What is the minimum Monthly ABS & Email Service Fee that a Brightstar Care franchisee must pay?
Brightstar_Care Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
.4.3 Payment will be prorated for any partial month during which the Agency was open for business and payable as per the terms of our invoice.
4.5 Monthly Athena Business System and Email Service Fee
Beginning on the Opening Date and for the remainder of the Initial Term, you must pay BrightStar Technology, without offset, credit or deduction of any nature, a monthly ABS and Email service fee (the "Monthly ABS & Email Service Fee") on the 15th day of each month. If you acquired the Agency operated under this Agreement as a result of a transfer, you must begin paying BrightStar Technology the Monthly ABS and Email Service Fee as of the effective date of the transfer. The Monthly ABS and Email Service Fee does not include any fees associated with third party CRMs (i.e., Microsoft Teams / One-drive / Web version office package, Hireology, CRM, payroll, HR/workforce or WorkBright). The Monthly ABS and Email Service Fee will be the greater of $250 per month or .83% of the prior month's Net Billings during the Initial Term of this Agreement.
- 4.5.1 If you acquired the Agency operated under this Agreement as a result of a transfer, you must begin paying the Monthly ABS & Email Service Fee as of the effective date of the transfer.
- 4.5.2 Payment will be prorated for any partial month during which the Agency was open for business and payable as per the terms of our or BrightStar Technology'
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 117–118)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Brightstar Care's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees must pay a Monthly ABS & Email Service Fee. This fee is paid to BrightStar Technology on the 15th of each month, starting from the Opening Date and continuing for the remainder of the Initial Term. The minimum Monthly ABS & Email Service Fee is $250.
However, the Monthly ABS & Email Service Fee is calculated as the greater of $250 or 0.83% of the prior month's Net Billings. This means that if 0.83% of the prior month's Net Billings exceeds $250, the franchisee will pay the higher amount. This fee does not cover any third-party CRM fees, such as Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, web version office package, Hireology, CRM, payroll, HR/workforce, or WorkBright.
If a franchisee acquires an existing Brightstar Care agency through a transfer, they must begin paying the Monthly ABS & Email Service Fee from the effective date of the transfer. The payment will be prorated for any partial month during which the agency was open for business, and Brightstar Care reserves the right to have BrightStar Technology collect the fee more frequently than monthly, provided they give 30 days' prior written notice.