CareStride — Professional Terms & Conditions

version: "2.1.0" effectiveDate: "[DATE TO BE SET AT LAUNCH]" lastUpdated: "2026-05-23"

Operator: MICRO PIXEL PRIVATE LIMITED
Brand: CareStride
Corporate Identification: CIN U33111TN1987PTC015203 · GSTIN 33AAACM4619C1Z0 · PAN AAACM4619C
Registered Office: C19A Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600032, Tamil Nadu, India
Document Version: 2.0.0
Effective Date: [DATE TO BE SET AT LAUNCH]
Last Updated: 2026-05-23

📌 Pro Terms — Read This First (45 seconds)

Your status: Independent professional — not a CareStride employee.

Onboarding: Complete NurseShield Mode I/II/III verification before paid bookings.

Conduct: Code of Conduct in §21 — zero phone sharing, on-platform communication.

Cancellations: 3 non-safety cancellations in 30 days → suspension review.

Pay & appeals: Payouts per fee schedule; suspension appeals reviewed within 14 days.

Safety refusal: Always respected — no penalty to you when genuine.

Pre-counsel draft. This document will be reviewed and refined by legal counsel prior to launch.

1. Acceptance

By creating a Professional account on CareStride you ("Professional", "you") agree to be bound by these Professional Terms & Conditions (these "Terms"), the CareStride Privacy Policy, Cancellation Policy, Community Guidelines, and Grievance Redressal Policy.

You represent that you are at least 18 years of age, of sound mind, legally competent under the Indian Contract Act 1872, and hold a valid, current registration with your regulatory council (Indian Nursing Council, State Nursing Council, or Rehabilitation Council of India) or equivalent statutory body permitting you to practise independently in India.

2. Independent contractor — not an employee

2.1 The fundamental relationship

You list your independent practice on CareStride as an independent contractor. Nothing in these Terms, nothing in your use of the Platform, and nothing in CareStride's Facilitation Services creates, or is intended to create:

• an employer-employee relationship,
• a partnership,
• a joint venture, or
• an agency relationship,

between you and Micro Pixel Private Limited or CareStride.

2.2 CareStride's role

CareStride provides the Facilitation Services described in the Client Terms & Conditions — helping Clients discover you, book your services, pay you through Razorpay Route, and communicate with you through platform-provided masked channels. CareStride does not:

• employ you,
• supervise your clinical practice,
• direct or control the care you provide,
• set your working hours, patients, or scope of services,
• dictate clinical technique, protocol, medication, or procedure,
• provide you with clinical tools, uniforms, supplies, or premises.

2.3 Your own practice

You run your own practice. You decide which Bookings to accept, the rates you charge (subject to Market Insight information only, which is a suggestion not a directive), the services you list, and the standards of care you apply within your licensed scope.

2.4 Tax, licensing, and statutory compliance

You are solely responsible for:

• Maintaining valid registration with your regulatory council throughout your use of the Platform;
• Your income tax obligations and the timely filing of returns;
• Your GST registration and filings where applicable;
• Your professional indemnity insurance (maintained at appropriate limits for your scope of practice);
• Any other statutory compliance required of independent healthcare practitioners in India.

CareStride may deduct Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) from your payouts as required under the Income Tax Act 1961.

3. NurseShield verification

You consent to identity verification (Aadhaar), tax identity verification (PAN), biometric face match, council registration verification, bank account verification (penny-drop), and lawful criminal background screening. Your account becomes listed only after successful verification. You authorise CareStride and its verification partners (including IDfy) to process your personal data for these purposes in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023.

You agree to keep your verification records current, and to notify CareStride promptly if there is any change in your council registration, professional standing, or criminal record status.

4. Scope of practice — stay within your licence

4.1 You practise within your scope

You represent and warrant that you will operate strictly within the scope of practice permitted by your regulatory council and applicable law. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:

• Registered nurses administer medications only under valid orders from a medical practitioner;
• Physiotherapists do not prescribe medications;
• Neither nurses nor physiotherapists may diagnose, prescribe, or issue medical certificates unless specifically authorised.

4.2 Consequences of acting out of scope

Acting outside your scope of practice is a material breach of these Terms. CareStride may suspend or terminate your account, forfeit any pending payouts, and cooperate with any regulatory or criminal investigation, without accepting liability for the conduct itself.

