NEW DELHI – The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has implemented a new set of rules for all UPI-based payment service providers, including Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm, which came into effect on Friday, August 1, 2025. These changes, detailed in a circular issued by NPCI in May, are designed to improve the overall efficiency of the UPI system, reduce server load during peak hours, and provide better protection for users against fraudulent activities.
Here is a breakdown of the key changes that will impact users:
Balance Enquiry Limits To reduce system congestion, UPI apps will now limit users to checking their bank balance a maximum of 50 times per day. The NPCI has also given apps the ability to restrict or stop balance enquiry requests during peak hours to maintain system stability. A new feature will also be introduced where users can see their available balance with every successful transaction, reducing the need for separate balance checks.
Automated Payment Processing Autopayments, such as for bills or subscriptions, can place a significant load on the UPI system’s APIs during peak hours. To mitigate this, NPCI has mandated that these transactions will now only be processed during non-peak hours. The new time slots for autopayment processing are before 10 a.m., between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., and after 9:30 p.m. This means that a scheduled payment might be processed slightly before or after its set time. The new rules also allow for a maximum of four attempts (one initial attempt and three retries) for a successful deduction, after which the autopayment will be canceled.
Recipient’s Name Visibility To combat fraud and reduce instances of money being sent to the wrong person, the registered name of the recipient will now be displayed to the sender on the UPI app before each transaction is confirmed. This extra layer of verification is a crucial step in enhancing user security.
Transaction Status Updates A common issue for users has been the “pending” status of transactions, especially during peak hours. The new rules require UPI apps to update the status of unconfirmed payments within seconds. Additionally, to prevent users from repeatedly hitting the refresh button and overwhelming the system, users will be able to check the payment status only three times, with a mandatory 90-second gap between each attempt.
Bank Account Details Users will also face a limit on how often they can access the details of their linked bank accounts. The NPCI has set a limit of 25 requests per day, and these requests must be initiated by the customer after selecting the issuer’s bank within the app.
The NPCI has warned that non-compliance with these new guidelines may lead to penalties, including API restrictions and the suspension of new customer onboarding for non-compliant apps and banks. These measures are expected to significantly improve the user experience, making digital payments faster, more secure, and more reliable.