# UPI QR code limits and charges

> Generating a UPI QR code costs nothing and receiving person-to-person payments is free, typically capped around ₹1 lakh per day. Merchant payments carry zero MDR as of 2026. Actual limits are layered (NPCI framework, then your bank, then your app), so the binding number lives with your bank.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/payments/upi-qr-code-limits-and-charges · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, no signup.

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## Three layers set your limit

There is no single number that is "the UPI limit", and any page that states one without
qualification is wrong for somebody. Limits are layered:

1. **NPCI framework.** NPCI, which operates UPI, sets the ceiling structure, per
   transaction, per day, and higher caps for specific verified merchant categories.
2. **Your bank.** Each bank sets its own limits within the framework, and they differ:
   per-transaction caps, daily caps, and counts of transactions per day.
3. **Your app.** UPI apps can apply their own, sometimes tighter, limits and velocity
   checks on top.

The binding constraint is the **lowest of the three**, and the authoritative numbers live
in your bank's UPI terms and your app's payment-limits screen, not on any third-party
page, this one included. What can be said with confidence: for person-to-person payments,
the widely published norm is **around ₹1 lakh per day**, with per-transaction caps that
vary by bank. Verified merchants in certain categories have higher ceilings, keyed to the
[merchant category code](/docs/payments/upi-qr-merchant-category-code).

The practical corollary: if a legitimate payment fails with a limit error, the fix is at
the payer's bank or app, not in the QR code. The
[code itself](/docs/payments/upi-qr-code-format) carries no limit information at all.

## What receiving money costs

| Payment type | Charge to receive |
|---|---|
| P2P (personal VPA) | **Free** |
| P2M (merchant VPA) | **Zero MDR as of 2026**, government policy for UPI merchant payments |
| Wallet-funded (PPI) P2M | Small interchange above ₹2,000, settled between providers, not billed to the customer |
| PSP services (soundbox, dashboard, settlement tools) | Commercial products, priced by the PSP |

Two honest footnotes. First, zero MDR is **policy, not physics**. It has held for years
and holds as of 2026, but it is a decision that could change, which is why PSPs monetise
hardware and software instead. Second, the fees PSPs do charge are for *services around*
UPI, not for UPI itself; a soundbox subscription is real money for a real product, but no
one should be paying per-transaction fees for plain UPI receipts.

Payers are never charged for UPI payments.

## What the QR code costs: nothing, ever

The code is the free part, unconditionally. A [UPI QR code](/upi) is a `upi://pay` URI
rendered as a matrix. There is no registration, no per-scan fee, no expiry, and no
mechanism by which generating it *could* cost money. UseQR generates it client-side (your
VPA never leaves the browser), in [bulk](/bulk) if you need a hundred, with
[decode-verification](/validate) included.

Services that charge for "a UPI QR code" are charging for one of three things: a dynamic
redirect you do not need for payments, a dashboard you may or may not need, or nothing.
The [small-shop guide](/docs/payments/upi-qr-for-a-small-shop) covers what a counter
actually requires: printing costs more than the code does.

## Limits meet real businesses

- **Freelancers**: several large client payments can hit personal-VPA daily caps; that, not
  fees, is the practical argument for a merchant VPA at volume: see
  [UPI for freelancers](/docs/payments/upi-qr-for-a-freelancer).
- **Landlords**: multiple rents landing on the 1st can brush the same ceiling.
- **High-ticket merchants**: a customer paying ₹1.2 lakh for jewellery may be blocked by
  *their* limits, not yours. Offer a split across days or an alternative rail rather than
  debugging the code.

## FAQ

### What is the UPI transaction limit per day?
It depends on your bank and app within NPCI's framework. The widely published person-to-person norm is around ₹1 lakh per day, with per-transaction caps varying by bank, and higher ceilings for some verified merchant categories.

### Are there charges for receiving money by UPI QR code?
Person-to-person receipts are free, and merchant payments carry zero MDR as of 2026. Any fees you pay a PSP are for services around UPI (soundboxes, dashboards, settlement tooling), not for the transactions.

### Does it cost money to generate a UPI QR code?
No, and it never legitimately should. The code is just a upi://pay link encoded as a QR matrix. Free generators produce exactly the same payload a paid one would.

### Why did a payment to my QR code fail with a limit error?
The payer hit a bank or app ceiling: daily amount, per-transaction cap, or transaction count. The QR code carries no limits itself, so nothing about the code needs fixing.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/upi
- https://useqr.app/validate
- https://useqr.app/bulk