Payment problems and what to do about them
Straight answers to the situations business owners actually face: customer not paying, cheque bounced, buyer avoiding calls, old dues.
All problems pages (45)
- Customer not paying your invoice? Here is exactly what to do
Customer not paying an invoice? The step-by-step route Indian suppliers use: reminder, legal notice in 24 hours, MSME Samadhaan or summary suit
- Client not paying for services you have already delivered
Client not paying for consulting, IT, design or agency work? How Indian service providers recover fees: contract, acceptance proof, legal notice in 24 hours, summary suit
- Goods delivered, buyer not paying: how to recover
Buyer took the goods and is not paying? Prove delivery with challan, e-way bill and GST data, send a legal notice in 24 hours, then MSME Samadhaan or a summary suit
- Your payment is stuck with a company: how to get it released
Payment stuck in a company's approval chain, finance queue or "vendor reconciliation"? How to move it: escalation letter, legal notice in 24 hours, MSME Samadhaan, 43B(h) pressure
- Payment pending for months: when waiting stops working
Invoice pending for 3, 6 or 9 months? What the delay is costing you, when the law kicks in (45 days for MSMEs, 3-year limitation), and how FundRaksha recovers it with no upfront fee
- Payment not received after the due date: what to do in the first 30 days
Due date passed and no payment? What to do in the first 30 days to protect the claim: dated demand, interest, stop credit, legal notice in 24 hours
- Customer avoiding your calls about payment
Buyer not picking up, not replying, "in a meeting" every time? Why silence is a signal, how to create a written record, and how an advocate's notice in 24 hours ends the avoidance
- Buyer blocked your number and disappeared with your dues
Blocked on phone and WhatsApp after you supplied? How to find the buyer's legal address, serve a legal notice in 24 hours, and recover through MSME Samadhaan, Section 138 or a suit
- Customer keeps saying “will pay next week”
Buyer promising "next week" for months? Turn promises into a written, dated commitment or a legal notice in 24 hours
- Buyer raised a quality complaint only after the payment became due
Buyer suddenly says goods were defective, months after accepting them? Why late complaints fail: deemed acceptance in 15 days (MSMED Act), inspection clauses, onward sale
- Buyer claims the goods were never received
Buyer denying delivery? The documents that prove it in India: e-way bill, lorry receipt, POD, GST ITC claim, WhatsApp confirmations
- Buyer says they will pay you when their customer pays them
Buyer blaming their own customer for not paying you? Why back-to-back payment is not a legal defence, what the MSMED Act says, and how to recover with a legal notice in 24 hours
- Cheque bounced: what to do, and the deadlines you cannot miss
Buyer's cheque bounced? The Section 138 timeline: notice within 30 days of the return memo, 15 days to pay, complaint within 1 month after
- Post-dated cheque not honoured on the due date
Post-dated cheque bounced or payment stopped? When Section 138 applies to PDCs, what to do within 30 days, and how to recover with a legal notice in 24 hours
- The buyer’s company has shut down and still owes you
Buyer's company closed, struck off or under insolvency? What you can still recover: from directors who signed cheques, through MCA restoration, as an operational creditor, or from partners
- Buyer changed their company name or started trading under a new entity
Buyer renamed the company or shifted business to a new firm to dodge your invoice? Why a name change does not erase a debt, how to trace the entity, and how FundRaksha recovers it
- No written contract, but the buyer owes you money
No signed agreement with the buyer? How Indian law treats oral contracts and conduct, which documents substitute for a contract, and how FundRaksha recovers with a legal notice in 24 hours
- Verbal order with no purchase order, and now the buyer will not pay
Supplied on a phone or WhatsApp order with no PO? How to prove the order from messages, delivery and conduct, and recover with a legal notice in 24 hours, MSME Samadhaan or a suit
- The buyer never signed your invoice. Does it matter?
Worried an unsigned invoice cannot be enforced? Why signatures on invoices are not required in Indian law, what proves acceptance instead, and how FundRaksha recovers the dues
- Old payment pending for two years: what can still be done
Invoice unpaid for 2 years? It is still within the 3-year limitation period
- Payment pending for 3 years: is it too late to recover?
