Document the actual payments, purpose and terms and have their treatment assessed. Do not assume every franchise charge belongs in the same capital total.
Separate the franchise charges by obligation
Record recipient, refundability, timing and what each payment secures. Distinguish ongoing royalties or optional expenses from commitments actually made. Verify current immigration government fees separately from commercial costs. A franchisor’s price list does not decide substantiality or guarantee that the funds meet the at-risk requirement.
Hypothetical example: A treaty-national purchaser of a window-restoration company counts a refundable equipment reservation and three years of hoped-for advertising as investment already committed. Prepare a payment schedule showing recipient, legal purpose, refundability, release condition, and source record for every item. The first review should distinguish the cost of the enterprise from cash that is at risk and from optional future expenditure. There is no fixed universal E-2 dollar amount; substantiality is assessed in relation to the enterprise's actual cost. Do not add projected payroll or ordinary household funds merely to enlarge a number. Verify current public charges separately from commercial purchase costs and professional services. The decision is whether the committed capital is substantial for this business and exposed to loss, not whether the spreadsheet looks impressive.
The payment ledger should identify the point at which each outlay becomes exposed to loss. That is more informative than grouping deposits, refundable holds, and future plans under one investment label.