UPI Payment Users Alert: New Rules Incoming

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is implementing new API rules for UPI. The implementation of these new rules will restrict several features for UPI users.

New UPI Rule: If you frequently check your bank balance, use autopay, or check transaction statuses multiple times a day using UPI apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, etc., be aware of a new directive. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued new guidelines stating that from 31 July 2025, limits will be imposed on some of the most frequently used features on UPI. Balance checks, autopay, etc., will be limited to a fixed number of times per day.

NPCI's Major Decision

NPCI has taken this step to prevent excessive load on the UPI network. The circular clearly states that banks and payment apps must ensure that the speed and number of UPI requests are controlled.

Stricter Rules During Peak Hours

NPCI has defined specific times as ‘peak hours’ for UPI transactions, such as 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM. During these times, some backend processes will be limited to avoid overloading the system.

Balance Checks Limited to 50 Per Day

According to the new order, from 31 July 2025, customers will be able to check their balance a maximum of 50 times per day per app. Balance check requests during peak hours will be limited or blocked. Banks will have to send balance information to customers after each transaction to reduce the need for frequent balance checks.

Autopay Only During Non-Peak Hours

Users of UPI autopay for OTT platforms, SIPs, or other services will also face new conditions. Autopay authorisations and debit processing will only be possible during non-peak hours. According to the new guidelines, only one attempt will be allowed for an autopay mandate, with up to three retries per attempt, but all within the TPS (Transactions Per Second) limit and only during non-peak times.

Transaction Will Be Deemed Failed

There will also be limits on repeatedly checking the status of failed or pending transactions. A transaction status can be checked a maximum of three times in two hours. Banks must deem a transaction failed upon receiving certain specific error codes.