UPI rules change from today: All you need to know

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has implemented a new set of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) rules effective from Friday, August 1, 2025.

These rules apply to all UPI-based apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and BHIM. The aim is to improve performance, reduce fraud, and reduce load on servers during peak hours.

Below is a breakdown of what’s changing:

1. Daily Limit on Balance Enquiries

Users can check their bank balance only 50 times per day through a UPI app.

UPI apps can limit or block balance enquiry requests during peak hours to prevent system overload.

After every UPI transaction, your available account balance will be shown automatically, so you don’t have to check it separately.

2. New Time Slots for Autopayments

Autopayments (like monthly bills or subscriptions) will be processed only during non-peak hours:

• Before 10:00 AM
• Between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM
• After 9:30 PM

If an autopayment fails, the system will automatically retry a few times.

If it still doesn’t go through, the payment will be cancelled.

3. Bank Account Viewing Limit

You can view which banks are linked to your UPI ID or mobile number up to 25 times per day.

You must select the bank manually in your UPI app to check the linked account details.

Access may be restricted during certain hours to reduce server congestion.

4. Faster Transaction Status Updates

Often during busy hours, users see that money is debited from their account, but the recipient doesn’t receive it immediately.

From now on, such “pending” transactions will be resolved faster, with updates showing up within seconds.

Users can check the payment status only 3 times, and must wait at least 90 seconds between each check.

5. Recipient Name Display Before Payment

Before completing any transaction, the recipient's registered name will appear along with the transaction ID.

This helps prevent sending money to the wrong person or fraudulent accounts.

6. What If Platforms Don’t Follow These Rules?

NPCI has warned that non-compliant UPI platforms may face:

• Restrictions on their API usage
• Suspension of new customer onboarding
• Financial penalties or other regulatory actions

Why These Changes Matter

The new rules are designed to:

• Reduce fraud and accidental payments
• Avoid server overload during peak UPI usage
• Improve transparency for users
• Ensure better overall performance of digital payments

With these new rules, NPCI aims to make UPI transactions more secure, efficient, and user-friendly. By regulating balance checks, limiting autopayment times, and ensuring clearer transaction statuses, the system is expected to handle peak loads better and reduce user errors. While these changes may require a brief adjustment period, they ultimately aim to protect users and improve the reliability of India’s most popular digital payment platform.

(Disclaimer:For the latest and most accurate updates, always check the official NPCI website or your UPI app’s notification section.)