Most committees do not fail at “software.” They fail at the monthly ritual: generating maintenance, chasing dues, recording cash, and answering “what does Flat 12 actually owe?” This article is about society maintenance billing software in India as an operational problem — not as an ERP sales deck.
What maintenance billing has to do (and what it does not)
Operational billing for a housing society is a short list: post a charge for a period, apply it to registered flats, show till-today outstanding, take cash at the office, take online pay, and keep a per-flat ledger the owner can also see.
That is not the same as statutory accounts. GST returns, a CA-signed audit, and Tally for the society’s books stay with your accountant. DGate does the first list. It does not pretend to do the second.
Where Excel and WhatsApp break
A spreadsheet can generate a month. It cannot reliably tell a new treasurer what was paid in cash last Thursday, which owner already paid next quarter, or whether the Razorpay settlement matches the ledger. WhatsApp reminders create noise and no audit trail.
The failure mode is familiar: two versions of “who has paid,” an argument at the AGM, and a volunteer who no longer wants the treasurer job.
- Charge batches should be generated once per period, not retyped per tower
- Cash collection needs a recorded entry, not a tick in a notebook
- Owners should see My dues without calling the secretary
- Integrity checks should flag a preview amount that does not match what was generated
How DGate handles dues in the same subscription as the gate
DGate is not a gate-only visitor app. Committee admins post a monthly charge, generate bills for registered flats, see outstanding, record cash, and connect Razorpay so owners can pay online. Each flat has a ledger. Owners and the household open My dues from the resident app.
That module is not sold separately. One society subscription covers visitor management, the guard desk, notices, complaints, SOS, directory, marketplace, and this operational accounting. Bands on pricing change the per-flat rate, not the module list.
What to test in a demo (if billing is why you are buying)
If the money bucket is your actual problem, do not evaluate on the resident app. Ask the vendor to generate a sample month, record a cash payment, show an owner the same ledger, and export something you could hand a CA as a collections report — not a screenshot of a dashboard.
- Can a non-technical secretary run a month-end generate?
- Does a late joiner get a till-today recover rather than a mystery arrears figure?
- Are gateway fees the gateway’s, or a hidden software add-on?
- If you already have a CA and Tally, will this replace them or sit beside them?
Common questions
Does DGate include society maintenance billing?
Yes. Monthly charge generate, till-today recover, flat-wise dues, ledgers, cash collection, Razorpay, integrity alerts, and owner My dues are in the same society subscription as the gate. It does not replace a CA for statutory filings.
Is accounting an add-on?
No. DGate does not sell feature SKUs. Compact and township societies get the same product; published slabs change the rate and monthly floor.
Can a small society afford this?
Every society starts with 1 month free. After that, compact societies have a ₹999/month minimum base bill (covers up to 33 flats), then published per-flat rates. GST extra. Details are on the pricing page — we do not invent a “forever free” plan.
Will this migrate a decade of Tally?
No, and you should be suspicious of anyone who promises that as a checkbox. DGate is operational dues and collections for the committee and owners. Keep the CA.
Related DGate pages
If you are evaluating DGate against other society apps, these pages are the source of truth — not a recycled footer.
- Maintenance accounting inside DGate
- What the society subscription costs
- Society management software overview
- RWA management software
- Is there a free society management app?
- Full DGate feature list (gate + maintenance accounting, one plan)
- Published per-flat pricing, 1 month free, ₹999 compact minimum
Ready to try it with your committee? Start onboarding (remote setup and guard training over call/video) or download the app.
One plan for the gate and the books
DGate is society management software for India: visitor management, maintenance dues and ledgers, notices, SOS — in one published subscription. 1 month free, then per-flat bands with a ₹999/month compact minimum. Remote onboarding. Not forever free, not a module store.