5. Following the Client's Treating Doctor's guidance

5.1 Treating Doctor's instructions

Where the Client has uploaded care instructions from the Care Recipient's Treating Doctor, those instructions represent the clinical direction for the care. You agree to:

• Read the uploaded instructions prior to the visit,
• Use them as the primary clinical reference,
• Exercise your own independent clinical judgement in applying them,
• Decline to act on any instruction that is contraindicated, outside your scope, or otherwise inappropriate,
• Flag any concerns to the Client and, where appropriate, to CareStride admin through the incident workflow.

5.2 Your clinical suggestions are your own

You may, during a visit, offer the Client observations, suggestions, or opinions about the Care Recipient's care. Any such suggestion is your own independent professional view. You agree:

• To communicate clearly that the suggestion is your own view, not a CareStride recommendation;
• To advise the Client to discuss the suggestion with the Care Recipient's Treating Doctor before acting on it;
• To accept that CareStride does not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for any clinical suggestion you offer;
• That you bear full professional responsibility for any suggestion you make.

5.3 No representation of endorsement

You shall not represent to Clients, Care Recipients, or third parties that CareStride has endorsed your clinical approach, recommended your services for a specific condition, or supervised your practice.

6. Your safety — features help, your judgement decides

6.1 What CareStride provides

CareStride provides the following safety features for Professionals:

• Client identity verification (Aadhaar) and mobile verification;
• Masked calling — you never see the Client's real phone number and the Client never sees yours;
• Visit codes you enter on arrival confirming the correct address;
• SOS button during every visit, with GPS and admin alert;
• Professional refusal right with zero CareScore penalty for genuine safety-related cancellations;
• Admin escalation and incident investigation workflow;
• AI safety monitoring on reviews and reports.

6.2 These are aids, not guarantees

You acknowledge that these features offer maximum possible safety considerations but do not guarantee safety. You will:

• Use your own judgement on site. If a situation feels unsafe before the visit begins, you may refuse the visit through the Platform with zero CareScore penalty, provided the refusal is genuinely safety-related.
• If a situation becomes unsafe during the visit, you may end the visit for safety. Trigger the SOS function if immediate assistance is needed and, if warranted, contact 108 for medical emergencies or 112 for law-and-order emergencies.
• Inform CareStride admin within 24 hours of any safety incident, per Section 10.

6.3 CareStride is not your bodyguard

CareStride does not supervise visits in real time, cannot intervene instantaneously, and is not a substitute for State emergency services. You accept that personal safety during visits is, ultimately, your own responsibility.

7. Bookings and the acceptance flow

7.1 Offers and acceptance

CareStride surfaces Bookings to qualified Professionals based on the matching algorithm and the Client's search and filter choices. A Booking offer is not a guarantee that the Booking will be confirmed; the Client may swap during the 30-minute PENDING_CLIENT_CONFIRM window (Bookings scheduled ≥6 hours out) or the Booking may expire if not accepted in time.

7.2 Honouring confirmed Bookings

Once a Booking reaches CONFIRMED status, it is binding on you subject to the Cancellation Policy. Cancelling a confirmed Booking without a safety-related reason carries a CareScore penalty. Repeated such cancellations lead to suspension per the Cancellation Policy.

7.3 Acknowledgment on acceptance

On tapping Accept for a Booking offer, you acknowledge that you are accepting the Booking as an independent contractor, you are responsible for your clinical judgement, conduct, and safety, and CareStride does not supervise your clinical practice. This acknowledgment is recorded.

7.4 Care Engagements

You may be offered Care Engagements — a series of Bookings with the same Client and Care Recipient. Accepting a Care Engagement commits you to the full series at the stated schedule and rate. Each visit within the engagement is an individual Booking for clinical, billing, and cancellation purposes. Your obligations under these Terms apply to every visit identically, and per-visit cancellation rules apply to any individual cancellation. Acceptance of a Care Engagement does not create employment with or agency for CareStride or the Client.

You may optionally set engagement discount tiers from your profile, offering reduced rates for longer engagement commitments. These are your decision; CareStride does not mandate or recommend any specific discount.

