UPI Transaction Limits in India: Per-Day Caps Explained

The default UPI limit

The NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) sets a baseline cap on every UPI transaction. As of 2026, that default cap is:

• ₹1,00,000 per transaction (₹1 lakh)
• ₹1,00,000 per day across all UPI apps on a single bank account
• ₹10,000 per UPI Lite wallet (offline small-value transactions)
• ₹5,000 per USSD *99# transaction

These are ceilings — the highest your transaction can ever go. Most banks and UPI apps set their own limits below this ceiling, and these per-bank / per-app limits change more often than the NPCI default. Always verify the current cap with your own bank before relying on it for a high-value payment.

Importantly, the per-day limit is per-bank-account, not per-app. If you have ₹50,000 left on your SBI UPI today, switching to Google Pay or PhonePe on the same SBI account doesn't reset it — they all draw from the same daily allowance at your bank.

Per-bank UPI limits in India (2026)

Each issuing bank can set its own cap, lower than the NPCI ceiling. The table below lists the most commonly used retail banks and their published UPI limits. Verify with your bank — these change.

How to check your own bank's current cap: Open the bank's app, go to UPI settings, and look for "transaction limit" or "maximum amount". Alternatively, attempt a transaction just above your suspected limit — the failure message will tell you the exact cap.

For P2M (person-to-merchant) transactions, NPCI has carved out higher limits for specific merchant categories. See the section below.

Per-app UPI limits

Apps themselves don't set a cap lower than the bank — they inherit the bank's limit. But apps do set their own convenience limits that affect UX, fraud checks, and onboarding tiers.

The exception is the in-app wallet (Paytm, MobiKwik): the wallet balance itself is capped at ₹10,000 per RBI rule. But that doesn't limit UPI transactions — UPI flows from your bank account, not the wallet.

P2P vs P2M limits

UPI separates two broad transaction types:

• P2P (Person-to-Person) — paying a friend, splitting a bill, sending money to family. Standard cap is ₹1 lakh per transaction per day.
• P2M (Person-to-Merchant) — paying a shop, a biller, or an online merchant. Same default cap (₹1 lakh), but certain merchant categories have been granted higher caps by NPCI to make digital payments viable for big-ticket purchases.

Higher P2M caps were introduced because UPI's original ₹1 lakh ceiling was a problem for things like paying college fees, hospital bills, and large retail purchases.

Higher P2M limits for specific categories (as of 2026)

These higher caps are merchant-category-specific — they apply only when you're paying a verified merchant in that category. Your bank may still apply its own (lower) cap on top.

Verify the current list on NPCI's website — categories are added and removed periodically.

What to do when you hit the limit

1. Wait until the next day. The per-day cap resets at midnight (00:00 IST) based on the bank's clock.
2. Use a different bank account. If you have money in another bank account, generate a UPI ID for that account and pay from there. The cap is per-bank-account, not per-person.
3. Use NEFT / RTGS / IMPS for large amounts. For transactions above ₹1 lakh, you cannot use UPI. Use NEFT or RTGS through your bank's netbanking — NEFT is free, RTGS is for ₹2 lakh and above.
4. Check for hidden caps. New UPI users sometimes have artificially low caps (₹5,000/day) for the first few months. Time and usage raise the cap.
5. Contact your bank. If you have a strong transaction history and the bank still caps you low, walk into a branch and request a limit increase.

UPI limits for international payments

UPI is now live in 10+ countries — Singapore, UAE, France, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, and others. International UPI works in two directions:

• Tourists paying Indian merchants — capped at the same ₹1 lakh per transaction. Tourists typically use the "UPI One World" wallet, pre-loaded in foreign currency, with its own balance cap.
• NRIs receiving INR — NRI bank accounts linked to UPI have the same per-day cap as resident accounts, but the originating foreign transfer is governed by RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme ($250,000/year) and FEMA rules.

For the full picture, see our guide on UPI for international payments.

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum UPI transaction in one day?

₹1,00,000 per day per bank account by default. Higher caps apply for specific P2M merchant categories.

Does the UPI limit reset at midnight?

Yes. The cap resets at 00:00 IST based on your bank's clock. It's not a rolling 24-hour window.

Can I have multiple UPI IDs on the same bank account?

Yes — most banks let you create multiple VPAs on the same account, but they all share the same per-day cap.

Is the UPI limit per-app or per-bank?

Per-bank. Switching from Google Pay to PhonePe (both linked to SBI) doesn't give you a fresh ₹1 lakh. Switching to a PhonePe wallet linked to HDFC gives you a fresh ₹1 lakh on HDFC.

What happens if I try to send more than the limit?

The transaction fails instantly with a "limit exceeded" message from your UPI app. No money is debited.

Can I appeal a low UPI limit?

Sometimes. If your account has been active for years and you have a strong transaction history, banks will raise limits on request. New accounts typically start low (₹5,000–₹25,000) and rise automatically over 6–12 months.

Conclusion

UPI's ₹1 lakh daily cap is enough for 95% of personal and small-business payments in India. When it isn't — education, healthcare, capital markets, large retail — NPCI has carved out higher category-specific limits. The most important thing to know is that the cap is per-bank-account, not per-app, and it resets at midnight. Plan large payments with that in mind, or fall back to NEFT / RTGS for amounts above ₹1 lakh.

For related reading: UPI vs IMPS vs NEFT vs RTGS vs Cards, and how to fix a failed UPI payment.