Using UPI Daily? These New Rules from August 1 Will Impact You
With over 16 billion UPI transactions taking place monthly, the platform is under continuous stress—resulting in intermittent slowdowns and outages. The new regulations seek to streamline usage by limiting non-essential requests and encouraging more responsible user behavior.
New Delhi: India’s most widely used digital payments platform, UPI (Unified Payments Interface), is set to undergo major changes from August 1, 2025. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced a new set of rules aimed at improving system performance, ensuring security, and reducing server load amid the country’s surging digital payment traffic.
With over 16 billion UPI transactions taking place monthly, the platform is under continuous stress—resulting in intermittent slowdowns and outages. The new regulations seek to streamline usage by limiting non-essential requests and encouraging more responsible user behavior.
Table of Contents
Key Changes Users Need to Know
1. Daily Cap on Balance Checks
Users will now be restricted to checking their bank balance via UPI apps no more than 50 times per day. This move is aimed at reducing the load caused by frequent, and often unnecessary, balance inquiries that impact server response times.
2. Limit on Linked Account Information Requests
The number of times users can verify which bank account is linked to their mobile number will be capped at 25 times per day. This too is aimed at curbing excessive API calls.
3. Fixed Time Slots for AutoPay Transactions
UPI-based subscription services such as Netflix, mutual fund SIPs, or other automated deductions will now be processed only during off-peak hours, specifically:
- Before 10:00 AM
- Between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM
- After 9:30 PM
This scheduling will help distribute transaction load more evenly and ensure system stability during peak hours.
4. Transaction Status Check Limitations
If a transaction gets delayed or stuck, users will only be allowed to check its status three times per transaction, with a mandatory 90-second interval between each attempt. This aims to reduce repetitive refreshes that put undue pressure on the system.
Why the Changes Were Needed
The updated guidelines come after a series of performance slowdowns and partial outages in April and May 2025, which NPCI attributes not to infrastructure failures but to excessive API calls made by users—especially repeated balance checks and transaction refresh attempts.
According to NPCI, these changes are necessary to make UPI more resilient, scalable, and future-ready, while continuing to serve the growing user base of digital payment adopters.
Recent Enhancements to the UPI Ecosystem
Over the past six months, several key updates have already been implemented:
- Faster API Response Times (June 2025):
Request and response APIs have been optimized to respond within 15 seconds, while status checks and failed transaction reversals are now resolved within 10 seconds. - Beneficiary Name Preview (Effective June 30, 2025):
Before completing a transaction, users are now shown the registered name of the beneficiary bank account—enhancing transparency and helping curb fraud. - Chargeback Limit Introduced (December 2024):
To prevent misuse of the chargeback system, users are now limited to a maximum of 10 chargeback claims per month, and only 5 claims against any single recipient (individual or institution).
What This Means for UPI Users
While the new rules may seem restrictive at first glance, they’re designed to protect users from system slowdowns, reduce the chances of fraud, and make the digital payments ecosystem more efficient.
As UPI continues to expand both in volume and reach, NPCI’s focus remains on creating a robust infrastructure that supports real-time, secure transactions for all.
Users are encouraged to adjust their habits accordingly and stay informed about these changes to make the most of UPI’s evolving capabilities.
