UPI limits explained: ₹1 lakh for most, up to ₹10 lakh a day for some
Sending money to a friend is capped at ₹1 lakh a day. Paying a tax bill, an insurance premium or a holiday can go much higher, if your bank allows it.
"Transaction limit exceeded" usually appears at the worst moment: paying a hospital deposit, a car's down payment or the last instalment of a tax bill. UPI does have a ceiling, but it is not one number. It depends on who you are paying and on your own bank.
The basic rule: ₹1 lakh a day
For ordinary transfers to another person, the UPI limit is ₹1 lakh per day. That cap was not touched when NPCI raised other limits in September 2025, so splitting ₹2 lakh between two friends on the same day will still fail.
Higher limits for certain payments
Since 15 September 2025, payments to verified businesses in some categories can go much higher. These are the limits reported when the change took effect:
| Paying for | Per payment | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance premiums | ₹5 lakh | ₹10 lakh |
| Capital markets (shares, mutual funds) | ₹5 lakh | ₹10 lakh |
| Travel bookings | ₹5 lakh | ₹10 lakh |
| Loan EMIs and collections | ₹5 lakh | ₹10 lakh |
| Government e-Marketplace (tax, earnest money deposits) | ₹5 lakh | — |
| Credit card bills | ₹5 lakh | ₹6 lakh |
| Jewellery | ₹2 lakh | ₹6 lakh |
| Digital term deposits | ₹5 lakh | ₹5 lakh |
The higher limit only applies if the business is registered in the right category. Paying an insurance agent's personal UPI ID is still a person-to-person transfer, capped at ₹1 lakh.
Your bank can set a lower limit
NPCI sets the ceiling; banks decide how much of it to offer. Large banks generally allow the full ₹1 lakh for transfers, while some regional rural banks set daily caps as low as ₹5,000 to ₹20,000. If a payment fails with a limit error, your bank's UPI limit page or customer care will tell you the number that actually applies to you.
Three ways around a limit, legitimately
- Pay the business directly. A school, hospital or insurer that accepts UPI through its own payment page usually sits in a higher category than a personal UPI ID.
- Split across days, not people. The daily cap resets, so a ₹1.5 lakh transfer can go as ₹1 lakh today and ₹50,000 tomorrow.
- Use NEFT or RTGS for large amounts. For big one-off payments, net banking transfers have much higher limits and give you a clear paper trail.
Limits are not fees
From 15 October 2026, payments to merchants above ₹2,000 carry a small fee for the merchant. That is a separate rule and does not lower any of the limits above. We explain it in what changes for UPI payments over ₹2,000.
