New UPI rules from August 1 to cap balance checks and auto-pay timings

Starting August 1, using UPI will come with a set of new rules aimed at improving transaction speed, reducing system load, and making payments safer.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued fresh guidelines for all members of the UPI ecosystem, including banks and payment apps, which must be implemented by July 31.

One of the major changes is a cap on how many times users can check their account balance through a UPI app. From next month, each app will allow a



maximum of 50 balance enquiries per customer per day, within a rolling 24-hour period.

This limit is per app, meaning a user can still check their balance separately on different UPI apps. Importantly, these requests must be initiated by the user, not automatically by the app, as per the circular.

Banks will also be required to display the available account balance after every successful UPI payment. For auto-pay transactions, NPCI has fixed specific time slots to avoid network congestion.