If you use UPI everywhere, from tea stalls to large shopping malls, then this news is very important for you. Starting March 1, 2026, some major changes are going to take place in the world of digital payments.

According to the National Payments Corporation of India's (NPCI) new guidelines, limits have been changed, from how you make payments to checking your balance. These rules are aimed at making transactions safer and reducing the pressure on the banking system.

There will also be a limit on checking the balance

Until now, we could check our bank balances any number of times a day, but starting March 1st, this will be restricted. According to the new rules, a user can check their balance through a single app (such as Google Pay, PhonePe, or Paytm) a maximum of 50 times a day. The reasoning behind this is that frequent balance checks increase the burden on banks' servers (APIs), leading to transaction failures.

Transaction limits and new security changes

The daily limit for regular UPI transactions will remain at ₹100,000, but it has been increased to ₹500,000 for special purposes like hospitals, educational institutions, and IPOs. Furthermore, stricter security measures have been implemented. Now, upon adding a new bank account, you can only send up to ₹5,000 in the first 24 hours. Two-factor authentication may also become mandatory from April 1, 2026, eliminating the possibility of fraud.

Will it affect your pocket?

The biggest relief for ordinary users is that bank-to-bank transactions will still remain completely free. However, wallet-based merchant payments over ₹2,000 will still be subject to interchange fees, which will be passed on to merchants, not customers. Furthermore, if you haven't used your UPI ID in the last 12 months, it may be deactivated. Therefore, check your status today to keep your digital money safe.

PC: Raigarhtimes