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Re:

UPI Merchant Fee Rollout Pushed Beyond Diwali; New Implementation Date Awaited

The planned October 15, 2026 start of a proposed fee on select UPI merchant payments has been deferred until after Diwali. NPCI has yet to announce the new date.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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NPCI has deferred the planned October 15, 2026 start of a proposed Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on selected UPI merchant payments until immediately after Diwali. The replacement date has not yet been announced. The reported proposal is a 0.4% fee on eligible bank-account-funded payments above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300 per transaction—but it is a merchant-side fee, not a new charge on every UPI user.

What changed, and when could the fee begin?

On October 13, 2026, the UPI and Services Steering Committee decided to postpone implementation of MDR on selected person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions. The earlier schedule targeted October 15. The committee cited the festive season; reports also say the delay gives merchants and payment companies more time to prepare.

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NPCI has said implementation will take place immediately after Diwali on a date to be notified separately. That means there is no confirmed calendar date yet. Merchants should treat the reported October 15 start as superseded, not as the date charges begin.

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What the proposed MDR would cover

Before the deferral, reports described a framework of 0.4% MDR on eligible bank-account-funded UPI payments to merchants when the transaction amount is above ₹2,000. The proposed charge is capped at ₹300 per transaction. Mint and ETtech reported those terms; another report described the cap as applying at ₹75,000 and above, the amount at which 0.4% equals ₹300.

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This remains a reported framework, not a complete final schedule of operational rules. In particular, the threshold does not mean every UPI payment above ₹2,000 will be charged: the proposed fee is limited to eligible merchant transactions, and the funding source and transaction category matter.

Who may pay under the reported framework?

Transaction type Reported treatment What is established
Person-to-person (P2P) Remains free The Ministry of Finance says all P2P transactions will continue to be free of charge.
Consumer paying a merchant No UPI transaction charge to the consumer, according to the government The Ministry says consumers making payments will not face transaction charges.
Eligible bank-account-funded P2M payment above ₹2,000 Proposed 0.4% merchant-side MDR, capped at ₹300 Reported proposal; final categories and operating rules await NPCI’s separate notification.
Other merchant payments, including those at or below ₹2,000 No general MDR established by the reported proposal The government says MDR, if introduced, would apply only to a limited set of merchant transactions above a threshold, and most merchant transactions are expected to remain free.

The Ministry of Finance’s position is explicit: “No charges for users: Consumers making payments will not face any transaction charges.” It separately says P2P payments will remain free. These statements distinguish the proposed merchant-side MDR from a fee charged by the UPI system to an individual customer.

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Can a merchant add the MDR to a customer’s bill?

The available announcements and reports do not establish a universal rule on whether a merchant may pass an MDR through to a customer as a separate charge or by changing prices. The government’s statement that consumers will not face UPI transaction charges describes the announced policy, but it does not by itself resolve every possible billing or pass-through arrangement. Merchants and customers should look for the final NPCI notification and any applicable payment-provider or regulatory guidance before treating a separate surcharge as permitted.

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What merchants can do while the date is pending

There is no need to change checkout pricing based only on the superseded October 15 schedule. Merchants can use the waiting period to make their payment records easier to reconcile if MDR is later applied to some transactions:

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  • Keep transaction records that distinguish merchant payments from P2P transfers and identify the payment method or funding source where it is available.
  • Review settlement statements and payment-provider terms so any future MDR line can be checked against the notified rate, eligible category, threshold and cap.
  • Ask the acquiring bank or payment provider how eligible transactions, fees and settlement adjustments will be displayed once implementation instructions are issued.
  • Wait for NPCI’s separately notified effective date and category schedule before assuming a particular payment will incur MDR or changing customer-facing policies.

These checks are preparation, not confirmation that a specific shop or payment will be charged. The final category rules, the effective date and the treatment of any customer pass-through remain unresolved in the reported material.

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What to watch for in NPCI’s notification

The next notification should establish the post-Diwali start date and the operational details that determine how the proposal works in practice. The key items to verify are which merchant categories qualify, whether the bank-account-funding condition is retained, how the ₹2,000 threshold and ₹300 cap are applied, and how fees appear in settlement records. Until that notification is available, the 0.4% rate and cap should be described as proposed terms rather than a final charge schedule.

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