Baaki illa. Tension illa.No dues pending, no tension. Baaki (பாக்கி) is money still owed to you.
A simple app for micro and small businesses: polite reminders written for you, the exact interest your client owes by law, and a ready-to-file case if it ever comes to that.
Drag the slider on the invoice to see what the law adds as the payment gets later, then tap “Show it paid”.
| MS brackets, 2,400 pieces | ₹4,06,780 |
| GST at 18% | ₹73,220 |
| Total | ₹4,80,000 |
Paying this late can also cost Apex its tax deduction for this expense until it pays.
Suresh runs an 8-person sheet-metal unit in Peenya. Apex Components gives him 40% of his work. The names are made up; the pattern is not.
| ₹7.34 lakh crore | owed to MSMEs in delayed paymentsIndustry estimate, March 2024 |
| 66% | of micro-enterprise sales are stuck as delayed receivablesSame estimate |
| 2,56,892 | delayed-payment cases filed on the Samadhaan portal in about eight years, out of roughly 7.9 crore registered enterprisesMinistry of MSME data, 2026 |
| 13,000 | MSMEs in Peenya alone, with 35 facilitation councils across Karnataka for payment disputesState and news reports, 2026 |
The MSMED Act, 2006 protects Udyam-registered micro and small enterprises that manufacture goods or provide services. Four things matter.
MSMED Act, Section 15
Payment is due on the agreed date, which can’t be more than 45 days after acceptance. With no written agreement, it’s due in 15 days.
MSMED Act, Section 16
Late payments carry compound interest with monthly rests at three times the RBI bank rate. From 7 October 2026 that’s 17.25% a year.
Income-tax, the rule known as Section 43B(h)
A buyer that pays a micro or small supplier late can lose the tax deduction for that expense until the year it actually pays.
MSME ODR portal
If the buyer still doesn’t pay, the supplier can file a case online with the state’s Facilitation Council, at no cost.
Try it with a real invoice. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Usually the delivery date, unless they objected in writing within 15 days.
An estimate for discussion. It uses three times the RBI bank rate, compounded monthly, with indicative rates from 2023 onwards. Confirm the figure with a CA before relying on it.
Five questions about one invoice. Your answers stay on this page.
Each step is written for him. He reads it, then sends it from his own WhatsApp or email in one tap. He decides when to move up a step, and each step is a little firmer than the last.
The bars show how firm each step is.
The goal is to get paid at step 3 or 4. Filing is the backup, and when it’s needed, everything is already organised.
What a small business can do today when a client pays late.
| Feature | Keep calling | Hire a lawyer | Invoice reminder apps | ZeroBaaki |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs | Nothing upfront, but months of waiting | Professional fees for each case | Free or low cost | About ₹999 a month (planned) |
| Works out legal interest | No | Yes | No | Yes, updated daily |
| Uses the MSMED Act | No | Yes | No | Yes, step by step |
| Keeps things professional | Calls can get tense | Can feel like a fight | Yes | Yes, firmness rises gradually |
| Case ready to file | No | Yes | No | Yes, for the free ODR portal |
| Your time | Hours of follow-up | Meetings and paperwork | Low | A few taps per step |
Scroll the table sideways to see every option.
Lawyers stay essential for disputed or complex cases. The app is built to work alongside them, not replace them.
The first businesses, CAs and advocates who help test ZeroBaaki decide how it works. In return, they get terms that won’t be offered again after launch.
For micro and small businesses with an overdue invoice from a client in India.
After the founding 10, the first 100 businesses on the waitlist get 30% off their first year.
For practising CAs and firms whose MSME clients struggle with late payments.
For advocates with experience of MSMED Act cases, Facilitation Councils or commercial recovery.
These are pilot terms. They’re confirmed in writing when you join, and may change for anyone who joins after the pilot.
This is an early-stage product being built. Real cases come first, then the app.
Handling 10 real cases by hand
The app, with rules reviewed by a CA
10 businesses using it
Open sign-up and a CA partner programme
Businesses with an overdue invoice from a client in India
See the founding offer 2CAs to review the templates and refer clients
See the CA programme 1Advocate to review the notice and take disputed cases
See the advocate programmeNo. It’s a self-help tool that organises your invoices, works out the interest and prepares messages from professionally reviewed templates. For disputes or anything unusual, it points you to a CA or advocate.
The first messages are friendly reminders. You choose when to move to a firmer step, and every message stays polite and professional. Finance teams are used to formal payment notices from suppliers.
The app records the dispute and stops the automatic steps. Disputes about quality or quantity need a person to look at them, so it suggests talking to a professional.
The reminders still help, but the MSMED Act route only works against clients in India.
Trading businesses can’t file delayed-payment cases on the ODR portal. The Act’s payment protections are for micro and small manufacturers and service providers.
Filing on the MSME ODR portal is free. You file it yourself, and the app prepares the documents.
Baaki (பாக்கி) is the money still owed to you, a word used across Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Telugu. ZeroBaaki’s job is to bring it to zero, politely.
Each business sees only its own invoices. Data isn’t sold or shared, and you can delete everything at any time. The app is being built to follow India’s data protection law.
Checking whether you’re covered will be free. The full app is planned at about ₹999 a month. Founding businesses get 3 free months at launch, then ₹499 a month for as long as they stay subscribed.