Terms of Service

Effective date: 18 May 2026 (Version 1.3)

Welcome to trainSME. By accessing or using the trainSME platform (“the Platform”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). These Terms govern your use of the Platform, including all services, features, and content provided by Headstart Systems.

If you are using the Platform on behalf of an organisation (e.g., a Learning Provider or SME Business), you represent that you have the authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

1. Use of the Platform

trainSME is a service owned and operated by Headstart Systems (ABN 78 502 461 319). The Platform is designed to enable Learning Providers and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to create, manage, and deliver training programs. You agree to use the Platform in accordance with these Terms and all applicable laws and regulations.

• You must be authorised to use trainSME, either as an individual (18 years or older) or as a representative of an organisation.
• You agree to use the Platform solely for legitimate business or professional training purposes and not for any unlawful or unauthorised activities.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities carried out under your account.
• Creating a trainSME account does not entitle a user to sell courses, access Stripe Connect, receive payouts, or act as a provider until trainSME has approved the provider account (where applicable).

2. Content Ownership and Collaboration

As a Learning Provider or SME Business, you retain full ownership of all content you create and upload to trainSME, including courses, materials, and other educational resources.

Headstart Systems does not claim any rights to reuse or redistribute your content outside of your intended audience. However, by uploading content to the Platform, you grant Headstart Systems permission to make reasonable edits or adjustments to your courses where necessary to improve learning outcomes, address technical or instructional issues, or align with best practices in learning design. These adjustments will only be made in good faith, and where possible, we will collaborate with you to ensure the changes meet your approval.

• You represent that you have the right to upload and share your content and that it does not infringe on any third-party rights (e.g., copyright, trademark).
• trainSME reserves the right to remove any content that violates these Terms or applicable laws.

3. Payments and Subscriptions

We offer subscription plans that provide access to various Platform features, including course creation, learner enrolment, and analytics.

• Platform subscription and related charges are securely processed through Stripe, our third-party payment provider.
• Subscription fees are non-refundable, except in cases of significant service disruption caused by trainSME, which will be assessed at our discretion. To request a refund, contact us at admin@headstartsystems.com.
• You are responsible for any taxes or duties that apply to your subscription to the Platform.
• We reserve the right to change pricing or features of subscription plans with reasonable notice.

4. Learning provider course sales and Stripe Connect

This section applies if you use trainSME as a Learning Provider (or equivalent provider school type on the Platform) and offer paid public courses where card checkout is enabled. It does not replace your agreement with Stripe; it describes how the Platform integrates with Stripe.

4.1 Stripe Connect onboarding

To accept card payments for eligible public course sales, you must complete Stripe Connect onboarding, maintain a connected account in good standing with Stripe, Inc. or its affiliates (“Stripe”), and satisfy Stripe’s identity, verification, and payout requirements. Your Connect relationship is governed by Stripe’s agreements and policies (including connected-account terms published by Stripe from time to time). We may block paid public checkout until Connect is complete and Stripe reports that your account can accept charges and receive payouts, as surfaced on the Platform. If you do not complete or maintain Connect, you may be unable to sell paid public courses through checkout until resolved.

4.2 Direct charges; you are the seller

For those sales, card payments are processed as direct charges on your Stripe connected account. You are the seller of record for the course fee paid by the learner (subject to Stripe’s and card network rules). Headstart Systems is not the seller of that course fee to the customer.

4.3 Platform (application) fee

You agree that Headstart Systems may collect a platform fee on qualifying sales as an application fee (or equivalent) in accordance with the fee schedule and plan descriptions published on the Platform (including, where applicable, a percentage of public card sales by tier, and fixed fees for other enrolment types described in our pricing materials). Platform fees are additional to fees charged by Stripe.

4.4 Stripe processing and related fees

Card processing fees, dispute fees, currency conversion, and other Stripe charges are your responsibility and are applied in accordance with Stripe’s pricing and your agreements with Stripe. Typically, those costs are associated with your connected account or the transaction. Headstart Systems does not control Stripe’s fee schedule.

4.5 Chargebacks, disputes, refunds, and fraud

You are solely responsible for chargebacks, payment disputes, refunds (where you choose or are required to issue them), fraudulent or unauthorised transactions, and customer service relating to your course sales. Headstart Systems is not liable for losses arising from those matters, except where liability cannot be excluded under applicable law. Nothing in this section limits any rights you may have under consumer law that cannot be waived.

