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How UPI Payments Work—and Who Pays the Transaction Costs

UPI routes authorized payments between participating banks. Customers and P2P users remain free under the announced policy, while a category-based merchant MDR framework is scheduled to begin on 15 October 2026.
From TheFinanceBase Team10 min to read
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UPI lets a payer send money from a linked bank account through an app, with the payment routed between participating banks. Customers do not pay UPI transaction fees under the Government of India’s announced policy. A merchant-side charge framework is scheduled to begin on 15 October 2026: for covered bank-account-to-merchant payments above ₹2,000, the standard MDR is 0.4%, subject to category exceptions and a cap. Merchants must not pass that charge on to customers. These new terms were announced on 15 September 2026 and, as of 8 October 2026, had not yet taken effect. Government of India, PIB

What happens when you pay with UPI?

UPI, or Unified Payments Interface, is an instant payment system operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) over infrastructure built on IMPS. NPCI describes the service as available around the clock. The app on your phone is the interface for initiating and approving a payment; the participating payment service providers (PSPs), banks and NPCI’s systems support the payment’s authentication, routing and receipt. NPCI UPI product overview

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  1. Set up a payment address. Register with a UPI app or PSP and link an eligible bank account. The recipient can be identified by a UPI ID, mobile number, QR code or another detail supported by the app.
  2. Enter or confirm the payment. Choose the recipient or scan a merchant’s QR code, then enter the amount and check the recipient details before proceeding.
  3. Authorize it. Approve the transaction using the app’s supported authentication. NPCI’s customer FAQ describes the UPI PIN as the credential used to authorize bank transactions. Never share your PIN with another person, including someone claiming to be a bank or app representative. NPCI UPI FAQs
  4. The payment is routed. The payer’s PSP and remitter bank support initiation and authentication. On the receiving side, the payee PSP and beneficiary bank support receipt; the beneficiary bank credits the recipient. For a merchant payment, an acquiring bank supports the merchant’s acceptance setup.
  5. The recipient gets the funds. NPCI says a merchant receives the payment after the customer confirms it, into the merchant pool or bank account according to the merchant’s agreement. The exact settlement arrangement therefore depends on that agreement. NPCI UPI FAQs

NPCI describes UPI transfers as instant and says declined payments have real-time reversals. If an app shows a failure or a payment appears delayed, check the official transaction history in the app or with your bank and use its grievance process. A failure message alone should not be treated as proof that the payment is finally lost or that it has reached the recipient.

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The app, bank and payment network have distinct jobs. The app gives you a way to select the recipient and approve the payment; the payer-side bank supports the debit and the receiving bank credits the beneficiary. For a merchant, the acquiring bank also supports the setup through which the business accepts UPI. A QR code or UPI ID helps identify where the payment is going, but it does not replace checking the recipient name and amount on the confirmation screen.

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Who pays UPI transaction charges?

Under the Government of India’s framework announced on 15 September 2026, individuals are not to be charged a transaction fee, platform fee or other UPI payment charge for sending or receiving money. Person-to-person (P2P) transfers remain free irrespective of amount. For covered person-to-merchant (P2M) payments, MDR is assigned to the merchant payment ecosystem, and merchants must not pass it on to customers. Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services

MDR, or merchant discount rate, is a charge associated with accepting a merchant payment. The Government says the announced MDR is distributed among banks, PSPs and UPI application providers; it is not a tax collected by the Government or NPCI. The official documents do not specify a definitive percentage split among those participants. The announced framework is scheduled to take effect on 15 October 2026, so its new rates were still forthcoming on 8 October 2026.

This distinction answers a common question: a merchant-side MDR does not mean a customer owes a separate UPI fee. The government’s published terms say the merchant must not pass MDR to the customer. If a payment is between two individuals rather than a purchase from a merchant, the stated rule is that P2P remains free regardless of amount. The amount thresholds in the merchant schedule should not be applied to P2P transfers.

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What MDR is scheduled to apply to merchant payments?

