India Bars Fees on UPI and RuPay Payments Up to Rs 2,000
4 sources across 2 countries · India · United Kingdom
Who reported this
- Scroll.in
- The Hindu
- The Indian Express
- Reuters
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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The Indian government has notified changes to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, specifying that banks and system providers cannot impose direct or indirect charges on UPI transactions up to Rs 2,000 or payments made via RuPay powered debit cards. The notification, issued by the Union Ministry of Finance on Monday, September 14, 2026, establishes these as electronic modes of payment that must remain free for the person making or receiving the payment. This follows a law passed by Parliament in August 2026 via the Taxation and Other Laws Amendment Bill, which allowed service providers to levy charges on these payment methods. While the new notification protects smaller transactions, it alters previous provisions and opens the possibility for charges on larger transfers. A final decision on how fees for larger transactions will be levied has not yet been made. Data cited from The Indian Express indicates that transactions exceeding Rs 2,000 accounted for only 4 percent of person to merchant UPI payments in 2025 to 2026, though they represented nearly two thirds of the total value of such payments. The finance ministry previously clarified that all person to person transactions will remain free and that only a limited set of merchant transactions above a certain threshold will attract a nominal Merchant Discount Rate.
How each side framed it
- Left
- This outlet highlighted the legislative history and expressed concerns that merchants might pass the cost of the Merchant Discount Rate to consumers.
- Centre-left
- This outlet emphasized the legal mechanism of the notification and the fact that a final decision on larger fees is still pending.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the factual notification of the fee bar and the potential for future charges on large payments.
Sources
- Centre Reuters: India opens door to fees on large payments made via UPI system - reuters.com
- Left Scroll.in: UPI transactions up to Rs 2,000, RuPay debit card payments to remain free, says Centre
- Centre-left The Hindu: Govt. bars bank charges on payments up to ₹2,000 via UPI, RuPay-powered debit cards
- Centre The Indian Express: Government bars fees on UPI payments up to Rs 2,000, RuPay debit card payments
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.