You helped when they needed it. Now every time you bring it up, the date moves again — or the conversation turns awkward and stops. A formal legal notice, in your own name, puts the exact amount, when it was lent, and a firm deadline on record. Many people find just sending it is what finally gets a response, without a single court appearance.
Serve-ready notice from ₹299, or ₹799 and we post it by Registered Post A.D. — a lawyer charges ₹2,000–5,000 for the same letter.
One or two sentences in your own words. We match them against what each document is for and point you at the right one — nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing is saved.
This is the same checklist we show once you've bought the notice. Nothing here is a test you can fail: it tells you what to gather, not whether you're allowed to act.
Missing one of these does not stop you sending anything. It does mean this is the first thing you will be asked for, so it is the first thing worth chasing.
The invoice or bill you raised
It is what fixes the amount. Without it the sum you are demanding is your word against theirs.
If you don't have it: No formal invoice? A dated message or email stating the amount does the same job — add it under Communications.
What the deal was — agreement, work order or purchase order
It shows the money was owed at all, and on what terms. An oral deal is still recoverable, but it has to be proved some other way.
If you don't have it: Nothing signed? The WhatsApp or email thread where the work was agreed is the substitute — add it under Communications.
Not strictly required, and the difference between a demand that gets taken seriously and one that gets ignored is usually somewhere in here.
Proof you delivered or completed the work
The usual defence is 'the work was never done'. Delivery proof closes that door before it opens.
If you don't have it: An acceptance email, a delivery challan, or the files you handed over all count.
The reminders you already sent
They show this notice is not the first you have asked — which is what makes a demand look serious rather than sudden.
If you don't have it: Even one dated message asking for payment helps. Screenshots are fine.
Useful context. Skip any of these you do not have — none of them is worth delaying over.
Bank or UPI record of any part-payment
A part-payment can restart the three-year limitation clock, and the demand has to credit what was actually paid.
If you don't have it: If nothing at all was ever paid, you can skip this one.
Missing something? Send it anyway. Most people in a genuine dispute have less on paper than they should. The list is here so you know what to chase, not so you're told to wait.
The law gives you a window, not a wall. Here is what it actually says — never a date, because only you know when this started, and never a verdict on your case, because that is a lawyer's judgment, not this page's.
Suit for money due must generally be filed within 3 years of the amount falling due
Counted from: the day the amount fell due
If you think you're already past it: Being past this period does not close the door by itself — limitation bars the right to sue, not the debt, and a written acknowledgement of the debt or a part-payment since then can restart the clock. If your date is close or already gone, that is a reason to talk to a lawyer this week, not a reason to stop.
Limitation Act, 1963 — Schedule, Part I (e.g. Articles 14/15 price of goods, 18/19 work done or money lent; residuary Article 113)
Describe what happened
Tell us the facts in plain words — who owes what, and since when. You confirm every detail before anything is final.
Preview your notice free
See the full serve-ready legal notice in your own name — the exact amount, the demand, and a firm deadline — before you pay.
Download, or let us post it
Download the serve-ready PDF for ₹299, or pay ₹799 and we send it by Registered Post A.D. and email you the tracking number.
We post it on Wednesday 2 September. Miss that date and we refund your ₹799 in full — guaranteed.
We never wrote anything down — it was just between us. Can I still send a notice?
Yes. An oral loan is legally recoverable — nothing in the law requires a signed agreement for money lent to be owed. It just has to be proved a different way: UPI or bank transfer records, WhatsApp or text messages where the loan or a repayment promise is mentioned, or anyone who witnessed the money change hands. Upload whatever you have and confirm the facts before anything is final — the notice describes what actually happened (money lent informally), not a written agreement that never existed.
It's been a couple of years since I lent this — is it too late to act?
A suit for money lent generally must be filed within 3 years of the amount falling due (Limitation Act, 1963, Articles 18 and 19) — but an old date is not automatically a closed door. If, before those three years were up, your friend or relative acknowledged the debt or made a part-payment in their own signed writing, that restarts the clock. What does NOT do the same job is an acknowledgment made after the three years have already passed — reviving a debt at that point needs a fresh, written promise to repay, signed by them (Indian Contract Act, 1872, Section 25(3)), which is a narrower and different thing from an ordinary acknowledgment. Whether your own dates and paperwork line up with either of these is worth a lawyer's time this week, not a guess — so we don't tell you which one applies to you, only what each one requires.
Does it matter that this is a relative, not just a friend?
No — the law treats a personal loan the same whether it's a friend, a cousin, or a sibling. What usually changes is the reluctance to act, not the legal position. The money is owed regardless of the relationship, and a formal notice is often exactly what moves a family stand-off that months of conversation haven't.
Will sending a legal notice end the relationship?
It might change the conversation, but a notice is a formal written demand, not a lawsuit — many people pay, or finally propose a real repayment plan, once they see you're serious. If the relationship matters to you, this is usually the step that gets an honest conversation restarted, not the one that ends it.
How is this different from hiring a lawyer?
You get the same serve-ready notice, addressed in your own name, at a fraction of the cost and in minutes rather than days. We're a document tool, not a law firm — for a genuinely complex dispute, or one where the amount is large enough that an hour of legal advice is worth it, we'll tell you when a lawyer is the better call.
Free preview · from ₹299 · ready in minutes
What this costs, and what you get for it
Been sent a notice yourself? Check what it means, free — upload the notice, summons or letter that landed on you and find out what it says and whether it's genuine, in plain English, Tamil, Telugu or Hindi. Nothing to pay, and it's a separate job from sending one of your own.
Agreements.co.in is a document service, not a law firm — we don't give legal advice or guarantee outcomes. You send the notice in your own name and confirm every detail before you pay.