Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Summary

We want this to be simple to understand before you pay:

• Cancel a course 7 or more days before it starts — full refund.
• Cancel in the last 6 days before it starts — refund minus a Rs. 2,500 administration fee, or a free transfer to a later batch.
• Cancel within the first 14 days after it starts — 50% of the amount paid for the course, minus the value of any books already handed over.
• After 14 days — no refund, but you can move to a later batch once, free of charge.
• If we cancel or postpone a batch — you choose between a full refund and a free transfer.

2. Cancelling a course

The start date is the date shown for your batch on the course page and on your receipt. Days are counted as calendar days up to 11.59 p.m. on the day before the first class.

Registration for the free Saturday spoken class, recordings access, and mock exams included with a course have no separate cash value and are not refunded individually.

3. Monthly payment plans

If you chose to pay monthly, you can stop at any time by telling us before the 5th of the month. No further instalments will be charged, and your access to classes and recordings ends at the end of the last month you paid for.

The first month's payment follows the same refund rules as a full course fee in section 2. Months that have already started are not refunded.

4. Books and study materials

• You can return unused books in their original condition within 7 days of delivery for a full refund of the item price.
• If an item arrives damaged, has missing or misprinted pages, or is the wrong item, we will replace it free of charge, including courier costs. Please send a photo on WhatsApp within 3 days of delivery.
• The courier fee of Rs. 450 is not refunded when you return an item you no longer want. You pay the return courier cost, or you can drop the item at our Maharagama office.
• Books that have been written in, or tute packs issued as part of a course, cannot be returned.

5. Translation, mock exams and counselling

Document translation

Full refund if you cancel before we start translating. Once work has started, the fee for pages already translated is not refundable. If we make a mistake in a translation, we correct and re-issue it free of charge.

JLPT mock exam

Full refund if you cancel at least 3 days before the exam date. After that, your place can be transferred to another person at no cost, but not refunded.

Study & career counselling

You can reschedule or cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the session. Missed sessions without notice are not refunded.

6. If we cancel or change a batch

We occasionally postpone a batch if too few students enrol, or change a schedule because of a teacher's illness, public holidays, or government restrictions. If the start date moves by more than 14 days, or the class days or times change in a way that doesn't suit you, you can choose a full refund or a free transfer to any other batch. We will tell you by WhatsApp and email at least 5 days before the original start date whenever possible.

7. How to request a refund

Email accounts@empireacademy.lk or WhatsApp 071 637 7734 with:

• your order number (for example EJC-260915-4821),
• the student's full name and NIC number, and
• the reason for cancelling (this helps us improve, but does not affect your refund).

We confirm the refund amount within 2 working days of receiving your request.

8. How refunds are paid and how long they take

• Card, eZ Cash, mCash or Genie payments are refunded to the same card or wallet through our payment gateway, PayHere. We process approved refunds within 5 working days; your bank may take a further 7–14 working days to show the credit on your statement.
• Bank transfers and deposits are refunded by bank transfer to an account in the name of the person who paid, within 7 working days of approval.
• We do not give cash refunds, and we do not charge any fee for processing a refund.
• If you were accidentally charged twice for the same order, the duplicate payment is refunded in full.

9. Exam fees paid to other organisations

Fees for the JLPT, JFT-Basic, EPS-TOPIK, Goethe-Zertifikat and SSW skills tests are paid to the organisations that run those exams, not to us, and are covered by their own refund rules. Our course fees do not include these exam fees. See also our Terms & Conditions.