28 May 2025 : If you frequently check your balance or use autopayment through UPI, this news is important for you. Starting August 1, 2025, you will no longer be able to check your UPI balance repeatedly or use the auto-payment feature during peak hours. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has taken this step to reduce network load and ensure better service for all users. Although users might face some initial difficulties, this change is expected to be beneficial in the long run.
On May 21, NPCI issued a circular directing all banks and Payment Service Providers (PSPs) to take necessary steps to implement the new guidelines. NPCI has mandated that by July 31, all banks and PSPs must limit the usage of the 10 most-used application programming interfaces (APIs) on the UPI network — such as balance check, auto-debit initiation, and transaction status check. If these rules are not followed, action will be taken against the concerned banks and service providers.
As per the new rule, a customer will only be allowed to check their balance up to 50 times a day via UPI apps. To avoid frequent balance inquiries, NPCI has directed banks to send account balance details after every successful transaction. Experts believe this may cause inconvenience to businesses, as they often need to check balance or transaction status frequently. However, this step is seen as a move to make the UPI system more stable and accessible.
API Transactions to Be Limited
NPCI has clarified that during peak hours — 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM — no API transaction will be allowed without the user’s consent. In addition, all PSPs will need to submit a written confirmation to NPCI by August 31 that they will queue API requests and reduce their processing speed.
Auto-payments Will Also Be Restricted
From now on, UPI auto-payments (e.g., for SIPs, Netflix, etc.) will only be processed during non-peak hours. For every auto-payment, there will be a maximum of 1 attempt and 3 retries allowed, and that too only during non-peak hours. You can schedule an auto-payment during peak hours, but its execution will take place only during off-peak times.
This move is intended to improve efficiency and reduce server overload on the UPI network during high-traffic periods.
Summary: From August 1, NPCI restricts UPI users to 50 daily balance checks per app and mandates autopay during off-peak hours for smoother transactions.