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Manual

MEI: Brazilian micro-entrepreneur taxes, handled

If you are an MEI (Brazil's individual micro-entrepreneur), Orion becomes your right hand with the government: it warns you before the monthly tax slip is due, keeps your receipts for 5 years, reminds you of the annual return and hands you everything ready — you only give the final click. This page explains what it does, what it does not do, and your MEI obligations in plain words.

Read in: Portuguese · Spanish

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 are two plans for MEI: Orion MEI and Orion MEI+ (which issues the invoice for you); prices are on the pricing page. For the trial to start on Orion MEI right away, say in the conversation that you are a MEI before sending the e-mail; whoever does not identify as MEI tries Orion WhatsApp — and if you say later in the conversation that you are a MEI, the trial switches to Orion MEI right away (a paid plan never changes by itself). (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 get anything back, there are two ways

  • In the chat: ask "manda a nota 243" ("send invoice 243") and it attaches the PDF right there; "quais notas eu emiti em agosto?" ("which invoices did I issue in August?") and it lists them with number, day and amount; ask for a stored receipt the same way.
  • In the panel: go to orionworkers.com and open Invoices. It shows the issued invoices (with the PDF to download and the link to verify on the government site) and every stored document, filtered by month.

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). With your digital certificate stored, Orion issues the invoice for you. Tell it about the job ("cut João's hair, 50 reais" — plus the client's CPF or CNPJ and name if you want the invoice in their name) and it records it and asks: "Want me to issue the invoice now? Reply emite 1". Reply "emite 1" (the number is the position in the queue) and the invoice goes out through the National Issuer within a minute: you receive the PDF in the chat, and the XML and PDF are kept for 5 years. No invoice needed? "1 dispensa". Without a stored certificate, Orion keeps building the queue of what is still uninvoiced (it shows up in your morning brief) and you issue it in the official issuer; in that case "1" means "already issued". Did the tax authority refuse it? Orion tells you the reason in their words and the job stays in the queue. Need to cancel an issued invoice? Say "cancela a nota 245" — the invoice's own number, the one printed on it. Orion lists the ones that can still be cancelled, asks the reason from a short list (issuing error, service not provided, other) and sends the cancelled invoice's PDF right here in the chat; if you pick other, it asks you to write the reason, because the tax authority requires it. The queue moves too: if the number you send no longer matches what it showed you, Orion does not guess — it names the job and renumbers the list before issuing anything.

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.

Your digital certificate (the first step towards Orion issuing for you)

To one day issue the invoice in your name, Orion needs to keep your digital certificate — the A1-type e-CNPJ, the file (ending in .pfx or .p12) the certificate authority gave you, with the password you created when it was issued. It is your electronic signature: that is why it never passes through the conversation.

How to send it (yourself, no intermediaries)
ask Orion on WhatsApp — "I want to send my certificate". It replies with a secure link, yours only, that works once and is valid for 72 hours. Open the link on your phone or computer, pick the certificate file (from your e-mail or the Files/Downloads folder), type the password, read the terms and type I AUTHORIZE. Done: the file and the password go straight to the vault, and Orion confirms on your WhatsApp. It checks on the spot that the password opens the file and that the certificate's CNPJ is the same as your profile's — if not, it refuses and explains.

Prefer the computer? Go to orionworkers.com, open Invoices and click Upload my certificate: the same link opens right away, with no need to ask in the chat. If a certificate is already stored, the button becomes Upload another certificate — the new one replaces the previous.

Never send the file or the password over WhatsApp. If you do by mistake, Orion asks you not to and gives you the link. Only the link is the right path.

the certificate is stored scrambled (encrypted); nobody on the team opens or downloads that file; it is used only to sign your invoices — nothing else; and before each invoice goes out, you confirm on WhatsApp — without your "ok", nothing is signed. Your acceptance is recorded with date, time, the exact text you read and the file's fingerprint. Every use of the certificate is logged, and that list is yours.
Once stored
the issuing flow described in the Invoices section becomes available (you reply "emite" with the number, Orion issues and sends the PDF). The certificate lasts 12 months; ask "is my certificate stored?" to see the CNPJ, validity and how many times it was used — every use is logged. No invoice goes out without your ok.
To delete it
write DELETE CERTIFICATE on WhatsApp. Orion asks for a confirmation (DELETE) and deletes the file and the password from the active database immediately, sending the receipt with date, time and the fingerprint of the deleted file (an encrypted backup copy may exist for up to 30 days, and nobody can open it). The certificate remains valid at the certificate authority until it expires — revoking it there is your call. Want to send it again later? Just ask for another link.

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 never issues an invoice without your "emite" for that invoice, never cancels on its own, and does not pay the slip for you — payment happens in your bank, your way.
  • Cancelling is yours too. Reply "notas" to see your issued invoices, numbered, and "cancela nota N" to cancel one. Orion asks for the reason — 1. error when issuing · 2. service not provided · 9. other — because it is filed with the tax authority under your CNPJ, and you are the one who classifies it. The deadline is set by your city: if it has passed, Orion tells you what the tax authority answered instead of pretending it worked.
  • 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.

Orion always sends these same official links — never a "similar" one.

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