On August 1, 2025, the National Payments Corporation of India kept a fresh set of rules for UPI atop which to increase performance and lower server loads with the corresponding risk related to user fraud of the number one digital payments platform of India. Among these is the daily limit on usage.
The UPI now limits users from checking the balance in their banks more than 50 times within a rolling 24-hour period through each app. These limits are applied separately for each app. Similarly, the List Account API, displaying linked bank accounts, is limited to up to 25 requests per day per app. It must involve user consent for every retry so as to prevent unwanted server loads.
A change brought into the UPI is the transaction status checks. In the case of payments stuck at ‘pending’, the user is given only three status check opportunities with a mandatory 90-second gap between each attempt.
UPI is further improved to enhance transparency even before payment is completed. The application will show the recipient's registered name and transaction ID before final approval, helping to prevent mistaken or fraudulent transfers.
Changes to autopay and recurring payments are a significant update. Scheduled debits (e.g., subscriptions, EMIs, rent) will no longer happen at any time. Instead, they must be scheduled during designated non-peak windows.
Before 10 AM,
Between 1 PM and 5 PM, and
After 9:30 PM.
An initial attempt is made for any mandate, allowing up to three retries to limit failed attempts and reduce strain on the system. All NPCI-mandated changes focus on decreasing API response times.
Certain core APIs, such as address validation and mandate executions, now must respond within 10 seconds instead of the previous 30 seconds. Inactive UPI IDs, which haven't been used for 12 months or more, will now be deactivated to prevent misuse, especially after mobile number reassignments.
The NPCI has warned that banks or PSPs (Payment Service Providers) that do not comply could face API restrictions, penalties, suspension of new onboarding, and other corrective actions.
You’ll still complete regular payments normally—limits relate only to repetitive balance checks or failed retries.
After every successful payment, your app will now automatically show your updated balance, preventing the need for extra checks.
Recurring payments may debit at slightly shifted times within the allowed windows. Most users shouldn’t face missed charges unless autopay falls outside permitted hours.
The overall system speed will increase, and the chances of failed payments or delays during peak periods will decrease.
In essence, NPCI's revised UPI rules, effective from August 1, 2025, will limit frequent balance or account linking checks, reduce retries on pending payments, enforce timed auto-pay windows, and improve API performance and user consent- formulation for a faster, safer UPI network without impacting the day-to-day use of UPI.