Is a 3-year-old invoice time-barred? How the Limitation Act's 3-year rule works, what restarts it (acknowledgement, part payment), and what FundRaksha can still do
- Buyer paid part of the invoice and then stopped
Buyer paid some and stopped? Why part payment strengthens your case (acknowledgement, limitation restart), how to demand the balance with interest, and FundRaksha's route
- Buyer wants a discount before paying what they already owe
Buyer demands 10-20% off to clear an overdue invoice? When to refuse, when a conditional settlement makes sense, and how a legal notice in 24 hours changes the negotiation
- Buyer threatens a counter-claim when you ask for payment
Buyer says they will sue you for damages if you pursue the invoice? Why most counter-claim threats are bluffs, how to assess a real one, and how FundRaksha pursues your dues anyway
- A large company is not paying you, a small supplier
Big buyer sitting on your invoice? The MSMED Act gives small suppliers real leverage: 45-day limit, interest at 3x bank rate, Samadhaan heard in your state, Section 43B(h) tax pressure
- A government department is not paying your bills
Supplied or worked for a government department and the bill is stuck? How to use the file, the MSMED Act (it binds government buyers), MSME Samadhaan and formal notice to get paid
- PSU payment delayed: what the MSMED Act gives you against a public sector buyer
Public sector undertaking delaying your payment? PSUs are bound by the MSMED Act's 45-day rule and 3x bank rate interest, and answer to the Facilitation Council
- Builder not releasing retention money after the defect period
Retention held long after the defect liability period ended? How to prove the release conditions are met, demand it formally, and recover through a legal notice in 24 hours, Samadhaan or arbitration
- Main contractor not paying you, the subcontractor
Subcontractor with certified RA bills unpaid? Why "the client hasn't paid us" is not a defence, how to use the MSMED Act, and FundRaksha's route to recovery with no upfront fee
- Distributor not paying you, the manufacturer
Distributor holding your dues behind scheme claims, returns and "reconciliation"? How manufacturers separate undisputed dues, use the distribution agreement, and recover with a legal notice in 24 hours
- Dealer not paying for the stock you supplied
Dealer sold your stock and is not paying? How to recover dealer dues: ledger confirmation, security deposit, cheques, legal notice in 24 hours, Samadhaan or suit
- Franchisee not paying royalty, fees or supplies
Franchisee defaulting on royalty, marketing fees or product supplies? How to use the franchise agreement, audit rights, arbitration and a legal notice in 24 hours to recover
- Startup client not paying your invoice
Startup client delaying or ghosting on payment? How vendors, agencies and SaaS firms recover from startups: contract, acceptance trail, legal notice in 24 hours, summary suit, MSME Samadhaan
- Agency client not paying for campaigns, design or media
Client not paying your agency for creative, digital or media work? How agencies recover: the approval trail, media pass-through costs, legal notice in 24 hours, summary suit or Samadhaan
- Freelancer: client not paying for your work
Freelance client not paying after delivery? How Indian freelancers recover fees: the acceptance trail, a legal notice in 24 hours, summary suit or MSME Samadhaan, all with no upfront fee
- Transporter not paid freight: recovering logistics dues
Consignor or consignee not paying freight after delivery? How transporters and fleet owners recover: LR terms, POD, legal notice in 24 hours, MSME Samadhaan for registered operators, suit
- Supplier payment dispute: resolving it without losing the money or the customer
In a payment dispute with a buyer over quantity, quality, rates or deductions? How to narrow the dispute to the undisputed amount, document the rest, and resolve it through notice, settlement, Samadhaan or arbitration
- You paid the GST, the buyer has not paid you
Remitted GST on an invoice the buyer never paid? What happens to the buyer's ITC after 180 days, why it is leverage, and how to recover the invoice with a legal notice in 24 hours
- Buyer paid late and refuses to pay interest
Buyer cleared the principal months late and refuses interest? When interest is a legal right (MSMED Act: 3x bank rate compounded monthly), when it is contractual, and how FundRaksha claims it
- Your recovery agent is not getting results
Paid a recovery agent and nothing happened, or the buyer complained? Why field agents fail on business dues, the legal risks, and how advocate-led recovery (legal notice in 24 hours, Samadhaan, Section 138) works instead
- Your recovery case has been pending for years
Filed a recovery suit years ago and nothing has moved? Why cases stall, what to ask your lawyer, whether a faster route exists (Samadhaan, settlement, summary suit), and how FundRaksha takes over
- How to recover money from a company in India
Owed money by a private limited, LLP, partnership or proprietorship? Every route explained: legal notice in 24 hours, MSME Samadhaan, Section 138, summary suit, arbitration, insolvency
- How to recover money without going to court
Want your money back without a court case? The settlement-first route: documented demand, advocate's legal notice in 24 hours, negotiation, payment plan with cheques
- How to send a legal notice for payment
What a legal notice for non-payment must contain, who can send it, how it is served, the notice period, and what happens after
- Should you keep supplying a buyer who has not paid?
Buyer wants more goods while old invoices are unpaid? A decision framework: when to pause, how to switch to advance payment, how to protect the old debt, and when supply becomes leverage
Free consultation and case assessment
मुफ़्त सलाह, कोई शुल्क नहीं
Talk to a FundRaksha recovery expert for free. In one call we assess your unpaid invoices and tell you honestly what can be recovered, how, and in roughly how long. No fee for the call, no obligation, and no upfront cost if you go ahead: our fee is a percentage of what we actually recover.
- A review of your invoices, purchase orders, delivery proof and the buyer’s replies
- An honest assessment of recovery chances and the right route: reminders, legal notice, MSME Samadhaan, Section 138 or a civil suit
- A realistic timeline and the exact cost: nothing upfront, a success fee only on recovery
- A dedicated advocate assigned within 24 hours if you decide to proceed
- The unpaid invoice(s) and payment terms
- Purchase order, delivery challan, e-way bill or proof of service
- Messages, emails or letters about the payment
- For a bounced cheque: the cheque and the bank return memo
No recovery, no fee. Court fees, if any, are borne by the client and told upfront.
Questions, answered
This page is general information for Indian businesses, not legal advice for your specific case. Laws, rates and procedures change; speak to an advocate before acting. FundRaksha LegalTech Pvt Ltd is a technology company; legal work is carried out by enrolled advocates.