Mainstreet typical implementation process:
Signup and Account Creation: Start by signing up on the Mainstreet platform—this process is fast and typically takes just a few minutes. You will provide basic business information and set up an account.
Connect Payroll/Accounting Tools: Link your payroll (e.g., Gusto, ADP) and accounting software (e.g., Xero, QuickBooks) to Mainstreet’s platform through secure integrations to allow automated data gathering.
Eligibility Assessment: Mainstreet’s AI scans your connected data to identify all relevant federal, state, and local credits. This automated analysis happens almost instantly after account setup.
Data Upload and Document Submission: Upload any required supporting documents through the platform’s secure portal. This step depends on your credit types but is streamlined and prompted within Mainstreet.
Expert Review and Onboarding Support: Mainstreet’s in-house tax experts and support team verify eligibility findings and may request supplementary information as needed. You’ll receive guidance at each stage from onboarding advisors.
Automated Application Preparation: The platform automatically prepares paperwork for qualifying credits using your provided and integrated data.
Claim Submission: Review and approve filings prepared by Mainstreet, then the team submits your credit claims to the relevant authorities.
Ongoing Communication: Receive regular updates and access support through chat, email, or phone if questions arise.
Mainstreet can be customized to fit specific business needs, offering a variety of flexibility features:
Personalized Setup and Onboarding: Mainstreet’s team provides a tailored onboarding process, helping businesses connect their unique payroll and accounting systems. The platform supports custom workflows depending on the size and complexity of the business.
Custom Document Creation: Users can utilize tools like the Document Builder to create custom documents and images, incorporating personalized text, visuals, and QR codes for branding or workflow purposes. This allows businesses to generate materials that reflect their identity and operational preferences.
Invoice and Reporting Customization: The software allows customization of printed invoices, including the addition of business logos, banners, photos, and footers. Settings let users control the appearance and content of key documents, so invoices and communications can match a company’s branding and information needs.
Flexible Integration Capabilities: Mainstreet integrates with a wide variety of payroll, accounting, and banking software platforms through APIs, making it possible to connect with tools such as QuickBooks, Xero, ADP, and Stripe. API and EDI support means businesses can create unique connections and workflows to suit their existing systems and reporting requirements.
Performance-Based Custom Plans: Mainstreet offers personalized pricing based on specific business needs and transaction volume. Businesses can request custom quotes and talk to sales for solutions tailored to their financial structure, credit types, and operational requirements.
Custom Branded Outputs: In addition to documents, Mainstreet can produce custom business checks, branded forms, and other outputs tailored to client specifications, including unique layouts, branding elements, and special data formats needed for industry-specific compliance or workflow reasons.
Adaptability for Different Business Types: While designed primarily for startups and SMBs, Mainstreet’s flexibility allows it to accommodate a variety of industry verticals by adapting which incentives, credits, and filing forms are prioritized and managed.
White-Glove Onboarding and Support: Mainstreet’s in-house tax and compliance experts assist with specialized implementation needs, data migrations, and non-standard requirements, making adaptations based on client feedback and industry best practices.
Mainstreet (mainstreet.com) does not charge additional setup fees, maintenance costs, or support charges beyond its standard performance-based pricing. According to official information, signing up for Mainstreet is free, there are no upfront or subscription fees, and customers pay only a percentage of successfully claimed tax credits, typically once those credits have been approved and disbursed. The platform clearly advertises “No setup fees,” an ability to cancel anytime without penalty, and provides best-in-class customer support included with the service at no extra cost.
This means:
No setup fees: Onboarding and initial account creation are completely free.
No maintenance or subscription fees: There are no recurring charges to maintain access to the platform.
No support costs: Customer service, onboarding help, and ongoing support from tax professionals are included at no additional cost.
Mainstreet (mainstreet.com) offers a user-friendly onboarding experience and robust support resources for new users, focusing on making the implementation and use of their platform as simple and effective as possible.
Guided Onboarding Process: After signing up, new users are guided step-by-step to connect payroll and accounting systems, upload documentation, and begin the tax credit discovery process. The platform is designed for ease, with prompts and automated guidance at each stage.
Automated Tools and Documentation: The platform features in-app guidance, clear instructions, and streamlined workflows, reducing the learning curve for new users. Step-by-step instructions are available for data uploads and feature use.
Live Chat and Email Support: New users can reach out instantly via live chat on the Mainstreet website or email ([email protected]) for onboarding help, troubleshooting, or questions. Support agents respond promptly and can walk users through any technical or process-related issues.
Best-in-Class Support Team: Mainstreet’s support includes in-house CPAs, tax specialists, and dedicated customer success staff who provide personalized assistance during onboarding and beyond.
Ongoing Education: While there is no evidence of formal training modules or webinars, Mainstreet offers ongoing support and access to help resources, including FAQs and in-app guidance, ensuring that both new and existing users can access help whenever needed.
Submit Support Requests: Users can submit support tickets directly through the Connect by Mainstreet platform or support portal and track system status.
FAQs and Resource Guides: Comprehensive FAQs, step-by-step guides, and online help articles are available to address common questions, technical issues, and account management tasks.
Continuous Monitoring and Proactive Help: Mainstreet actively monitors its systems for reliability and offers proactive communication in case of updates or service changes.
Mainstreet uses a comprehensive combination of physical, technical, and organizational security measures to protect user and business data:
Data Encryption: All sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, employing industry-standard protocols such as SSL/TLS to guard data transfers and secure storage methods to prevent unauthorized access.
