New UPI Rules from August 1: Daily Limits, Time Restrictions, and API Use Changes

New UPI API Usage Rules Kick In From August 1

Starting August 1, 2025, your UPI experience could feel faster and more reliable. That’s because the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is rolling out a new set of UPI API usage rules.

These changes aim to reduce system overload and ensure smoother digital transactions across apps and banks. NPCI issued the guidelines on May 21 and has directed full implementation by the end of July.

Let’s break it down for you.

Why the New Rules?

UPI has grown into India’s most-used digital payments system. However, excessive automated requests often slow down the network. To fix this, NPCI introduced rules that aim to:

  • Prevent system misuse
  • Reduce failed transactions
  • Improve performance during peak hours

As a result, these changes will help maintain a better user experience for millions of people.

Daily Limits You Should Know

The changes focus on certain high-traffic functions. NPCI has now set daily request limits per app, such as:

  • Balance Checks: Limited to 50 per app, daily
  • Linked Account Views: Capped at 25 per day per app
  • Transaction Status Checks: Only 3 attempts allowed, spaced 90 seconds apart

Even if you use multiple apps, each app has its own limits. So, you could check balances 50 times on both Paytm and Google Pay.

Time Restrictions for AutoPay

Recurring UPI AutoPay transactions can now only be processed in these time slots:

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

AutoPay triggers are not allowed between 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM. These blackout hours are meant to avoid pressure on servers.

What Else Is Changing?

NPCI wants to block unnecessary automated calls that are not directly triggered by the user. This includes actions like:

  • Fetching account lists
  • Validating UPI IDs
  • Getting encryption keys

Here are more restrictions:

  • List Verified Merchants API: Only one call per day, non-peak hours only
  • Penny Drop API: Requires user consent and a special UPI ID under MCC 7413
  • ValCust API: Slowed down for use cases like PAN validation or forex onboarding

What If Apps Don’t Comply?

NPCI has made it clear: non-compliance will lead to action. This includes:

  • Penalties on PSPs or banks
  • Suspension from accessing UPI APIs
  • Blocking new customer signups

What Should Users Do?

You don’t have to tweak anything. Your UPI apps will update automatically. Regular payments, money transfers, and AutoPays will continue without interruption.

Why This Matters

These changes aim to keep the UPI ecosystem fast, secure, and reliable, even during heavy traffic. As UPI scales up globally, such fine-tuning ensures a better experience for millions of users.

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