4.6 Taxes

You are solely responsible for determining, displaying, collecting, remitting, and reporting all taxes applicable to your business and your sales in each jurisdiction where you operate or where your customers are located (including GST, VAT, sales tax, and income tax). You must maintain accurate business, address, and tax settings in Stripe (including tax configuration and registrations) and comply with all filing obligations. Headstart Systems does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice and is not responsible for your tax compliance, tax calculations, or errors in your Stripe or Platform settings.

4.7 Australia — Australian Business Number (ABN)

If you operate in Australia or represent an Australian entity that sells through Stripe Connect on the Platform, you must provide Stripe with a valid Australian Business Number (ABN) (and any other information Stripe requires for Australian businesses) and keep that information accurate and up to date. Where requested at registration, you may also provide your ABN to trainSME for verification purposes. For Australian providers, we may verify ABN, business name, entity name, GST status, and related public details using ABN Lookup or other official sources.

4.8 Data relating to Connect

Information Stripe collects for Connect onboarding and payouts is processed under Stripe’s policies. trainSME does not use that process to store your full bank or complete tax dossier on our own systems for Connect; we may store limited identifiers (for example a connected account ID) to operate the integration. See our Privacy Policy.

4.9 No payment or tax agency

The Platform is software only. Headstart Systems is not your bank, payment institution, tax agent, or legal adviser for course sales.

4.10 Payouts and settlement

Funds from successful card charges on your connected account are settled and paid out according to Stripe’s payout schedule, rules, and timelines. Stripe may apply holds, reserves, or delays for risk, compliance, or dispute reasons. Headstart Systems does not control Stripe payout timing, reserve decisions, or when funds become available in your bank account.

4.11 Refunds to learners

Except where applicable law requires Headstart Systems to act differently, learners who wish to request a refund or credit for a course fee paid through your Connect checkout must contact you as the seller. You are responsible for handling those requests in line with your policies and all mandatory consumer rights (including, where applicable, Australian Consumer Law guarantees). trainSME does not process learner refunds on your behalf unless we explicitly offer a separate mechanism and notify you.

4.12 Stripe Connect, payouts, and platform risk

Provider access to paid course sales is conditional on successful Stripe Connect onboarding, completion of all Stripe requirements, and our own provider verification review.

We may delay, block, suspend, reverse, or refuse access to paid checkout, transfers, or payouts where Stripe Connect requirements are incomplete, overdue, restricted, rejected, or otherwise not in good standing, or where we reasonably determine that provider identity, business activity, account information, payment activity, or payout details require further review.

We are not required to enable paid checkout, course sales, transfers, or payouts merely because a user has created an account or commenced Stripe Connect onboarding.

5. Learning provider verification and platform integrity

5.1 Provider verification and legitimate business activity

If you register as a learning provider, course seller, training provider, instructor, organisation, business, or other entity intending to publish, sell, or receive payments for courses through trainSME, you represent and warrant that:

1. you are a legitimate individual, organisation, business, sole trader, company, partnership, incorporated association, educational provider, or other lawful entity;
2. you are using trainSME for genuine education, training, learning design, compliance training, workforce development, professional development, or related legitimate business purposes;
3. all names, business names, trading names, contact details, websites, email addresses, tax details, payout details, Stripe Connect details, and other account information you provide are true, accurate, current, and not misleading;
4. where you act on behalf of an organisation, business, school, company, association, or other entity, you are authorised to act on behalf of that entity and to bind that entity to these Terms;
5. where you operate in Australia, represent an Australian entity, use an Australian business name, use an Australian payout account, or otherwise hold yourself out as carrying on business in Australia, you must provide a valid Australian Business Number (ABN) or other information reasonably requested by us to verify your business identity;
6. you will not use false, misleading, disposable, temporary, unauthorised, or third-party identity, contact, domain, business, tax, banking, payout, or Stripe Connect information;
7. you will not use trainSME to facilitate fraud, money laundering, unauthorised payments, suspicious payment activity, artificial transactions, card testing, chargeback abuse, payout abuse, sanctions evasion, or any other unlawful, deceptive, or unauthorised activity.

Approval as a learning provider is at our discretion. We may refuse or withdraw provider approval where we are unable to verify the provider’s identity, business legitimacy, authority, Stripe Connect status, or intended use of trainSME.