Access Controls: Access to personal or financial information is restricted to authorized personnel, using strong authentication, least-privilege principles, and role-based permissions to minimize the risk of unauthorized access.
Physical and Administrative Safeguards: Mainstreet implements physical security at data centers and organizational safeguards such as staff training, written policies, and regular access reviews to ensure ongoing protection of all personal and sensitive business information.
Regular Audits and Monitoring: Systems are subject to active monitoring, regular security audits, and review of security controls to ensure that measures remain effective as threats evolve.
Secure Data Destruction: When data is no longer needed, Mainstreet uses appropriate methods to destroy it securely, as part of its compliance with data protection standards.
Fraud Prevention and Identity Verification: Procedures are in place to verify user identity, prevent fraud, and authenticate critical transactions, further safeguarding account and financial information.
No Data Selling or Unauthorized Sharing: Mainstreet does not sell or share personal data for advertising or profiling purposes, committing to use your information only for necessary business operations and legal compliance.
How Updates Are Managed:
Automatic Deployment: Mainstreet manages software updates server-side, so improvements and fixes are deployed without users needing to manually update anything on their own devices.
Continuous Improvement: Given industry standards and AI-driven features, updates may be rolled out in a rolling or agile release fashion—sometimes weekly or monthly—though large new features or integrations may be bundled and announced periodically.
User Notification: Any significant feature changes or scheduled maintenance periods are communicated in advance to users, usually via in-app notifications, emails, or status page announcements.
Mainstreet adopts a data policy that emphasizes user rights to access, deletion, and portability, in alignment with U.S. privacy frameworks such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and general industry standards:
User Rights: You retain significant rights over your personal and business data provided to Mainstreet. Mainstreet gives you the right to request access to, correct, or delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions required by law. The company will not sell your personal data for monetary consideration and explicitly allows you to opt out of any activity that may be viewed as a sale under CCPA definitions (e.g., targeted advertising).
Non-Retaliation: Exercising your data ownership rights does not result in retaliation or discrimination by Mainstreet.
Right to Export: You may request a copy of your personal data collected by Mainstreet. This data will be provided in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, making it feasible to transmit the data to another platform or provider.
Deletion and Correction: In addition to portability, you can request deletion of your data or correction of inaccuracies. Mainstreet will comply unless certain exceptions apply (e.g., legal compliance).
Terms and conditions for contract renewal and cancellation for Mainstreet (mainstreet.com), based on available data points from the company's public materials and industry practices:
Automatic Renewal: Mainstreet typically operates on a month-to-month or annual agreement that may auto-renew unless the user takes action to cancel. For most subscription-based services, the contract will continue to renew automatically until a formal cancellation is received and processed.
Notice Requirements: To avoid a renewal, users are generally required to provide written notice of cancellation, commonly at least 30 days in advance for monthly or annually renewing services. Notice is usually submitted by email or through the user’s account portal.
Changes to Terms and Pricing: Mainstreet reserves the right to update or change service prices and terms at any time. Users will be notified (typically by email or portal message) when updates to Terms of Service occur, and continued use constitutes acceptance of new terms.
Billing Practices: Recurring payments for services are processed automatically before the renewal date, often 30 days in advance. Services like Registered Agent or Privacy Address are billed annually as long as Mainstreet’s information is on file with the relevant state.
Voluntary Cancellation: Users can cancel at any time by providing written notice (e.g., email or through their portal). For services involving state records (e.g., Registered Agent), users must show proof that Mainstreet is no longer listed in public records to stop recurring charges.
Refund Policy: No refunds are issued for previous services, whether paid monthly or annually, and cancellation does not result in prorated reimbursement unless specifically requested and agreed upon within 30 days of purchase, and only if work has not yet been started. Full refunds are rare and only possible before work initiation.
Cancellation After Work Has Started: Once Mainstreet has initiated or completed work tied to annual renewals or compliance services, cancellations will take effect only at the end of the currently billed period, with no refunds for that cycle.
Outstanding Charges: If Mainstreet remains listed in state records after a service due date, users are responsible for all continued recurring charges and any administrative or state fees incurred for removal.
Mainstreet aligns its software and business processes with several widely recognized data privacy and compliance standards appropriate for SaaS financial and tax technology platforms serving U.S. businesses:
Data Privacy Regulations Compliance: Mainstreet's policies and platform are designed to comply with leading U.S. privacy frameworks, notably the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The company gives users the right to access, export, and delete their personal information, does not sell personal data for monetary consideration, and allows customers to opt out of activities considered a “sale” under CCPA definitions. These rights are verified with identity/authentication controls and are outlined clearly in Mainstreet’s public-facing privacy materials.
Data Portability and User Rights: Users can request a copy of all personal data collected by Mainstreet in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, supporting both data portability and deletion rights. Mainstreet commits to fulfilling such requests in line with applicable state and federal laws.
Data Security Best Practices: Although Mainstreet does not explicitly list certifications like SOC 2 or ISO 27001 on its site, their published security measures include encryption of data in transit and at rest, strong access controls, regular monitoring and audits, secure data destruction, and prompt breach notification procedures, all of which reflect compliance with industry-standard security frameworks for fintech SaaS applications.
No Data Selling or Unauthorized Sharing: Mainstreet is transparent in its privacy policy that it does not sell or share personal data for advertising or profiling purposes, a requirement under CCPA and a standard feature of modern privacy-focused SaaS solutions.
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