For freelancers, studios and small businesses in India

Put a legal shield around your business.

Clients pay late when they think nothing will happen. With Astrosia Protect, something does.

Contracts signed before work starts
Every invoice followed for you
Someone on your side in every negotiation
Legal notice from an independent advocate for ₹850
An advocate to defend you if someone sues you, at member rates

Saves your Google name and email so we know who to open the workspace for. Nothing is billed.

Membership from ₹999 a month, plus GST

The problem

You did the work. They still haven’t paid.

Your invoice says 30 days. The average Indian small business gets paid on day 73.

What the invoice says

30 days

When the money arrives

73 days

Asking feels like begging

Push too softly and you wait. Push too hard and you might lose the client. So you apologise for money you’ve already earned.

The deal was never on paper

A WhatsApp “ok” feels like a deal, until “one small change” becomes fourteen and they dispute the invoice.

A lawyer costs more than the invoice

Late payers know it. So the invoice is quietly written off.

₹55,244 cr

in delayed payments filed on MSME Samadhaan

₹20,979 cr

of that is still pending

16%

of cases unresolved for over a year

National totals. Recordent SME Receivables Report 2026; CRISIL Intelligence, August 2026.

The solution

Five layers of protection around every deal.

Each layer answers one excuse a late payer relies on. Together they make your invoice the one that gets paid first.

Signed contracts
Every deal is signed before work starts, with the payment date and late terms in writing. A person can help you set those terms.

Answers~~“We never agreed to that.”~~
Invoice follow-up
Reminders go out on a schedule, in your name, until the invoice is paid. You never write “just checking in” again.

Answers~~“Sorry, it slipped our mind.”~~
Member badge
A badge on your proposals and invoices that tells clients you are protected, before any problem starts.

Answers~~“They won’t do anything about it.”~~
Negotiation support
Someone from our team negotiates for you, or sits on your client calls, so you never go in alone.

Answers~~“Take it or leave it.”~~
Affordable legal help
Independent advocates at member rates, whether a client won’t pay you or someone takes action against you. A legal notice is ₹850.

Answers~~“Go ahead, sue me.”~~

The deterrent

Late payers assume you won’t act. Show them you can.

When a legal notice costs ₹850, even a small invoice is worth pursuing. Your client can see that from the first day.

Before the deal

They see your badge

On your proposal and invoices. One tap confirms you are an active Protect member.

Astrosia ProtectActive member since 2026
At signing

They sign your terms

Due date, late-payment terms, and a record of exactly who signed and when.

R. MehtaSigned
After the due date

The reminders continue

On schedule and on record. Where the law allows it, they also state the interest accruing.

Reminder 1Reminder 2Interest stated
If they still don’t pay

An advocate writes to them

A legal notice on an advocate’s letterhead. You stay courteous. The notice carries the weight.

Legal noticeRe: Invoice INV-0042, ₹4,20,000

Legal help

Legal help at a price you can plan for.

Members get independent advocates at member rates. You see the price first and pay the advocate directly. Protect adds no markup.

Legal notice

Written, signed and sent by an advocate, on their letterhead.

₹850 per notice

Contract review

An advocate reads the contract before you sign it.

from ₹500 per contract

Litigation

An advocate takes your matter to court.

from ₹5,000 per matter

Arbitration

An advocate represents you, where your contract provides for arbitration.

from ₹5,000 per session

Starting rates for the advocate’s fee. The advocate confirms the fee for your matter before you agree. Court fees, stamp duty, postage and other third-party costs are extra. Rates can change before launch.

A shield works both ways

When a client won’t pay you

Go after what you’re owed.

An independent advocate acts for you, with your contract, invoice and reminders already in one file.

Legal notice on the advocate’s letterhead
Court or arbitration if it has to go further
Help preparing an MSME Samadhaan filing

When someone comes after you

Defend your business at the same member rates.

If another business sues you, sends you a legal notice or drags you into a dispute, you don’t face it alone. You choose an independent advocate to defend you.

A reply to a legal notice sent to you
Defence in court or arbitration
Your signed contracts and records, ready as your side of the story

How you get legal help

Tap “Get legal help”On an unpaid invoice, a contract, or a notice you’ve received.
See the feeAn independent advocate confirms it for your matter.
Say yesOr don’t. There’s no obligation.
Your file goes overContract, invoice and every reminder, already organised.
The advocate acts for youTo claim what you’re owed, or to defend you.

Negotiation support

Walk into every deal with a team.

Big clients bring procurement, finance and a lawyer to the call. Now you bring someone too.

Someone negotiates for you

Hand over the hard conversation. Our commercial desk takes on price, scope and payment terms with your client, inside limits you set.
A seat on your calls

Hire someone to sit through a client call with you. They take the notes, watch the numbers and message you what to say next.
Prepared before you join

Your opening ask, your walk-away number and what you can trade, worked out before the meeting starts.
Quoted first, at member rates.

