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For individuals, the government’s answer is no: UPI app providers may not charge a platform fee or any other charge for a UPI payment. The separate merchant discount rate (MDR) is a merchant-ecosystem charge, not a customer fee. Whether a fintech may separately bill a merchant for contracted services such as checkout or reconciliation is not clearly settled by the official documents reviewed. The detailed MDR framework is scheduled to take effect on 15 October 2026.
Can UPI apps charge a platform fee?
No, not to individuals for making a UPI payment, according to the Department of Financial Services (DFS) FAQ published on 15 September 2026. It states: “No, UPI App providers shall NOT charge Platform Fee or any other charge for any payment made through UPI.” The Ministry of Finance’s same-day release says individuals sending or receiving money through UPI should not face transaction fees, platform fees or other charges. Ministry of Finance release, 15 September 2026; DFS FAQ, 15 September 2026.
This is the rule as the government describes it for UPI payments by individuals. It should not be stretched into a blanket conclusion about every service a payment company might sell to a merchant under a separate contract.
Who pays UPI MDR: the customer or the merchant?
MDR is a charge within the merchant payment ecosystem. The Ministry of Finance says it is not a charge on customers making UPI payments and says banks have been advised to ensure merchants do not pass MDR on to customers. The release also says MDR is distributed among ecosystem participants; it is not described as a government tax. Ministry of Finance release, 15 September 2026.
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That distinction matters when assessing a checkout charge: an MDR imposed on a merchant is not, under the government’s stated position, a reason to add a fee to an individual customer’s UPI payment.
Can a payment gateway still charge a merchant for UPI?
The official materials reviewed do not clearly answer whether a fintech, payment aggregator or gateway may separately charge a merchant for services such as checkout, reconciliation or other software or processing. The DFS FAQ prohibits a UPI app provider from charging a platform fee or any other charge “for any payment made through UPI”; it does not set out a clear boundary for every separately contracted merchant service. The Ministry’s release explains MDR, but does not resolve that contract question. DFS FAQ; NPCI UPI circular index.
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So the claim that platforms may “retain” fees is too broad if it means a consumer-facing fee for paying by UPI. For a merchant-facing charge, the answer depends on what the charge is for and what the contract says; the sources cited here do not establish that such a fee is always permitted or always prohibited. Merchants should distinguish any service fee from MDR in the provider’s terms and check applicable implementation rules or NPCI circulars before treating the charge as authorized.
What MDR rates and thresholds are scheduled from 15 October 2026?
The DFS FAQ says the finalized framework takes effect on 15 October 2026 and sets the following rates for selected Person-to-Merchant (P2M) UPI transactions. These are merchant-side MDR rates, not customer fees. DFS FAQ, 15 September 2026; Ministry of Finance release, 15 September 2026.
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| Transaction or merchant category | MDR described in the official materials |
|---|---|
| Eligible P2M transaction above ₹2,000 | 0.4%; for transactions of ₹75,000 or more, capped at ₹300 per transaction, according to the DFS FAQ. |
| P2M transaction up to ₹2,000 | Zero MDR, according to the Ministry of Finance release. |
| Qualifying P2PM small merchant | Zero MDR continues for qualifying small merchants; the Ministry describes the category as including street vendors receiving up to ₹1 lakh per month through UPI QR codes. |
| Specified essential and thin-margin sectors, above ₹2,000 | Flat ₹5 MDR, according to the Ministry of Finance release. |
| Capital-market transactions | 0.02%, capped at ₹300, according to the Ministry of Finance release. |
| P2P transfers | Remain free, according to the Ministry of Finance release. |
The P2PM category and eligibility details should be checked against implementation rules for an individual merchant; the summary threshold alone may not determine whether a merchant qualifies. The DFS FAQ also provides account categorization details.
How many transactions are expected to be affected?
The Ministry of Finance estimated on 15 September 2026 that approximately 96% of P2M transactions would remain unaffected. The DFS FAQ separately says more than 95% of P2M transaction volume consists of payments up to ₹2,000. These are government estimates, not guarantees about the impact on any particular merchant. Ministry of Finance release; DFS FAQ.
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What should merchants check on a fee statement?
- Who is being charged? A fee presented to an individual for making a UPI payment conflicts with the government’s stated no-charge position.
- What is the charge called and what service does it cover? Separate MDR from a fee for contracted software, checkout or reconciliation services; the official sources do not conclusively define the boundary for those merchant services.
- What do the contract and applicable rules say? Review the signed pricing terms and any relevant implementation circular rather than assuming that a label such as “platform fee” determines legality.
- Is MDR being passed to a customer? The Ministry says banks have been advised to ensure merchants do not pass it on to customers.
How the August and September 2026 announcements fit together
A Ministry of Finance release on 8 August 2026 described an amendment to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act as an enabling provision and said a committee headed by NPCI would decide any MDR after passage of the proposed legislation. The later 15 September release and DFS FAQ give the more detailed framework and the 15 October 2026 effective date. The accessible NPCI circular page is an index and does not itself establish the text or legal effect of a specific circular. Ministry of Finance release, 8 August 2026; Ministry of Finance release, 15 September 2026; NPCI UPI circular index.
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