UPI Transaction Limit: SBI, HDFC, ICICI, & PhonePe

UPI transaction limits are not the same for every payment. The amount you can send depends on the type of transaction, the bank account being used and, for merchant payments, the category of the recipient. This distinction has become more important as UPI is increasingly used for payments beyond everyday transfers, including insurance, travel, investments, taxes and business transactions. For anyone new to the payment system, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) allows instant transfers between bank accounts, while a UPI ID provides a virtual address that can be used instead of sharing account details.

What is the UPI Transaction Limit Per Day?

For standard UPI transactions, NPCI specifies a limit of up to ₹1 lakh per transaction. The actual amount available can be lower if the issuing bank applies its own internal limit. The limit changes for certain high-value payment categories.

UPI Transaction Limits for High-Value Payments

NPCI increased the limits for several verified merchant categories from September 15, 2025. Higher limits are available only when the merchant qualifies for the relevant category.

NPCI allows member banks to maintain internal limits within these ceilings. It also specifies that the enhanced merchant limits do not replace the existing P2P rules. So, if someone asks whether ₹2 lakh or ₹5 lakh can be paid through UPI, the answer depends on what the payment is for and who is receiving it. A high-value merchant payment that falls under an eligible category is treated differently from sending money directly to another individual.

Is There a Weekly, Monthly or Yearly UPI Transaction Limit?

NPCI does not prescribe one common rupee-value ceiling that every UPI user can transact in a week, month or year. Banks and individual UPI services can still apply their own frequency or account-level restrictions.

UPI Transaction Limit Per Week

There is no standard network-wide weekly monetary limit. The restrictions applicable to the account continue to operate during the week.

UPI Transaction Limit Per Month

There is no universal monthly monetary ceiling either. However, individual services can restrict the number of payments over a longer period. For example, Google Pay currently restricts P2P payments after 150 successful transactions during the previous 30 days.

UPI Transaction Limit Per Year

There is no standard annual UPI transfer limit applicable to every user. Tax treatment is a separate issue. Sending or receiving a particular amount through UPI does not by itself determine whether it is taxable. The purpose and nature of the underlying payment matter.

How Many UPI Transactions Can You Make in a Day?

There is no single transaction-count limit applicable across every bank and UPI app. For example:

Google Pay's restriction specifically refers to P2P payments. SBI separately states that its numerical P2P restriction does not apply in the same way to P2M payments, which remain subject to the applicable transaction-value rules. BHIM uses its own app-level risk threshold.

Bank-Wise UPI Transaction Limits

Banks can set their own limits within the broader UPI framework. This means two users making the same type of payment through different banks may have different available limits. The table below covers standard UPI transfers for commonly used active banks. It does not represent the special merchant-category limits listed earlier.

The values above are based on current issuing-bank information and official bank pages. Bank of Baroda's current bob e-Pay page, for instance, lists the standard P2P and P2M limits shown above. Central Bank of India's current UPI terms state its daily upper ceiling, while Google Pay's issuing-bank directory provides the current published figures for several other banks. For PNB, Google Pay's current issuing-bank directory lists ₹25,000 per transaction and ₹50,000 daily, while PNB's own PNB One documentation lists a ₹50,000 UPI transfer limit. The amount available can therefore differ by UPI channel.

SBI UPI Transaction Limit

SBI uses a cooling period after setting or resetting a UPI PIN. The first transaction during this security period is restricted to ₹5,000, with the treatment differing between Android and iOS users. SBI currently applies the restriction for the first 24 hours on Android and for the first five days on iOS.

PhonePe UPI Transaction Limit

PhonePe does not publish one fixed bank-account UPI limit that applies to every user. Its current terms state that a transaction can be subject to limits imposed by PhonePe, the user, the issuing bank, other payment participants or applicable law. The linked bank and the type of payment therefore determine what can actually be transacted.

UPI Transaction Limits on Google Pay, Paytm and BHIM

UPI applications can follow different rules even though they all operate on the UPI network.

