How to start
No account yet? You don't need to go through the website. Send your e-mail — just the e-mail, nothing else written — in the WhatsApp conversation with Orion: it creates your account on the spot, connects your number and your 7-day free trial starts, no card needed. There is a single plan for MEI, Orion MEI, and the price is on the pricing page. (The e-mail path is detailed in the Connect channels chapter.)
How to activate
Send Orion, in the WhatsApp conversation, your CNPJ number (just the 14 digits) — or a photo of your CNPJ card. It checks the digits, fetches your company's public registry data and shows the name for you to confirm. Then it asks two questions:
- "Do you sell products, provide services, or both?" — that is what sets the value of your slip.
- "Was last year's annual return filed?" — if it is pending, Orion sorts that out with you first (see why below).
Done. From then on it tracks your calendar on its own.
The monthly slip (the "DAS")
Every MEI pays one slip per month — the DAS. It is what keeps your CNPJ in good standing and your INSS counting (retirement, sick pay, maternity pay). It is due on the 20th of every month (weekend or holiday pushes it to the next business day) — even in months with zero revenue.
2026 values (verified August/2026; they change every January, and Orion keeps itself current):
- Commerce or industry: R$ 82.05
- Services: R$ 86.05
- Commerce + services: R$ 87.05
- Trucker MEI: the value depends on the activity — the slip shows the exact amount.
- What Orion does
- warns you about 5 days ahead, again on the eve, and — if the date slips — shows how to issue the updated slip, no scolding. Reply to any reminder and it sends the official link with the steps (enter your CNPJ, generate the slip, pay in your bank app or via Pix). Paid? Reply "paguei" ("paid") or send a photo of the receipt — it settles the reminder and files the document. On direct debit? Tell Orion: then it only sends one heads-up before the charge.
If some month you don't want the reminder, say "não me lembra mais" ("stop reminding me") — it stops right away, for that month only.
The annual return (the "DASN")
Once a year, by May 31, every MEI declares the previous year's revenue — even if it was zero. Filing late brings a fine and, worse: it blocks the issuing of your monthly slips on the government site.
So if your return is pending, Orion flips the order: first it walks you through the return (about 5 minutes, with the numbers it helps you assemble), then back to the slip. Asked "how am I doing?" with a pending return? It tells you immediately.
And Orion tracks the return's calendar all year long:
- January — it announces the window is open and brings what you logged: with the whole year logged, the return is practically assembled ("your 2026 revenue was R$ X — can you confirm?"); logged only part of it, it shows what it has and helps you fill in the missing months before you file.
- April and May — reinforcement reminders, always with the numbers at hand.
- May 20 and 28 — the final warnings, with the information that saves money: past May 31 the fine is at least R$ 50 (dropping to R$ 25 if you pay the fine within 30 days of receiving it).
- Filed it? Say "declarei" ("I filed it") and it records it — then send the receipt (PDF or photo) and it files it in your folder and closes the reminder by itself.
Set up an installment plan for MEI debts? It remembers every installment
If you split overdue slips into installments on the government site, tell Orion how many installments are still left: "faltam 6 parcelas de R$ 182,50, vence dia 20" ("6 installments of R$ 182.50 left, due on the 20th"). It records the schedule and reminds you before each installment — once paid, just reply "paguei a parcela" ("I paid the installment") and it closes it. A forgotten installment can bring down the whole plan; with Orion watching, that doesn't happen. (The negotiation itself is always yours, on the official site — Orion never touches your debt, it only makes sure you never miss the dates.)
Your documents, kept for 5 years
The official rule: an MEI must keep for 5 years the receipts of paid slips, the invoices issued, purchase invoices and the annual-return receipts. In practice nobody does — until they need one.
With Orion it works like this: a receipt, invoice or filing confirmation arrives, send the photo or PDF in the conversation. It checks the file, stores it in your folder by month and year, and confirms: "Saved! I'll keep this for 5 years." A slip receipt also settles the reminder automatically. To find anything later, just ask.
