Major changes in Unified Payments Interface (UPI) rules have come into effect from today, aimed at improving the digital payment experience and reducing server load during peak hours. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the body that manages UPI infrastructure, has issued new guidelines that all users must now follow.

As per the revised norms, a user can check their bank account balance only 50 times per day per UPI app. This limit has been introduced to minimise unnecessary server requests during peak usage hours and ensure smoother transactions.

Moreover, users will now receive a confirmation message from their bank with updated balance after every successful transaction. UPI apps may also restrict or temporarily disable balance check features at certain times, depending on system load.

In a move to prevent misuse and enhance security, users will now be allowed to link up to 25 bank accounts per UPI app within 24 hours.

Significant changes have also been introduced for auto-debit transactions. These will now be processed only during non-peak hours, with a time window fixed to avoid transaction congestion.

To enhance transparency, before any money is sent, UPI apps will display the registered name of the account holder in the beneficiary’s bank account, allowing users to verify the recipient’s identity.