Google Pay UPI Transaction Limit

Google Pay follows limits associated with the linked bank account and provides a separate issuing-bank directory showing the applicable amount for participating banks. Other restrictions can also depend on the payment method being used.

Paytm UPI Transaction Limit

Paytm states that it follows the UPI transfer limit of the linked bank account rather than imposing one common standard amount for every bank.

BHIM UPI Transaction Limit

BHIM currently publishes an app limit of ₹40,000 per transaction and ₹40,000 per day for one linked bank account. The bank itself may have a different restriction. BHIM is an example of why the highest amount permitted elsewhere in the UPI framework should not automatically be treated as the amount available through every application.

Why is My UPI Limit Only ₹5,000?

A lower temporary amount can apply when someone has recently registered for UPI or added a bank account to an application. Google Pay currently applies:

• Android: a maximum transfer of ₹5,000 during the first 24 hours after adding the account.
• iOS: up to ₹5,000 in each 24-hour period for the first three days, with a cumulative ceiling of ₹15,000 during that period.

These controls are designed as security measures for newly registered or recently added accounts. A temporary limit shown immediately after registration should therefore not be assumed to be the account's permanent transfer limit.

UPI Lite and UPI 123Pay Transaction Limits

Different UPI products have their own transaction rules because they serve different payment needs.

UPI Lite Transaction Limit

UPI Lite is intended for small-value everyday payments without requiring a UPI PIN for each payment. Its current limits are:

• ₹1,000 per transaction
• ₹5,000 maximum balance

RBI raised these amounts from the earlier limits to support a wider range of small payments. Some applications can also specify a cumulative usage restriction. PhonePe's current UPI Lite terms, for example, specify total daily usage of up to ₹10,000.

UPI 123Pay Transaction Limit

UPI 123Pay extends UPI payments to feature-phone users. Its current permissible limit is ₹10,000 per transaction, following RBI's decision to raise it from the earlier ceiling. The related offline UPI payment options are useful for users who do not always have access to a smartphone or stable internet connection.

Can You Increase Your UPI Transaction Limit?

You cannot personally increase a limit beyond the ceiling permitted for that type of UPI transaction. If a bank has set an account-level restriction below the applicable ceiling, it may provide an option to modify that internal limit. The available process depends on the bank. Completing KYC or changing an app setting does not automatically make an ordinary transaction eligible for a higher merchant-category limit. Those higher limits depend on the payment use case and merchant classification.

Why Does a UPI Payment Fail Even When You Are Within the Limit?

Reaching a transaction limit is only one reason a UPI payment can fail. Other causes can include:

• incorrect UPI PIN
• insufficient account balance
• temporary bank-server problems
• recipient-bank downtime
• incorrect payment details
• a debit restriction on the account
• fraud or risk checks
• technical problems between payment participants

NPCI states that repeated incorrect UPI PIN attempts can cause the bank to temporarily restrict outgoing UPI payments.

What Do UPI Transaction Limits Mean for Businesses?

For businesses accepting UPI, the amount a customer can pay can depend on the merchant's category, verification status and the customer's issuing bank. Offline merchants often accept payments through a QR code, while websites and apps generally use a payment gateway to process UPI and other digital payment methods. For businesses building UPI into an online checkout, the integration also involves the gateway, acquiring setup, payment routing and merchant onboarding.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is It Possible to Transfer More Than the Limit Using Multiple UPI Apps?

Using another UPI app does not bypass an account-level P2P restriction on the same bank account. Google Pay states that its bank-account P2P limit applies across UPI apps. A separately linked bank account can have its own applicable limit.

2. What Should I Do If My UPI Transaction Is Blocked Because I Exceeded the Limit?

Wait until the applicable limit becomes available again. If only part of the limit remains, you can try a smaller payment. For an urgent bank transfer, another rail such as IMPS or NEFT may be suitable, subject to your bank's rules.

3. Does the UPI Transaction Limit Reset at Midnight?

Not necessarily. Some restrictions are calculated over a rolling period rather than a calendar day. Google Pay, for example, describes its P2P limits using the previous 24 hours, so the available amount may not reset exactly at 12:00 AM.