8. Fees and payouts

8.1 Your fees

You set your fees subject to Platform rules and Market Insight information. CareStride charges a Platform Fee to facilitate the Booking.

8.2 Payout flow

Professional fees are settled through Razorpay Route to your verified bank account. Settlements occur on a rolling basis subject to dispute windows and applicable TDS deductions. The payout schedule and dispute window are published in the Professional Help Centre.

8.3 GST on your services

If you are GST-registered, your invoices and tax remittance are your own responsibility. CareStride issues invoices for the Platform Fee only, under its own GST.

8.4 Forfeiture

CareStride may, on material breach, withhold or forfeit pending payouts in accordance with these Terms and applicable law.

9. Zero phone sharing and off-platform solicitation

9.1 Communicate only through the Platform

All Client communication must be conducted through Platform-provided masked calls and in-app chat during active Bookings. You must not request, collect, share, or accept personal contact information from or to a Client.

9.2 No off-platform solicitation

You must not:

• offer to provide services outside the Platform to a Client met through the Platform;
• accept such an offer from a Client;
• direct Clients to a personal number, website, or other channel.

Off-platform solicitation is a material breach. Consequences include suspension or termination, forfeiture of pending payouts, removal of reviews and CareScore associated with your account, and pursuit of damages where applicable.

10. Safety incidents and reporting

You must report through the Platform, within 24 hours of occurrence:

• any injury suffered by yourself, the Client, or the Care Recipient during or in connection with a visit;
• any threatening, abusive, or unsafe conduct by a Client or other person at the visit location;
• any loss, theft, or damage to your property or the Client's property;
• any medication error or other clinical adverse event;
• any situation in which you used the SOS function or contacted emergency services.

Failure to report is a material breach and may lead to suspension.

11. Reviews about you

Clients may leave reviews about you. Reviews are analysed by AI for sentiment, topic tags, and safety concerns. CareStride does not remove reviews based solely on negative content unless they violate the Community Guidelines or applicable law. You may respond to reviews via the Platform's response mechanism.

CareStride's Review Fraud Detection monitors for fabricated or incentivised reviews. Attempting to generate fake positive reviews for your own profile, or fake negative reviews for another Professional, is a material breach.

12. Intellectual property, publicity

You grant CareStride a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, sub-licensable licence to display your profile information, professional photograph, credentials summary, and reviews on the Platform and in its marketing materials. You retain ownership of your personal information and content subject to this licence.

13. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

13.1 Platform as-is

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. CareStride disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including fitness for your business purposes, continuous availability, and the accuracy of Client-provided information including uploaded Treating Doctor instructions.

13.2 Liability cap

CareStride's aggregate liability to you under these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (a) the sum of Platform Fees paid by you in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (b) ₹10,000.

13.3 Excluded damages

CareStride shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including loss of earnings, reputation, or opportunity.

13.4 Non-waivable

Nothing limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable Indian law.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Micro Pixel Private Limited, its directors, officers, employees, and agents from any claim, liability, loss, damage, cost, or expense arising out of:

• your use of the Platform;
• your breach of these Terms;
• your clinical conduct, acts, or omissions during or in connection with any visit;
• your failure to maintain valid licensing, insurance, or tax compliance;
• any third-party claim (including by Clients, Care Recipients, their families, or regulatory bodies) relating to your conduct.

15. Data protection

CareStride processes your personal data in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and the Privacy Policy. You have the rights set out in Section 7 of the Privacy Policy.

16. Grievance Officer

Same officer contact family as in the Client Terms — Authorized Signatory, [email protected], C19A, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai - 600032. Multi-track SLAs (general, consumer / marketplace, data principal, and fast-track for impersonation and intimate imagery under IT Rules 3(2)(b)) apply as described in Section 20 of the Client Terms. Submit at carestride.health/legal/grievance-redressal/submit or via the mobile app path described there; a login is not required for intake.

17. Dispute resolution, arbitration, governing law

Identical to Section 21 of the Client Terms: arbitration seated in Chennai under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996; consumer-forum carve-out preserved; courts at Chennai for matters not subject to arbitration; Indian law governs.

18. Modification, termination, force majeure, severability

As in the Client Terms, with the addition that termination for material breach by you may result in forfeiture of pending payouts to the extent permitted by law.

