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The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

UPI MDR: Will You Be Charged to Send Money to Friends or Family?

Ordinary UPI transfers between individuals in India remain free regardless of amount. Merchant MDR provisions and transaction limits do not create a fee for sending money to friends or family.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
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No. For ordinary UPI transfers between individuals in India—such as sending money to a friend or relative—consumers are not charged MDR, whatever the amount. In a statement dated 15 September 2026, the Ministry of Finance said the framework has no impact on person-to-person transfers, which remain free regardless of the amount sent or received.

What MDR means for a personal UPI transfer

MDR, or merchant discount rate, is a charge in the merchant-payment ecosystem. The Ministry of Finance says it is not a charge on customers making UPI payments. Its September 2026 statement also says individuals will not face a transaction fee, platform fee, or other charge for sending or receiving ordinary UPI money.

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NPCI defines person-to-person (P2P) payments as payments from one person to another. That is distinct from person-to-merchant (P2M), where a person pays a business. The current government explanation explicitly says the new framework does not affect P2P transactions.

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Why the ₹2,000 merchant figure does not apply to transfers between people

The Ministry’s statement discusses merchant payments separately from personal transfers. It says P2M payments up to ₹2,000 remain free of MDR and that qualifying small merchants—including street vendors receiving up to ₹1 lakh monthly through UPI QR codes under the P2PM category—continue with zero MDR. These are merchant-side provisions, not thresholds for an individual’s personal transfer.

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The Ministry also reports that approximately 96% of P2M transactions remain unaffected. That is a 2026 figure about merchant transaction counts; it is not the share of personal transfers and is not an MDR rate. The Ministry separately says P2P transactions account for 70% of total UPI transaction value; that is a value share, not a fee share or transaction-volume share.

A limit on transfer size is not a fee

NPCI’s circular of 28 August 2025 says the P2P transaction limit continues under existing guidance. A transaction limit is an operational cap on how much can be transferred; it does not mean a fee is charged. The Ministry’s 15 September 2026 statement says ordinary P2P transfers remain free irrespective of amount.

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Separate credit-linked UPI products may have their own costs

Credit Line on UPI is distinct from an ordinary transfer funded by a bank account. NPCI says charges for this credit product may vary by bank and directs customers to their issuing bank for details, including any interest or processing fees. Those issuer terms do not make a normal bank-account transfer to another person subject to MDR.

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