UPI Transaction Limit (2026): A Simple Guide for Everyone

Pankaj Singh Pankaj Singh •
Keep getting a Limit Exceeded error? Discover the latest 2026 UPI transaction, daily, and monthly limits set by NPCI and top Indian banks in this simple guide.
UPI Transaction Limit (2026): A Simple Guide for Everyone

UPI is a daily necessity, but getting a "Limit Exceeded" error on a large payment can be frustrating. To prevent fraud, the NPCI and RBI enforce specific transaction caps. However, your actual limit depends heavily on the payment category and your specific bank. Here is a compact, fact-checked guide to 2026 UPI limits based on official NPCI and bank data.

1. Daily and Per-Payment Limits

For your everyday payments—like sending money to family, friends, or paying at the local grocery store (kirana)—the maximum limit is ₹1 lakh per day (Razorpay, 2026; ClearTax, 2026). You also cannot send more than ₹1 lakh in a single swipe.

However, sometimes you need to make bigger payments. The good news is that the NPCI recently changed the rules (NPCI Official Circular) to allow much higher limits if you are paying officially registered businesses like hospitals or stock brokers. According to The Economic Times, here are the new high-value limits:

These are the maximum ceilings set by the NPCI. Remember, the higher limits (₹5 Lakh+) apply only when paying Verified Merchants.

```csv

Payment Category,Per-Transaction Limit,Daily Cumulative Limit (24 Hrs)

Standard P2P & Unverified Retail,₹1 Lakh,₹1 Lakh

Healthcare & Hospitals,₹5 Lakh,₹5 Lakh

Education (Schools/Colleges),₹5 Lakh,₹5 Lakh

IPO Applications (ASBA),₹5 Lakh,₹5 Lakh

RBI Retail Direct Scheme,₹5 Lakh,₹5 Lakh

Capital Markets & Investments,₹5 Lakh,₹10 Lakh

Insurance Premiums,₹5 Lakh,₹10 Lakh

Govt. e-Marketplace (GeM) & Tax,₹5 Lakh,₹10 Lakh

Travel & Bookings,₹5 Lakh,₹10 Lakh

"Collections (EMIs, Loans, B2B)",₹5 Lakh,₹10 Lakh

Credit Card Bill Payments,₹5 Lakh,₹6 Lakh

Jewellery Purchases,₹2 Lakh,₹6 Lakh

FX Retail via BBPS,₹5 Lakh,₹5 Lakh

Digital Account Term Deposits,₹5 Lakh,₹5 Lakh

Digital Account Initial Funding,₹2 Lakh,₹2 Lakh

```

Moneymath Important Note: You only get these higher limits (like ₹5 lakh) if the receiver is a "Verified Merchant." This means you can pay ₹5 lakh directly to a hospital's official UPI ID, but you cannot send ₹5 lakh to your friend's personal number in one day.

2. Bank UPI Limits

Think of NPCI as setting the "maximum" limit, but your bank can choose to set a lower limit to protect you. Also, there is a limit on how many times you can use UPI in a single day.

Is there a monthly limit? NPCI does not force a monthly limit, but some banks do.

```csv

Bank Name,Daily Value Limit,Per-Transaction Limit,Transaction Count Cap (per 24 hrs),Special Monthly/Other Notes

State Bank of India (SBI),₹1 Lakh,₹1 Lakh,10 Transactions,No set monthly limit.

ICICI Bank,"₹10,000 (₹25k on GPay)","₹10,000",10 Transactions,No set monthly limit.

HDFC Bank,₹1 Lakh,₹1 Lakh,20 Transactions,Normal limits apply.

Axis Bank,₹1 Lakh,₹1 Lakh,20 Transactions,Normal limits apply.

IDFC First Bank,₹1 Lakh,₹1 Lakh,20 Transactions,Strict ₹30 Lakh monthly limit.

Abhyudaya Co-Op Bank,"₹25,000","₹25,000",Bank Discretion,Strict regional caps.

Assam Gramin Vikash Bank,"₹25,000","₹5,000",Bank Discretion,Highly restricted per-transaction cap.

```

Source:

3. UPI Limit on Phone Change or Set a New PIN

If you get a new phone, change your SIM card, or reset your UPI PIN, the system goes into "safety mode" to make sure a scammer isn't trying to steal your money.

```csv

Feature / Scenario,Per-Transaction Limit,Other Caps & Time Restrictions

"New User Cooling-Off (New ID, device, or PIN change)","₹5,000","Limited to a total of ₹5,000 for the first 24 hours."

UPI 123PAY (For Keypad/Feature Phones),"₹10,000",Operates within the standard ₹1 Lakh daily cap.

```

Source:

  • UPI on Keypad Phones (UPI 123PAY): (The Economic Times).
  • For the first 24 hours, you can only send a total of ₹5,000 (TaxGuru, 2026 Rules). After 24 hours, your normal ₹1 lakh limit will automatically come back.

4. Special UPI Features & New 2026 Limits

The UPI system is getting smarter. Here are a few special limits and new rules to know about:

  • Sharing Your Account (UPI Circle): This new feature lets you give a family member access to pay from your bank account. They can spend up to ₹5,000 per payment, and a maximum of ₹15,000 in a month.
  • New App Rules: To stop servers from freezing up, new rules are in place (AngelOne Reports):
    • Checking Balance: You can only check your bank balance 50 times a day on apps like PhonePe or GPay. If you cross this, you will be blocked from checking it for 24 hours.
    • Automatic Payments (AutoPay): Automatic deductions for things like Netflix, EMIs, or Mutual Funds (SIPs) will now only happen during "off-peak" hours (like early morning or afternoon) so that normal users don't face payment failures during busy times.

A Quick Tip: The daily limit resets exactly at midnight. If you hit your 10 or 20 payment limit for the day, just wait until 12:01 AM!

5. Other Important UPI Limits (Regional Banks, Loans & Digital Accounts)

Beyond your everyday retail spending, there are a few other highly specific transaction limits you should be aware of. The NPCI has categorized specific high-level limits for financial operations, and regional banks often enforce much tighter caps than major national banks.

Special Financial Categories:

  • Collections (EMI, Loan Repayments, B2B): ₹5 lakh per payment / ₹10 lakh daily.
  • FX Retail via BBPS: ₹5 lakh per payment / ₹5 lakh daily.
  • Digital Account Opening (Term Deposits): ₹5 lakh per payment / ₹5 lakh daily.
  • Digital Account Opening (Initial Funding): ₹2 lakh per payment / ₹2 lakh daily.

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Regional Bank Limits & KYC Impact: While giants like SBI and HDFC allow up to ₹1 lakh a day for standard payments, local and co-operative banks are usually much stricter.

  • Abhyudaya Co-Operative Bank: Capped at ₹25,000 per transaction and ₹25,000 per day.
  • Assam Gramin Vikash Bank: Capped at just ₹5,000 per transaction and ₹25,000 per day.
  • KYC Status: Regardless of your bank or category, if your account has incomplete KYC (Know Your Customer) documentation, your transaction thresholds will be heavily restricted across the board.