Legal Notice for Payment Recovery: Process, Cost and Timeline in India

A large share of unpaid-invoice disputes in India end at the legal notice stage, because a lawyer-signed notice changes what ignoring you costs.

The process

1. Brief an advocate with invoices, the contract if any, and the follow-up trail.
2. The notice is drafted and signed on advocate letterhead: facts, legal basis, a specific demand, a deadline of 15 to 30 days.
3. Service on record by registered post and email, with dispatch proof preserved.
4. After the deadline: settlement talks, conciliation, or filing, from a documented position of strength.

Cheque bounce is stricter

Under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, the notice must go within 30 days of the bank return memo. Miss the window and the criminal remedy is gone.

Cost

DraftingBase sends a lawyer-signed legal notice for a fixed ₹999, dispatched within 24 hours with proof shared on WhatsApp. A reply to a notice you received is ₹2,499.