Mumbai: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced a fresh set of UPI rules effective August 1, 2025, aimed at improving transaction efficiency, easing system load, and enhancing user safety.
The new guidelines will apply to all stakeholders in the UPI ecosystem — including banks, payment apps, and third-party providers. All platforms are expected to implement these changes by July 31, 2025.
Key changes
Daily limit on balance enquiries
- Users will now be restricted to 50 UPI balance checks per app per day, calculated on a rolling 24-hour basis.
- This limit applies per app, so users can still check balances on multiple UPI apps.
- Only user-initiated balance enquiries will be allowed; apps cannot trigger automatic checks.
- Additionally, banks must display the available balance after every successful UPI transaction.
Time slots fixed for auto-pay transactions: To reduce congestion during peak hours, NPCI has set specific windows for processing scheduled UPI auto-debit payments: Before 10.00 am, between 1.00 pm and 5.00 pm, after 9.30 pm.
Limits on other UPI actions
- Users can view linked bank accounts a maximum of 25 times per day.
- Pending transaction status can be checked only three times, with a minimum gap of 90 seconds between each attempt.
- Payment reversal requests are capped at 10 per month, with only five allowed per sender.
Added safety features
Before completing a transaction, UPI apps must now show the recipient’s registered bank name. This measure is intended to prevent accidental payments and reduce fraud by helping users confirm the identity of the payee.
What happens if banks or apps don’t comply?
NPCI has warned of strict action against non-compliant platforms. Penalties may include:
- Suspension of new user onboarding
- Restrictions on API access for UPI
- Monetary penalties for violations
These UPI updates are part of NPCI’s ongoing efforts to make India’s digital payment infrastructure faster, safer, and more efficient.
