UPI guides and glossary for people taking payments

Written for the person at the counter: no jargon, no filler, and every guide dated so you know how fresh it is. Pick a starting point, or jump to the glossary.

Start here

Setting up for the first time? Read how to create a UPI ID, then where to find it, then make your QR.

Printing a QR for your shop? Start with the print size guide, then why UPI shows a different name.

Someone showed you a payment that hasn't arrived? Go straight to spotting fake payment screenshots.

Your pay link or a screenshot of your QR isn't working? Read QR code or payment link.

Worried about charges or tax? Read UPI limits, charges and tax.

Getting set up

How to create a UPI ID: if you don't have one yet. Free, a few minutes, and what to do when it doesn't work.

UPI ID format and where to find yours: what a UPI ID looks like, what the part after the @ means, and where it sits in each app.

QR code from a bank account number: no UPI ID needed. Account number and IFSC work, and here's how not to mistype them.

Get the UPI ID from a QR code: read the address behind any code, with a safety check, before you pay.

Choosing the right thing

QR code or payment link?: one is for people in front of you, the other for people who aren't, and NPCI's 2024 rules change which works when.

Static vs dynamic QR: open amount or fixed, what payment companies mean by "dynamic", and when each is right.

Why UPI shows a different name: the June 2025 rule, and what to put in the name field.

Staying safe

Spotting fake payment screenshots: the five-second check that works, and why a bank SMS alone isn't it.

UPI scams and collect requests: why you never need your PIN to receive money, what changed in October 2025, and where the scams moved.

Is it safe to share your UPI QR?: what your QR and UPI ID reveal, what nobody can do with them, and how to keep a counter code safe.

Money and rules

UPI limits, charges and tax: what you can receive, what the announced merchant charge is (and that it's been postponed), and when tax questions start.

Printing

Print a QR that scans: sizes, materials, and the four things that stop a printed code working.

UPI words, explained

The terms that come up in these guides, in plain language.

UPI (full form: Unified Payments Interface). The system that moves money between bank accounts using a phone. Run by NPCI.

NPCI. National Payments Corporation of India, the organisation that runs UPI and publishes its rules, including the QR format.

UPI ID or VPA. An address for receiving money, like 9876543210@ybl. VPA stands for virtual payment address; it means the same thing.

Handle. The part of a UPI ID after the @. It names the app and the bank that app connects through, not necessarily your own bank.

PSP bank. Payment service provider bank: the bank a payment app partners with to connect to UPI. Each partnership has its own handle.

TPAP. Third-party app provider: a UPI app that isn't a bank, such as PhonePe, Google Pay or Paytm.

UPI PIN. The 4 or 6 digit number you enter to approve a payment or check your balance. You never need it to receive money.

UPI Lite. A small balance on your phone for quick payments without a PIN: up to ₹1,000 a payment and ₹5,000 in the balance.

Collect request. A request that pulls money from the person who approves it. Person-to-person collect requests ended on 1 October 2025.

Intent payment. A payment started from a link or button that opens your UPI app with the details filled in. Since 1 April 2024, NPCI doesn't allow these for payments to personal UPI IDs.

QR share and pay. Paying from a QR image picked out of your phone's gallery instead of scanning with the camera. Limited to ₹2,000 for personal UPI IDs and unverified merchants.

Verified merchant. A business onboarded by a bank or payment company with KYC checks. Its UPI ID can take link payments and larger gallery-QR payments.

Bank-registered name. The account holder's name in the bank's records. Since 30 June 2025, it's the only payee name UPI apps may show before you pay.

Static QR. A reusable code with no fixed amount. The payer types what they owe.

Dynamic QR. A code that carries the amount. Payment companies also use the word for a code made for one transaction that expires after use.

P2P, P2M and P2PM. Person to person, person to merchant, and person to "small" merchant. Which one a payment is decides whether a merchant charge can apply.

MDR. Merchant discount rate: a charge some merchants pay on payments they receive. NPCI announced 0.4% (capped at ₹300) on eligible merchant payments above ₹2,000, then postponed it in October 2026; as of 29 October 2026, no new start date has been announced. It's never charged to the customer.

UTR or UPI reference number. The unique 12-digit number every UPI payment gets. It appears in both people's histories.

IFSC. The 11-character code that identifies a bank branch. The fifth character is always zero.

Auto-reversal. When a payment fails after money leaves the payer's account, it's returned automatically: by the day after for a payment to a person, within five days for a payment to a merchant.

How these guides are written

Each guide names its sources at the end. We link the official text wherever we can: NPCI circulars and specifications, RBI notifications and government tax rules. Where we relied on a published copy or a news report instead, the source line names it. Figures that change, such as limits and charges, show the date we last checked them. Where something couldn't be confirmed, we say so instead of guessing.

None of it is legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, check with your bank or a qualified professional.

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