan | No separate charge; the gate passes automatically |
| You have exceeded your plan's included allowance | The item is charged as an overage |
Some services are included in your plan up to a monthly limit. Beyond that, they are billed
separately. See [Plan and billing](/account/plan-and-billing).
## Paying
On the filing or service request, the payment section shows the amount due, broken down.
Mobile money, bank transfer or card, depending on what is enabled for your account.
Mobile money and card payments are confirmed within moments. Bank transfers take as long as
your bank takes.
The payment must be **received and verified**, not just initiated. Only then does the gate clear.
Once verified, the filing returns to **Ready for submission** and you can request submission.
## Payment statuses
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| **Not required** | No fee applies | Nothing |
| **Required, pending** | A fee is due and unpaid | Pay it |
| **Processing** | Payment initiated, not yet confirmed | Wait |
| **Paid, awaiting verification** | Received, being matched to your request | Wait — usually minutes |
| **Paid and verified** | Confirmed. The gate is clear | Request submission |
| **Failed** | The payment did not go through | Try again, or use another method |
| **Refunded** | Returned to you | Nothing |
A payment that shows as sent by your bank but has not appeared in Bumara is almost always a
reference mismatch. Include the reference shown on the payment panel exactly as given — without
it, matching your payment takes days instead of minutes.
## Bank transfers
Bank transfers need care because there is no automatic confirmation from your bank to Bumara.
Copy it. Do not abbreviate it or add your own note in front of it.
A short payment leaves the gate closed. An overpayment has to be reconciled manually.
Attach the bank confirmation to the request. This speeds up matching considerably.
Inter-bank transfers in Zambia are not instant. Do not leave this until the day of the deadline.
## Receipts
Every verified payment produces a receipt, filed automatically in your
[document vault](/account/document-vault) and attached to the filing or request it paid for.
Where Bumara pays a fee onward to the regulator on your behalf, the regulator's own receipt is
also attached once it is issued. That gives you two pieces of evidence: that you paid Bumara, and
that the regulator was paid.
## Refunds
| Situation | Outcome |
| -------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| You cancel before the fee is paid onward | Refunded |
| You cancel after the regulator has been paid | Subject to the regulator's refund rules, which are generally strict |
| The regulator rejects the submission | Usually no second regulator fee, but this varies — the position is shown before you resubmit |
| A payment failed but was debited | Refunded once the bank confirms; raise a message so it is tracked |
## Where to see all your payments
Your payments are listed in two places:
* **On each filing or request** — what was paid for that specific item
* **Settings → Payments** — every payment your organisation has made, with dates, amounts,
methods and references
Your subscription charges are separate from regulator fees and appear under
[Plan and billing](/account/plan-and-billing).
Related: [Submitting to a regulator](/compliance/submitting-to-a-regulator) — payment is one of
the three gates that must clear before a filing can go.