UPI has become the most widely used digital payment system in India. Whether paying a shopkeeper, splitting a bill, sending money to family or completing an online transaction, UPI is fast, secure and highly convenient. Understanding daily transaction limits is essential for planning smooth payments, especially if you rely on a new UPI payment app or UPI Lite payment app for frequent transfers.
This guide explains how much you can send or receive via UPI each day, how limits vary by bank and transaction category, and what users need to know before making high-value payments.
What Are the Standard UPI Daily Transaction Limits?
For most users, the standard UPI daily transfer limit is up to ₹1 lakh per day on a single bank account linked to a UPI ID. This limit applies to typical person-to-person transfers and most merchant or bill payments. Banks and UPI apps may set lower limits based on internal security policies, so your individual limit may be lower than the permitted maximum.
Many new UPI payment app users may notice a slightly lower limit at first due to additional onboarding risk checks. Limits can increase over time based on usage history and internal verification.
Higher UPI Limits for Select Categories
UPI limits can increase significantly for specific verified merchant categories. For certain sectors, such as education, travel bookings, insurance, healthcare, and government services, the per-transaction and daily limits have been increased to enable larger digital payments. The permitted limits for eligible high-value merchant payments can go up to ₹5 lakh per transaction and, in exceptional cases, up to ₹10 lakh per day, depending on bank and merchant eligibility.
These higher limits support large purchases such as university fees, hospital bills, and high-value bookings.
How Do Limits Differ Across Banks and Apps?
Although NPCI and RBI define major limit rules, individual banks and payment apps can set their own risk-based restrictions. This means:
- Two users with different banks may have different UPI limits
- Limits may vary on different apps, even if the same bank account is linked
- New accounts often start with lower transaction caps
- Limits can be modified or increased automatically after successful transaction patterns
For example, a new UPI payment app might restrict transfers initially to safeguard against fraud and gradually increase limits as the account matures.
What Are UPI Lite Limits?
A UPI Lite payment app uses an on-device wallet-style feature that stores a small amount locally for quicker small-ticket transactions. UPI Lite is designed for offline or low-connectivity payments for small spends, such as local transport, food stalls, or parking.
As per standard guidelines, the maximum balance for UPI Lite is lower than for regular UPI bank-to-bank transfers. Per-transaction and daily limits are much lower than for standard UPI transactions, which keeps it safe and suited for micro payments.
How Much Can You Receive Through UPI?
Receiving money through UPI is generally less restricted than sending. Most banks allow unlimited incoming UPI transfers, although certain apps may apply caps to prevent fraud or misuse. For larger incoming transfers in special merchant categories, higher allowed limits exist, similar to outbound transactions.
Key Factors That Influence Your UPI Limits
Several variables affect your daily transfer limits:
- Your bank-specific internal limit rules
- The policies of the app you are using
- Whether the payment is person-to-person or to a verified merchant
- Usage history and transaction behaviour
- Regulatory updates issued by NPCI or RBI
- Type of account, such as savings, current or NRE
It is always helpful to verify your limit directly inside your banking app or UPI app settings.
Tips When Making High-Value UPI Payments
- Check the bank or app limit before initiating a large transfer
- Split the amount into multiple payments if needed and permitted
- Ensure your bank-registered mobile number is active for OTP and verification
- Keep your UPI PIN private and avoid approving unknown requests
- Use a verified merchant account for large commercial payments
Understanding limits helps avoid failed transactions or payment delays.
Conclusion
UPI is designed to make digital payments fast, flexible and widely accessible. The standard daily outgoing limit for most transfers is around ₹1 lakh, while specially approved merchant categories support much higher caps of up to ₹10 lakh per day. Limits vary across banks, apps and transaction types, so it is useful to check them within your new UPI payment app or wallet interface. If you use a UPI Lite payment app, remember that limits are lower because it is intended for small everyday spends.
Knowing your limits helps you plan payments confidently and enjoy smooth UPI usage without disruptions.