The announced rates apply to specified categories and should not be generalized to every payment made through a UPI app. The following table summarizes the terms described in the Ministry of Finance’s FAQ for the 15 October 2026 start date. Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services FAQ, 15 September 2026

Payment category Announced MDR from 15 October 2026
Covered P2M payment up to ₹2,000 Zero MDR
Covered P2M payment above ₹2,000 and below ₹75,000 0.4%
Covered P2M payment of ₹75,000 or more 0.4%, capped at ₹300 per transaction
Specified essential or thin-margin sectors above ₹2,000, including railways, telecom, insurance, fuel and agricultural inputs Flat ₹5 per transaction
Capital-market transactions, including mutual funds, securities, stockbrokers and dealers 0.02%, capped at ₹300
P2PM small merchant receiving up to ₹1 lakh per month through UPI QR Zero MDR on all transactions under the stated category

The small-merchant category is important: according to the Ministry FAQ, a P2PM merchant within the stated monthly-receipt limit retains zero MDR on every transaction in that category, including an individual payment above ₹2,000. Merchant type and eligibility therefore matter alongside payment amount.

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How the standard rate works

For a covered merchant payment, 0.4% of ₹3,000 is ₹12; 0.4% of ₹50,000 is ₹200. At ₹1,00,000, 0.4% would be ₹400, but the announced cap limits MDR to ₹300 for a transaction of ₹75,000 or more. These are examples of the merchant-side MDR under the announced framework, not amounts customers owe.

The threshold and cap do different things. The ₹2,000 line separates covered P2M transactions with zero MDR from those to which the standard rate is announced to apply. The ₹300 cap limits the calculated standard MDR for a transaction of ₹75,000 or more; it does not mean the rate changes from 0.4%. The Ministry’s examples illustrate the arithmetic, but the rate should still be checked against the merchant category and payment type.

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Bank-account payments and credit-linked UPI are not interchangeable

The announced MDR framework described by the Ministry applies to direct user-account-to-merchant-account payments. Credit-linked UPI payments, such as RuPay credit cards and pre-sanctioned credit lines, follow separate credit-product rules. Check the funding source and applicable product terms rather than assuming the bank-account MDR schedule covers every payment made from a UPI app.

Which details determine the applicable rate?

Before applying a headline MDR figure, check five things: whether the payment is between individuals or to a merchant; whether the money comes directly from a user bank account or a credit-linked UPI product; whether the amount is at or below ₹2,000, above ₹2,000, or ₹75,000 or more; whether the merchant is in a specified sector or qualifies as a P2PM small merchant; and whether the transaction date is before or after 15 October 2026. These distinctions matter because the policy has separate payment types, thresholds, merchant categories and an effective date.

For example, an individual-to-individual transfer of a large amount remains within the stated free P2P policy; the merchant MDR table is not a general UPI tariff. A covered bank-account payment to an ordinary merchant above ₹2,000 falls under the announced standard-rate framework, while a qualifying P2PM small merchant within the ₹1 lakh monthly QR-receipt category has zero MDR on all transactions under that category. A credit-linked payment requires its separate product rules to be checked instead.

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Will shops be charged for UPI payments?

Some merchants may owe MDR on covered transactions above the relevant threshold from 15 October 2026, but not every merchant payment attracts the standard rate. The announced terms include zero MDR up to ₹2,000 for covered P2M payments, sector-specific treatment, a capital-markets rate, and a separate zero-MDR rule for qualifying P2PM small merchants. The Ministry says more than 95% of P2M volume is up to ₹2,000 and estimates that approximately 96% of merchant transactions will be unaffected. Those are distinct government-reported figures; the 96% figure is an official estimate, not an independently validated measurement. Government of India, PIB

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For a shop, the relevant questions are whether the payment is P2M or P2PM, whether it is funded directly from a user bank account or through a credit-linked product, the payment amount, the merchant’s category and eligibility, and the effective date. A headline rate by itself does not determine the charge.

A small shop or street vendor should not assume that every payment above ₹2,000 incurs 0.4%. The published FAQ specifies zero MDR for a P2PM small merchant receiving up to ₹1 lakh monthly through UPI QR, including transactions above ₹2,000, if the merchant falls within that stated category. Conversely, the threshold does not make all merchant payments free: the eligibility conditions and other category rules still matter. The available terms do not establish that every business that informally describes itself as a small shop qualifies, so merchants should verify their category and monthly receipts against the official guidance.

Why can UPI be free to a customer if payments still cost money?

