New UPI rules: What you need to know about 50 transaction limit and other changes
New UPI rules: Starting from August 1, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) will implement several changes that could affect how you use UPI apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, and others. The most notable change is a limit on the number of balance checks you can make in a day. Here's everything you need to know about these updates:
What changes are being implemented in UPI?
From August 1, the following new rules will be enforced:
Balance Check Limit: You will only be allowed to check your bank balance 50 times per day using a UPI app.
Auto-Pay Transactions: Automatic payments (like EMI, subscriptions, and bill payments) will only be processed during designated time slots.
Transaction Status Limit: You can check the status of any pending payment 3 times per day, with a 90-second gap between each attempt.
Why are these changes being made?
According to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), these changes are necessary to ease the burden on the UPI system, especially during peak hours (from 10 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9.30 pm). The frequency of balance checks and transaction status updates was causing slowdowns in the system, leading to major outages in March and April 2025, which disrupted services for millions of users. These updates are aimed at improving speed, reliability, and overall performance of the system.
What are new time slots for auto-pay transactions?
The auto-pay feature will now operate during non-peak hours. The new time slots are as follows:
Before 10 am, 1 pm to 5 pm and after 9.30 pm.
Will these changes affect all UPI users?
Yes, these changes will apply to all UPI users, regardless of the app they use (PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, etc.). However, if you're not someone who frequently checks your balance or refreshes payment status updates multiple times a day, these changes will likely have little to no impact on your day-to-day transactions.
For most users, these updates won't significantly alter the way they use UPI. Your regular payments, bill transfers, and money transfers will proceed as usual. However, if you check your balance more than 50 times a day, you will need to be mindful of the new limit. Similarly, auto-payments will happen automatically during the designated times, without requiring any additional action from you.
On the other hand, transaction limit for UPI payments remains the same. For most transactions, the maximum amount per transaction is Rs 1 lakh, and for specific categories like healthcare and education, the limit can go up to Rs 5 lakh. These updates are unrelated to transaction value limits.
There is no action required from users to implement these changes. They will automatically be reflected in your UPI apps. However, keep in mind the new balance check limit to avoid inconvenience during the day.
- With inputs from agencies
