Processing & Costs
How background processing works, what you are charged, and how errors are handled.
When you upload a file, Kalima transcribes it on its servers so you can close the page and come back to a finished transcript. This page explains how that background processing works, exactly how uploads are charged from your time balance, and what happens when something goes wrong.
How processing works
Uploading a file happens in clear, visible stages. After you select a file and press Start Transcription, Kalima moves through each stage and shows you a progress card with the current step, a percentage, the amount uploaded, and an estimated time remaining.
Leave the page and come back
Once your file has finished uploading, transcription continues on Kalima's servers. You can navigate away, switch tabs, or close the page entirely, and the job keeps running. The session appears in your history marked Processing and switches to Completed when it is done.
The one moment to stay put is while the file is still uploading. If you leave before the upload itself completes, the transfer is cancelled and you will need to start it again. After you see the "you can leave this page" message, you are free to go.
Long recordings naturally take longer to process. A multi-hour file can take several minutes or more, so it is normal for a large upload to sit in Processing for a while. There is no need to keep refreshing. Open it later from your sessions list.
What you are charged
Uploads draw from your time balance, the same recording time used for live transcription, made up of your plan's included weekly minutes plus any prepaid credits. You are billed for the actual transcribed duration of the audio, not for the file size or the time it took to upload.
See the cost before you spend
After you select a file, Kalima estimates its length, compares it to your available balance, and shows you the cost and your remaining balance right above the Start button. If your balance is not enough, you will see an Insufficient Balance warning with an option to add balance or upgrade before anything is charged.
There are no surprise charges. You always see an estimate up front, and the final bill is reconciled to the exact audio duration after processing, as explained below.
How billing is reconciled
Because a file's exact length is not always known up front, Kalima uses a reserve-then-reconcile model:
The finished session shows the duration you were actually billed for. If a result is not ready the moment a job completes, finalizing the bill is retried automatically, so your balance always settles to the correct amount.
Translation is included
If you turn on translation when you upload a file, the translation is produced in the same pass as the transcription at no additional time cost. You pay only for the audio duration and get both the original transcript and the translation. This is Kalima's "2-for-1" translation.
Cancelled or failed uploads release the reserved time straight back to your balance. You are only ever charged for audio that was actually transcribed.
How errors are handled
Not every problem is the same. Kalima separates temporary issues from permanent ones so you know whether to simply try again or to change something first.
| What happened | Type | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Service busy / temporary slowdown | Temporary (retryable) | Wait a moment and try again. No need to start over. |
| Network error during upload | Temporary (retryable) | Check your connection and re-upload the file. |
| Unsupported file format | Permanent | Convert the file to a supported format, then upload. |
| File too large for your plan | Permanent | Upload a smaller file, compress it, or upgrade your plan. |
| Audio longer than the maximum | Permanent | Split the recording into parts under the limit. |
| Insufficient balance | Action needed | Add credits or upgrade, then start. |
| Cancelled by you | n/a | The reserved time is released; just start again when ready. |
For temporary failures, the message tells you the issue can be retried. For permanent ones, the message is specific and actionable (for example, "Try uploading a smaller file" or an Upgrade Plan prompt), so you can fix the file or plan and succeed on the next attempt.
Common error categories
The file is not one of the accepted audio or video types. Re-export or convert it to a supported format such as MP3, WAV, M4A, or MP4, then try again. See Supported Formats & Limits for the full list.
The file exceeds your plan's maximum upload size. Compress it, upload a smaller file, or upgrade your plan to raise the limit. For videos, only the extracted audio is uploaded, which is usually much smaller than the original video.
The recording is longer than the five-hour (300-minute) maximum, or your plan's per-file duration cap. Split it into shorter parts and upload them separately, or upgrade if your plan's per-file duration is the limit.
Your available time balance is less than the file's estimated cost. Add a credit top-up or upgrade your plan from the warning, then start the transcription.
A transient service condition. Wait a moment and try again. These errors are retryable, and your reserved time is released if the attempt does not complete.
Something prevented the audio from being transcribed. Confirm the file contains audible speech (a silent video, for example, produces an empty transcript), and try again. Reserved time is released on failure.
The upload was stopped, usually because the page was left while the file was still transferring. Re-select the file and upload again, then wait for the upload to complete before navigating away.
Frequently asked questions
No. Once the file finishes uploading, processing continues in the background and you can leave the page. Come back to find the finished transcript in your sessions. Only the still-uploading phase is cancelled if you navigate away.
You are charged from your time balance based on the actual transcribed duration of the audio. Kalima shows an estimate and your remaining balance before you start, reserves time when you begin, and reconciles to the exact amount when it finishes, refunding any over-reservation.
The reserved time is released back to your balance. You are only ever charged for audio that was actually transcribed.
No. When you enable translation on an upload, it is processed alongside the transcription at no additional time cost. You pay only for the audio duration.
Long files take longer to transcribe, and processing runs in the background. Leave it and check back later. Multi-hour files can take several minutes or more before they switch to Completed.
No. Reserved time is released when an upload is cancelled or fails, and final billing is based only on the audio that was actually transcribed. Retrying a temporary error does not double-charge you.