Northwind Retail, contract callLive

Their side

R. Mehta, FinanceS. Iyer, Procurement

Your side

Kavya Rao, Studio KavyaAditi S., Commercial desk

Private to you, from Aditi

They said 60 days. Hold at 30. Your floor is 45.

Offer the third revision round in exchange for the 40% advance.

Good. Ask them to confirm that in writing before you close.

An illustration. The names are examples.

How it works

Watch one invoice, with and without Protect.

Drag the slider to move time forward.

From: Studio Kavya
To: Northwind Retail
Invoice: ₹4,20,000
Terms: 30 days

Day 61 31 days overdue

Day of the invoice

Chasing it yourself

Day 31 Hi! Gentle payment reminder.
Day 38 Sure, will process this week.
Day 55 Hope you’re well. Any update?
Day 61 Accounts is on leave. Next week, pakka.
Day 89 So sorry to bother you again… Seen

With Protect

Day 0 Contract signed by both sides The due date and late terms are on record.
Day 1 Invoice sent, tied to the contract The due date is a clause, not a hope.
Day 23 Heads-up before the due date A polite note, sent in your name.
Day 31 Reminder with a statement On schedule. You don’t write it.
Day 38 A call from our follow-up desk Only if you approve it.
Day 46 Reminder states your rights If you are Udyam-registered: the 45-day limit and the interest accruing.
Day 60 You decide: send an advocate’s notice ₹850 at member rates, on the advocate’s letterhead.
Day 75 Your file is ready for the next step Contract, invoice and every reminder in one bundle.

An illustration. The names are examples.

Your rights

The law is already on your side.

Most small suppliers never use it. With Protect, your reminders say so plainly.

45 days

The limit for paying you

A buyer must pay a registered micro or small enterprise within the agreed date, and no later than 45 days from acceptance.

3×

Interest if they’re late

Past that, they owe compound interest at three times the RBI bank rate. A contract can’t waive it.

Tax cost

Late payers lose a deduction

A buyer who pays a micro or small enterprise late can claim that expense only in the year it actually pays.

Under the MSMED Act, 2006, for Udyam-registered micro and small enterprises; freelancers can register too. General information. Who this applies to

Who it’s for

Built for businesses that have had to chase an invoice.

Freelancers

One person against a whole accounts department. Now you have backing.

Studios and agencies

“One small change” becomes a paid extra, because the contract says so.

Creators and editors

If a brand goes quiet mid-month, the kill fee is already agreed.

Small suppliers

When three buyers owe you and payroll is on the 7th, late is not an option.

Pricing

Costs less than one written-off invoice.

Choose a plan by how many deals you sign in a month. One written-off invoice of ₹1,50,000 equals about 150 months of Starter.

Starter

Freelancers and solo professionals.

₹999 a month

₹1,179 with 18% GST

Assisted agreements1 a month
Self-serve signatures5 a month
Invoices followedAll of them
Legal member ratesYes

Business

Studios, startups and small agencies.

₹1,999 a month

₹2,359 with 18% GST

Assisted agreements3 a month
Self-serve signatures9 a month
Invoices followedAll of them
Legal member ratesYes

Agency

Teams whose contracts are always in motion.

₹4,999 a month

₹5,899 with 18% GST

Assisted agreements10 a month
Self-serve signatures25 a month
Invoices followedAll of them
Legal member ratesYes

Every plan includes the member badge, payment consultation and help choosing your next step. An advocate’s fee is paid separately, directly to the advocate. Negotiation support is quoted first. An assisted agreement means our coordinator sends it and follows up until it’s signed. Sample tariff; it can change before launch. Cancel any month.

Straight answers.

Are you a law firm?

No. Protect is software and commercial support. Legal work is done by independent advocates. You engage them directly and pay them directly.

Is the ₹850 notice from a real advocate?

Yes. An independent enrolled advocate writes it, signs it and sends it on their own letterhead.

What if another business sues me?

Membership works in that direction too. You choose an independent advocate to defend you, at the same member rates, and your signed contracts and records are ready to hand over. It is access to defence at member rates, not insurance: you pay the advocate’s fee and any amount a court orders.

How can it cost so little?

Your contract, invoice and reminders reach the advocate already organised, so nobody has to rebuild your case from six months of chats.

Will this upset my client?

Reminders are polite and commercial. Anything firmer waits for your yes, so you decide how far it goes, every time.

Will I definitely get paid?

Nobody can promise that. What Protect does is make you much harder to ignore, and make the next step affordable if you need it.

Do I need Udyam registration?

Not to join. You need it to rely on the MSMED Act’s 45-day limit and interest. Registration is free, and freelancers can register.

Can I cancel?

Any month, from your account. You keep access to your signed contracts and records.

Be the invoice they pay first.

Hold your place. The workspace is being built, and we’ll open it for you first. Nothing on this page bills you.