Transparent agency model
How HiWay is structured legally — and why it matters for your invoicing.
HiWay is not a reseller of LLM tokens. When you top up credits, you are not buying tokens from us — you are giving us a mandate to pay LLM providers in your name. This is called a *transparent agency mandate* (French Civil Code art. 1984) and it changes three things in a way that matters to your accounting.
1. Provider cost passes through at zero markup
Because we act as your agent (not a reseller), we cannot legally add a margin on top of what providers charge. Every token you consume is debited at the exact provider price. Our only revenue is the 5% commission at purchase time and any optional subscription.
2. Your invoices show three separate lines
- LLM provider disbursements — pass-through, out of French VAT scope (art. 267-II-2° CGI). This is the money we paid providers on your behalf.
- HiWay commission (5%) — within the French VAT scope, 20% VAT for French B2C, reverse-charged for EU B2B, exempt for non-EU B2B.
- HiWay subscription (if applicable) — same VAT rules as the commission.
Why this is good for you
If you are a VAT-registered business, only the HiWay commission and subscription lines carry deductible VAT. The disbursement line is out of scope entirely, so your accountant records it as a pass-through cost — no VAT to reclaim, no VAT to pay. It mirrors how a travel agent handles airfare or how a law firm handles court filing fees.
3. Your credits sit in a pass-through account
Unused credits are held in account n° 467 (Other debtor/creditor accounts) on our books — not as revenue. If you stop using HiWay, the leftover provision is refundable to your original payment method. See the Terms of Service for the full wording.