The monthly report (and the R$ 81k ceiling)
On the 1st of each month Orion asks: how much you sold with an invoice, how much without, and how much you spent on goods. Answer in your own words ("sold 3 thousand, fifteen hundred without invoice, bought 400") — it records the month's report and adds up your year.
That sum is what protects you from the MEI ceiling (R$ 81,000 a year; proportional in the opening year). Crossing 60% it tells you the business is growing; at 80% it calmly explains what changes if you go over; at 95% it sits with you to decide the path — hold invoiced sales or prepare the move to a small company with an accountant. Each alert comes once only.
Invoices
An MEI must issue an invoice when selling to a company (CNPJ); for consumers it is waived (but the amount still counts as revenue). Orion does not issue invoices for you — the government requires a personal digital certificate for that, and the official issuer is already free and simple (the Simplified Issuing mode asks only the client's CPF/CNPJ and the amount). Orion does the rest: tell it about the job ("cut João's hair, 50 reais") and it records it, asks for the client's CPF once only, and builds the queue of what is still uninvoiced — it shows up in your morning brief. Issued it? Reply "1". Didn't need one? "1 dispensa". Sold to a company (CNPJ)? It flags immediately that the invoice is mandatory and hands you the data ready to paste into the issuer.
Sell products (commerce)? That invoice is different — NF-e or NFC-e, with rules that vary by state. Orion points the way and the free issuer listed on the Entrepreneur Portal.
Questions it answers on the spot
- "How am I doing with the government?" — this month's slip (paid, pending or overdue), next due date with the value, and the annual return status.
- "How much is the slip?" — the value for your activity type, always for the current year.
- "Where is my March receipt?" — it searches your folder.
Scams: the warning that saves money
Every MEI service at the government is free — registration, changes, closure, slip issuing, the annual return. The only mandatory MEI charge is the monthly slip, issued at the official site. Got a boleto for an "MEI annuity", a "registration fee" or a union/association letter? Don't pay it. In doubt, send Orion a photo and it checks with you.
The whole year on the radar
Beyond the monthly slip and the annual return, Orion tracks the MEI's full calendar:
- Every month — a quick reminder to check the Electronic Tax Mailbox (the Receita's "message inbox"), on the Simples Nacional portal. Got a notice you don't understand? Send a screenshot and it explains.
- March — a heads-up that the personal income tax season is starting: what you draw from the MEI goes into your personal return. Orion doesn't do income tax — but it helps you gather your MEI numbers to take to an accountant.
- Your CNPJ's anniversary — a quick 3-question review: registration data still correct? Activity changed? How close is revenue to the ceiling?
Something changed in your business?
- Updating your registration (address, activity, trade name): it's free, on the Entrepreneur Portal — be suspicious of any payment slip for this. Orion shows you the way and checks the new CCMEI afterwards.
- Closing the MEI (baixa): closing does not erase debts — they move to your personal CPF — and there is still a final return (the closing DASN) with its own deadline. Talk to Orion first: it guides you step by step.
- Outgrew the MEI: congratulations — and heads-up: becoming a Microempresa requires a formal notice on the Simples Nacional portal and an accountant for the new life. Orion tells you when it's time and stays at your side as manager.
What Orion does NOT do (and why)
- It never logs into gov.br for you. The gov.br account is personal and non-transferable — no serious service asks for your password. Orion prepares everything; you give the final click.
- It does not issue invoices (explained above) and does not pay the slip for you — payment happens in your bank, your way.
- No tax advice beyond the MEI regime. Growing into a small company? It tells you when it's time for an accountant — and stays at your side.
Official links (keep these)
- Issue the slip (PGMEI): https://www8.receita.fazenda.gov.br/SimplesNacional/Aplicacoes/ATSPO/pgmei.app/Identificacao
- Annual return (DASN-SIMEI): https://www8.receita.fazenda.gov.br/SimplesNacional/Aplicacoes/ATSPO/dasnsimei.app/Identificacao
- Entrepreneur Portal: https://www.gov.br/empresas-e-negocios/pt-br/empreendedor
Orion always sends these same official links — never a "similar" one.