Providers must maintain a working email address and, where a provider website or domain is supplied, that website or domain must accurately represent the provider’s business or services. We may treat failed email verification, bounced email, non-functional domains, misleading domains, or unverifiable websites as grounds for review, suspension, or refusal of provider access.

5.2 Verification, review, and account holds

We may, at any time and at our sole discretion, review, investigate, suspend, restrict, or place a hold on any account, provider profile, course, checkout function, Stripe Connect onboarding process, payout, transfer, or platform feature where we reasonably identify or suspect:

1. inconsistent, incomplete, inaccurate, unverifiable, or misleading account information;
2. a discrepancy between trainSME registration details and Stripe Connect details;
3. a discrepancy between registration details, provider identity, contact email, domain, website, business name, ABN, tax information, banking information, payout account, location, payment method, or other information associated with the account;
4. use of a domain, email address, website, business identity, legal name, payout account, or Stripe Connect account that does not appear to belong to, or be authorised by, the provider;
5. inability to verify the provider’s email address, website, business identity, authority to act, ABN, tax details, Stripe Connect status, or payout details;
6. suspicious payment, chargeback, refund, transfer, payout, card testing, or account creation activity;
7. activity that appears inconsistent with legitimate education, training, learning provider, or business use of trainSME.

5.3 Additional information and verification

We may request additional information or documentation to verify your identity, business identity, authority to act, ABN, website, domain, email address, tax status, Stripe Connect account, payout details, or the legitimacy of your provider activity.

Verification may be conducted by us, by Stripe, or by another third-party verification provider. You must not send identity documents, bank statements, passports, driver licences, or other sensitive documents by ordinary email unless we specifically provide a secure method for doing so.

If you do not provide requested information, or if we are unable to verify the information provided, we may refuse, suspend, restrict, or terminate your account, provider access, course publication, checkout access, Stripe Connect access, transfers, or payouts.

5.4 Prohibited uses

You must not use trainSME to:

1. create false, misleading, duplicate, disposable, or unauthorised provider accounts;
2. misrepresent your identity, business identity, location, authority, qualifications, services, courses, or relationship with any organisation;
3. attach a Stripe Connect account, bank account, Wise account, debit card, payout account, or other financial account that you are not authorised to use;
4. use trainSME as a pass-through, shell, or artificial marketplace for payments, transfers, payouts, refunds, or disputed transactions;
5. test, validate, or misuse payment cards, payment credentials, email systems, identity documents, domains, bank accounts, or payout mechanisms;
6. publish courses or training services that you do not genuinely intend or have authority to provide.

5.5 Reporting suspicious activity

We may report suspected fraudulent, unlawful, or suspicious activity to Stripe, payment processors, banks, regulators, law enforcement, or other relevant authorities where appropriate.

6. Termination and suspension

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, engage in unlawful activity, or misuse the Platform.

6.1 Suspension and termination for verification or risk reasons

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate an account, provider profile, course, Stripe Connect access, checkout access, or payout access immediately and without prior notice where we reasonably believe the account presents a legal, financial, fraud, compliance, payment, chargeback, reputational, or platform-integrity risk.

This includes, without limitation, accounts involving unverifiable identity details, mismatched provider and Stripe Connect information, invalid or unverifiable ABN details, unreliable contact details, inactive or misleading provider websites, unauthorised use of third-party details, suspicious payment activity, suspicious payout activity, or failure to respond to reasonable verification requests.

• You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at admin@headstartsystems.com. Upon termination, your access to trainSME will cease, and your data may be deleted, subject to applicable laws.
• Provisions of these Terms that, by their nature, should survive termination (e.g., Limitation of Liability, Governing Law) will remain in effect.

7. Limitation of Liability

The Platform is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or uninterrupted access.

• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Platform, including data loss, business interruption, or loss of profits.
• trainSME does not guarantee specific learning outcomes or user performance. You and your organisation remain responsible for setting and achieving your training goals.
• You are responsible for backing up any important data. We are not liable for loss of data due to user error, third-party service failures, or events beyond our control.
• Our total liability to you for any claim related to these Terms or the Platform will not exceed the total amount paid by you to us in the 12 months prior to the claim.

8. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes to our services, operations, or legal obligations. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised “Effective date.” For significant changes, we may notify you via email or an in-app notice. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

9. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Australia. Any disputes arising in connection with these Terms will be resolved in the courts of Australia.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at admin@headstartsystems.com.