New UPI Limits

New UPI Limits from August 1: Balance Checks, Linked Accounts, and Auto-Pay Windows Restricted

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New UPI Limits
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced technical changes to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) that will take effect on August 1, 2025. Aimed at reducing system overload and enhancing reliability, these new restrictions will limit how often users can check their bank balances and view linked accounts—and prescribe specific time windows for recurring auto-payments.

Daily Balance Checks and Linked Account Views Capped
UPI users will now be able to request their bank balance up to 50 times per day through any UPI-enabled app (such as Google Pay, PhonePe, or Paytm). Similarly, viewing the full list of bank accounts linked to a single mobile number will be restricted to 25 views per day. These measures seek to curb excessive API calls that contribute little value to users while placing heavy loads on NPCI’s servers.

Scheduled Auto-Payment Windows to Avoid Peak Loads
Recurring payments—such as monthly SIP investments, OTT subscriptions, and other auto-debits—will be processed only during designated off-peak periods:

  • Before 10:00 AM

  • Between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM

  • After 9:30 PM

By rerouting bulk transactions away from peak hours, NPCI expects to smooth out daily spikes in traffic and ensure timely execution of essential payments.

Why NPCI Is Imposing These Limits
India’s UPI ecosystem now handles nearly 16 billion transactions daily, averaging over 7,000 transactions per second. A system outage—even for a few minutes—can disrupt payments for hundreds of thousands of users. In April 2025, UPI experienced a five-hour outage triggered by excessive API requests, underscoring the fragility of current infrastructure under sustained pressure.

Implementation Timeline and Stakeholder Responsibilities
NPCI has instructed all banks and third-party payment service providers to integrate these changes by July 31, 2025. Financial institutions must update their UPI APIs to enforce the new rate limits and scheduling rules. Users are advised to plan balance inquiries and scheduled debits accordingly to avoid transaction failures.

Looking Ahead: Enhanced Stability and User Experience
While some heavy users may find the new caps restrictive, NPCI emphasizes that these safeguards are essential for long-term system stability. By controlling unnecessary server calls and evenly distributing transaction loads, the UPI network aims to deliver a consistently smooth, secure, and reliable payment experience for millions of Indians.

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Kuldeep Singh Chundawat
Kuldeep Singh Chundawat
My name is Kuldeep Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.