How to manage udhaar (credit) in your shop without a notebook

The short answer

Give each regular customer a credit limit, write every udhaar sale against their name with a date, record part payments against the oldest bills first, and remind them politely on a fixed rhythm. A billing app that records udhaar on the bill itself does the adding up for you, so nothing depends on one notebook behind the counter.

Where the notebook goes wrong

• An udhaar sale is written in a hurry, or not at all, when the counter is busy.
• Part payments are noted on a different page, so nobody knows what is really due.
• There is no limit, so a few customers slowly build up large amounts.
• Old amounts are forgotten because nobody can see how old they are.
• Reminding feels awkward, so it doesn't happen until the amount is too big to ask for.

Five habits that keep udhaar under control

1. 1

   Set a credit limit per customer

   Decide how much each regular can owe at most. A new customer starts small; a long-time regular can have more. Stop udhaar sales when a customer reaches their limit.

2. 2

   Record udhaar on the bill, not after it

   The udhaar entry should be made by the same action that makes the bill. Then the amount, items and date are always right.

3. 3

   Pick a due period

   Fifteen or thirty days is common. A due date turns 'pay when you can' into a clear date, and overdue amounts stand out.

4. 4

   Clear the oldest bills first

   When a customer pays part of what they owe, apply it to their oldest bills. Old amounts get cleared, and your statement matches what the customer remembers.

5. 5

   Remind on a rhythm, politely

   A short, friendly message with the amount and a statement works better than a call. Don't remind the same person every day; leave a few days between reminders.

Look at udhaar by age, not only by amount

0–30 days

Normal. Usually paid without a reminder.

31–60 days

Send a polite reminder with the statement.

61–90 days

Talk to the customer; pause new udhaar until it is cleared.

Over 90 days

Agree a payment plan. Don't let it grow.

These are suggestions, not rules. You know your customers best.

How Slaby's udhaar book does this

In Slaby, switch on credit for your store and give a customer a credit limit. At the counter, add the customer to the bill and you see how much udhaar they can still take; choose udhaar as the payment, or split it, such as part cash and part udhaar.

The Udhaar page lists everyone who owes you, with the total, what is overdue and the age in four groups from 0–30 to over 90 days. When a customer pays, part or full, enter it and it clears their oldest bills first. Cash taken this way goes into the open till, so the day's cash count stays right.

Press Remind and WhatsApp opens on your phone with a message in English or Hindi, a link to the customer's statement and a UPI link to pay. You press send yourself; nothing is sent automatically and it costs nothing. Slaby waits a few days before suggesting the same customer again and skips anyone who has turned WhatsApp messages off.

The udhaar book is part of counter billing, which comes with every paid plan, from Lite at ₹299 a month, after a 14-day free trial.

Common questions

Is it legal to remind customers on WhatsApp?

A reminder about money a customer owes you, sent to their own number, is a normal business message. Stop if they ask you to, and don't send offers to customers who haven't agreed to them.

Should I charge interest on udhaar?

Most small shops don't. If you plan to, agree it with the customer up front and ask your CA how to bill it.

What if a customer returns something bought on udhaar?

The return should reduce what they owe. In Slaby, a counter return of an udhaar bill does this and shows on their statement.

Can my staff take udhaar payments?

Only staff you allow. In Slaby, receiving an udhaar payment needs permission to edit customers, which the Cashier role doesn't have unless you add it.

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