“Free” describes who is charged under a particular policy; it does not mean that payment services require no infrastructure or operating expense. Government material says digital payment industry expenditure for customer and merchant services is recovered through MDR in other payment contexts. It also describes a past incentive scheme for low-value BHIM-UPI P2M transactions, in which the Government paid acquiring banks and those banks shared the incentive with issuer banks, PSP banks and app providers.

That scheme was for FY 2024–25, not a current 2026 incentive rate. The Government’s March 2025 note stated an outlay of ₹1,500 crore and described a 0.15% incentive for eligible small-merchant transactions up to ₹2,000. These historical figures do not establish that the same subsidy continues after FY 2024–25. The Government’s September 2026 explanation presents the new MDR as support for the payment ecosystem and infrastructure, without specifying how it will be divided among banks, PSPs and app providers. Ministry of Finance, Government of India, scheme note, 24 March 2025

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It is therefore useful to separate three ideas: whether the payer is charged, whether the merchant is charged for acceptance, and how payment-system costs are funded. The announced policy keeps individual transaction charges and P2P fees at zero while assigning specified MDR to the merchant ecosystem for covered transactions. The 2024–25 incentive illustrates one earlier funding approach, but it is historical context—not evidence of a continuing rate or subsidy in 2026–27.

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What to check if a UPI payment fails or a fee appears

  • Confirm the transaction status. Use the transaction history in your UPI app or check with your bank. Do not rely only on a recipient’s screenshot or a message on a payment screen.
  • Use the official dispute route. Contact your bank or app through its official support and grievance process if the status is unclear or a reversal is delayed.
  • Check whether a charge is actually MDR. The announced MDR is a merchant-side charge, not a customer fee. If a merchant asks you to pay an extra amount as MDR, the announced policy says merchants must not pass it to customers.
  • Check the payment type and date. The new merchant schedule is set for 15 October 2026 and distinguishes direct bank-account-to-merchant payments from credit-linked UPI products.

For a merchant checking its own acceptance costs, use the same distinctions rather than treating “UPI” as one rate: confirm whether the transaction is a direct bank-account P2M payment, identify the merchant category and any small-merchant eligibility, and apply the amount threshold and cap only as the published terms specify. The framework described here is based on the FAQ dated 15 September 2026 and was still forthcoming at the research cutoff of 8 October. Check later NPCI or Ministry guidance before relying on it after the effective date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is UPI free for customers?

The Government of India says individuals must not be charged a transaction fee, platform fee or other UPI payment charge under the announced framework. Merchants must not pass their MDR on to customers.

Who pays UPI transaction charges?

For covered merchant transactions under the framework scheduled to start on 15 October 2026, MDR is assigned to the merchant payment ecosystem. The Government says the charge is distributed among banks, PSPs and UPI application providers, not collected as a Government or NPCI tax.

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When do the new UPI MDR rules start?

The Ministry of Finance FAQ dated 15 September 2026 schedules the new framework to take effect on 15 October 2026. As of 8 October 2026, the announced rates had not yet taken effect.

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Does a merchant pay MDR on a payment above ₹2,000?

For covered direct bank-account-to-merchant payments, the announced standard MDR is 0.4% above ₹2,000, with a cap of ₹300 for transactions of ₹75,000 or more. Specified sectors and qualifying P2PM small merchants have separate treatment, so amount alone does not determine the rate.

Does a small shop or street vendor pay UPI MDR?

The Ministry FAQ states that a P2PM small merchant receiving up to ₹1 lakh per month through UPI QR has zero MDR on all transactions under that category, including an individual payment above ₹2,000. A merchant should confirm that it meets the stated category and receipt limit; not every business automatically qualifies.

Does the announced merchant MDR apply to RuPay credit card UPI payments?

The framework described in the Ministry FAQ applies to direct user-account-to-merchant-account payments. Credit-linked UPI, including RuPay credit cards and pre-sanctioned credit lines, follows separate credit-product rules.

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The Bottom Line

UPI routes an authorized payment between participating banks; the app is the interface, not the whole payment system. Under the Government’s terms, individual and P2P payments remain free. The merchant MDR framework is scheduled for 15 October 2026 and varies by payment type, amount and merchant category. It is a merchant-ecosystem charge—not a customer fee or Government tax—and the announced terms say merchants must not pass it on.

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