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UPI MDR Charges: Will Small-Value Transactions Be Impacted? P2M Fees Explained

UPI payments to merchants of ₹2,000 or less remain free under the framework scheduled for 15 October 2026. Learn which larger P2M payments may attract MDR, who pays it and how the P2PM small-merchant exemption works.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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No: under the framework announced by the Department of Financial Services, UPI payments to merchants of ₹2,000 or less remain free of MDR. The finalized provisions are scheduled to take effect on 15 October 2026. From that date, specified eligible person-to-merchant (P2M) payments above ₹2,000 may incur a fee paid by the merchant—not the customer scanning the QR code.

When do the announced UPI MDR rules take effect?

The Department of Financial Services’ FAQ, dated 15 September 2026, says the finalized provisions are scheduled to take effect on 15 October 2026. As of 4 October 2026, that date is still in the future. The rates and rules below describe the announced framework; implementation should be checked if you are reading this on or after the effective date. Read the Department’s FAQ.

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What is UPI MDR, and who pays it?

MDR, or merchant discount rate, is a charge associated with processing certain merchant payments. P2M means person-to-merchant: for example, paying a shop by scanning its UPI QR code. P2P means person-to-person: sending money to another person.

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The announced MDR is a merchant-side payment-ecosystem charge, not a tax collected by the government or NPCI and not an automatic fee for the person making a UPI payment. The Ministry of Finance says merchants must not pass MDR on to customers; it also says UPI app providers are prohibited from imposing platform fees or hidden charges. See the Ministry of Finance release published through PIB.

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  • Customers: The announced policy does not make MDR a charge payable by the person scanning the QR code.
  • Merchants: Specified eligible P2M transactions above the threshold may attract MDR, subject to merchant classification and any special category rate.
  • P2P transfers: These remain free irrespective of transfer value under the announced policy.

Which transactions are affected, and what are the announced rates?

The ₹2,000 threshold applies to the payment amount, but it does not by itself determine whether MDR is due. Transaction type, the merchant’s classification, and any designated sector rate also matter.

Payment or merchant category Announced treatment from 15 October 2026
P2M payment of ₹2,000 or less No MDR, including at larger merchants.
Specified eligible P2M payment above ₹2,000, standard rate 0.4% MDR; for a transaction of ₹75,000 or more, the charge is capped at ₹300.
Designated essential or thin-margin sector transaction above ₹2,000 Flat ₹5 MDR for specified categories, including railways, telecommunications, insurance and fuel. The government’s release also names agricultural inputs; the detailed category definitions govern eligibility.
Capital-market payment 0.02% MDR, capped at ₹300, for categories including mutual funds, securities, stockbrokers and dealers.
P2PM small merchant receiving UPI QR payments directly into its account Zero MDR on all transactions if the merchant receives up to ₹1 lakh per month through this route and is classified as P2PM.
P2P transfer Free, irrespective of amount.
Credit-linked UPI transaction Separate credit-product rules apply; the FAQ distinguishes these from direct account-to-merchant UPI.

The standard-rate examples in the Department’s FAQ illustrate how the merchant-side calculation works:

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  • For a ₹3,000 eligible transaction, 0.4% is ₹12 MDR.
  • For a ₹50,000 eligible transaction, 0.4% is ₹200 MDR.
  • For a transaction of ₹75,000 or more, the standard-rate charge is capped at ₹300.

These figures describe the specified eligible P2M categories; they do not mean every transaction above ₹2,000 is charged. The ₹5 sector rate and the capital-market rate are exceptions to the standard rate. The Department’s FAQ sets out the rates and examples; the Ministry of Finance release names additional specified sector categories.

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Are small-value UPI payments still free?

Yes. The Department’s FAQ answers “Will small-value UPI transactions be impacted?” by saying there is no impact on P2M transactions up to ₹2,000. That threshold includes a payment of exactly ₹2,000, not just payments below it. The rule applies to small-value merchant payments even when the merchant is not in the P2PM small-merchant category.

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The Department says payments at or below ₹2,000 make up more than 95% of P2M transaction volume. Separately, the Ministry of Finance estimates that approximately 96% of P2M transactions will remain unaffected. The latter is the government’s estimate of transaction count, not a statement about the share of payment value. Department FAQ and Ministry of Finance release.

Why can a payment above ₹2,000 still have zero MDR at a small shop?

The P2PM small-merchant provision uses a monthly-receipts test, not the ₹2,000 per-payment threshold. A merchant classified as P2PM that receives up to ₹1 lakh per month through UPI QR directly into its account retains zero MDR on all transactions. So an individual payment above ₹2,000 does not, on its own, establish that this merchant owes MDR.

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Classification matters: the announced rule is not a blanket exemption for every shop that a customer might describe as small. The Department’s FAQ specifies the P2PM category, monthly limit and direct-to-account QR condition. See the FAQ’s P2PM provisions.

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Do merchants need a new QR stand or soundbox?

No. The Department’s FAQ says existing QR stands and soundboxes continue to work and do not need to be replaced or re-registered because of the MDR change. The announced policy does not require a merchant to buy new payment equipment. Department of Financial Services FAQ.

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How does this differ from the earlier zero-MDR position?

Older government material described a previous zero-MDR position and incentives supporting low-value merchant payments. For example, the FY 2024–25 BHIM-UPI incentive scheme covered eligible small-merchant P2M transactions up to ₹2,000, with a 0.15% incentive, and ran from 1 April 2024 through 31 March 2025. That was a time-limited incentive scheme, not the standard MDR rate announced in September 2026. Government of India / PIB description of the FY 2024–25 scheme.

A Lok Sabha answer from 18 August 2025 said there was then no proposal to impose UPI transaction charges. That answer predates the September 2026 announcement and should not be read as describing the later framework. Read the dated Lok Sabha answer.

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