Your rights as an MSME supplier
| Right | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Section 15, MSMED Act | The buyer must pay by the agreed date, never later than 45 days from acceptance; with no written agreement, within 15 days |
| Section 16 | Compound interest with monthly rests at three times the RBI bank rate on the delayed amount |
| Section 18 | Reference to the Maharashtra Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Councils (regional councils for Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati regions): conciliation, then arbitration, aiming to decide within 90 days |
| Section 43B(h), Income-tax Act | The buyer loses the tax deduction for the year if it pays you late |
| Section 22, MSMED Act | Companies must disclose unpaid MSME dues in their accounts |
Register on Udyam before you supply, not after the dispute. Courts have held that the benefits apply to supplies made after registration. Traders are generally outside the delayed-payment provisions.
Recovering B2B dues in Mumbai: what is specific here
Mumbai is India’s largest B2B market and its dues are the most varied: garment exporters in Dharavi and Andheri, chemical traders in Masjid Bunder, agencies and consultants billing corporates in BKC and Lower Parel. Cheque-based payments are still common in trading, so Section 138 is a frequent route, and arbitration clauses in corporate contracts often decide where a dispute is heard.
Main industries: textiles and garments, finance and services, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, media and advertising and import and export trading.
Courts: Metropolitan Magistrate courts (Esplanade, Mazgaon, Andheri, Bandra, Kurla and others) for Section 138 complaints; City Civil Court and the Bombay High Court Commercial Division for high-value recovery suits.
MSME claims: Udyam-registered micro and small suppliers in Mumbai file on MSME Samadhaan, heard by the Maharashtra Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Councils (regional councils for Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati regions) (Directorate of Industries, Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai, and regional Joint Director of Industries offices). The Council sits where the supplier is, so a Mumbai supplier can pursue a buyer in another state from home.
How FundRaksha files MSME Samadhaan for you
- We check your Udyam status, the supply dates and the acceptance to confirm eligibility.
- Your advocate sends a legal notice citing Sections 15 and 16, with the interest computed to date.
- If the buyer does not settle, we file the application on samadhaan.msme.gov.in with the invoices, proof of delivery and the ledger.
- The Maharashtra Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Councils (regional councils for Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati regions) calls both sides for conciliation; if that fails, it arbitrates and passes an award.
- The award is enforced like a decree; a buyer who appeals must deposit 75% of the amount first.