20. Onboarding and Verification

20.1 Independent status. You are an independent practitioner, not an employee.

20.2 Eligibility. Valid council registration, accurate credentials, 18+ and legally competent.

20.3 NurseShield three-mode verification before accepting paid bookings: Mode I identity (ID, address, liveness); Mode II credentials (education, council registration); Mode III background (references, lawful screening).

20.4 Conduct. Honour bookings; safety refusal permitted without penalty when genuine.

20.5 Payouts. To verified bank per published fee schedule after visit completion and dispute windows.

21. Community Guidelines and Code of Conduct

These Community Guidelines and Code of Conduct form part of the CareStride Terms and apply to every Client and Professional on the Platform.

Respectful behaviour

Treat other users, Care Recipients, their families, and CareStride staff with dignity and respect. Harassment, threats, intimidation, hate speech, discrimination on protected grounds, sexual harassment, or abusive language — in any language — is prohibited. You must not retaliate against anyone who reports a concern in good faith.

Prohibited acts

You must not use the Platform to commit fraud, impersonate another person, manipulate reviews or ratings, submit false safety reports, evade payment, launder money, or violate any applicable law. You must not upload malware, scrape data without authorisation, or attempt to bypass verification, escrow, geofencing, or strike systems.

Off-platform contact prohibition

CareStride provides masked messaging and calling for booking-related communication. You must not share or solicit personal phone numbers, email addresses, WhatsApp handles, or social-media accounts to move transactions, payments, or clinical coordination off-platform ("zero phone sharing"). Limited exceptions apply only where CareStride explicitly enables a feature or where required by emergency services.

Honest information

Provide accurate profile, booking, availability, and review information. Fake reviews, review manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and misrepresentation of credentials or scope of practice are prohibited.

Professional conduct

Professionals must deliver care within their licence and council standards, honour confirmed bookings except for genuine safety refusal, and maintain current registrations. Clients must provide accurate visit information and be available at the scheduled time and place.

Reporting process

Report violations via in-app Help, the Grievance form, or [email protected]. For urgent safety, use the in-app SOS feature. CareStride may remove content, issue strikes, suspend accounts, or permanently terminate access. Strike and suspension schedules are set out in the Cancellation Policy and Client Terms §23A (Clients) or Professional Terms (Professionals).

22. What You Can Expect From CareStride

| Commitment | Standard | | --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Payout cycle | Per published fee schedule on announced cycle | | Dispute fairness | Counter-evidence rights; neutral admin review at each stage | | Appeals | Suspension appeal reviewed within 14 days; unresolved appeals may auto-resolve per ops policy after 14 days | | Verification protection | Credentials not shared beyond booking needs; never sold | | Safety refusal | Genuine refusal supported — no CareScore penalty | | Strike transparency | Notification on every strike with reason | | Grievance fairness | Your defence considered; multi-track SLAs apply |

23. Investigative Holds Pending Grievance Review

[English placeholder — §23 Investigative Holds: temporary professional account hold during grievance review; auto-hold for serious categories; respondent rights; lift on favourable resolution. See English terms-professional.md §23 for authoritative text.]

19. Electronic contract formation, operating entity

As in the Client Terms.

CareStride is an open marketplace platform that connects clients with independent home healthcare professionals. CareStride verifies credentials and facilitates discovery, booking, payment, and communication — it does not employ the professionals listed on the platform, does not provide medical care directly, and does not guarantee specific outcomes. Professionals run their own independent practice. AI features assist in matching, analysis, and information — they do not replace professional medical judgement.

Acceptance and Authorized Signatory

This document is published by MICRO PIXEL PRIVATE LIMITED on its official Platform (carestride.health and the CareStride mobile application). By using the Platform you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to these terms. This electronic contract is binding under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

For and on behalf of MICRO PIXEL PRIVATE LIMITED

Authorized Signatory
Document timestamp: as recorded in metadata above.

Contact for Questions

• Email: [email protected]
• Postal: MICRO PIXEL PRIVATE LIMITED, C19A Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600032

Grievance Officer (per DPDP Act 2023)

• Designation: Grievance Officer
• Email: [email protected]
• Response Time: Within 30 calendar days