1 November 2026 • 6 min read
Use this sheet when a spec, a bank partner or a support ticket uses a UPI term you cannot place. Each entry is worded from a source that was open on 1 November 2026 (NPCI guidelines, RBI notices and publications, and the PIB factsheet of 24 August 2026). Where a source gives no definition, the entry says so. UPI features and limits change often, so check the date on the source before you copy a number into a product.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| UPI (Unified Payments Interface) | A real-time payment system that powers multiple bank accounts through a single mobile application of any participating bank or payment service provider (PIB). NPCI developed it. |
| NPCI | National Payments Corporation of India. It developed UPI and publishes the UPI brand and app guidelines. |
| PSP (Payment Service Provider) | RBI's acronym list expands PSP this way. RBI's 2022 publication names payer PSP and payee PSP as UPI participants, but gives no definition of either. |
| TPAP (Third Party Application Provider) | RBI's acronym list expands TPAP this way and its 2022 publication lists TPAPs among the UPI participants. It gives no further definition. |
| Remitter / payer / sender | The person who is sending the money (NPCI UPI HELP guidelines). |
| Beneficiary / payee / receiver | The person who is going to receive the money (NPCI UPI HELP guidelines). |
| Remitter bank, beneficiary bank | RBI's 2022 publication lists both among the participants in UPI and does not define them. |
| P2P, P2M | Person-to-Person and Person-to-Merchant (RBI acronym list). UPI HELP covers complaints on both. |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| UPI ID | "Your virtual identity for UPI payments": a single identifier to send and receive money directly from one bank account to another (NPCI). It looks like user@upihandle. |
| Prefix and suffix | In user@upihandle, "user" is the prefix and "upihandle" is the suffix. After registering on a UPI app, the app predefines the suffix and you create a customised prefix (NPCI). |
| UPI PIN | A personal identification number of 4 or 6 digits, set when you first register on a UPI app, and required for all payment transactions (NPCI). |
| PIN safety rules | NPCI's checkpoints say to enter the UPI PIN only on the UPI PIN page, that only sending money requires a UPI PIN, and not to share an OTP with anyone. |
| On-device authentication | Introduced in 2025, it allows UPI payments to be approved with the smartphone's fingerprint or face check (PIB). |
| Aadhaar-based face authentication | Introduced in 2025 to simplify UPI PIN onboarding, especially for first-time users and senior citizens (PIB). |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dynamic QR | Launched in 2017; it includes transaction specifics such as payee information and exact totals, so no manual amount entry (PIB). |
| Scan any UPI QR | NPCI's guidelines say this text should be displayed on QR scan screens within the app. |
| UPI Mandates | Introduced with UPI 2.0 in 2018 to enable recurring payments through pre-authorised instructions (PIB). |
| UPI AutoPay | Supports recurring e-mandates for subscriptions, utility bills, insurance premiums, SIPs and EMIs (PIB). |
| UPI Lite | Introduced to enable low-value transactions in a faster and PIN-less manner (PIB). RBI's offline-payments notice sets the enhanced limits at ₹1,000 per transaction with ₹5,000 as the total limit. |
| Offline payment limits | For offline payments in general, RBI's notice sets ₹500 per transaction and ₹2,000 in total on a payment instrument at any point in time. |
| UPI 123PAY | For feature phone users; works through an IVR number, app-based functionality, missed calls or proximity sound. Its per-transaction limit was raised to ₹10,000 in 2024 (PIB). |
| UPI Circle | Lets a primary user authorise secondary users, with predefined transaction limits, on the primary user's bank account (PIB, 2024). |
| Credit Line on UPI | Introduced in 2023 so that pre-sanctioned bank credit lines can be linked as a funding account (PIB). |
| Invoice in the Inbox | Lets users view bills or invoices before authorising payments (PIB, 2018). |
| Overdraft account linking | Lets users make UPI transactions using their overdraft accounts (PIB, 2018). |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MDR | Merchant Discount Rate (RBI acronym list). |
| MSF | Merchant Service Fee (RBI acronym list). |
| PA and PG | Payment Aggregator and Payment Gateway (RBI acronym list). |
| PPI | Prepaid Payment Instrument (RBI acronym list). |
| PSO | Payment System Operator (RBI acronym list). |
| Higher limits by category | In 2024 RBI raised the UPI limit for tax payments from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh per transaction. Higher limits also apply to select categories including capital markets, IPO subscriptions, loan collections, insurance, healthcare and education (PIB). |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| UPI HELP | A feature that attempts to resolve UPI transaction-related complaints through the UPI payment app (NPCI). The user raises the complaint from the transaction details page. |
| Transaction status colours | NPCI's UPI HELP guidelines use green with a tick mark for successful transactions, amber with a clock symbol for pending ones, and red with a cross mark for failed ones. |
| Pending status | NPCI says that for pending transactions, if the user takes no action, UPI HELP proactively attempts to auto-update the final status of complaints on the app. |
| Powered by UPI logo | NPCI's brand guidelines say it must be used at all places where UPI APIs are being called. |
Terms and limits move with RBI and NPCI circulars, so check the latest circular before you build on a number, and ask your bank partner or a payments lawyer about any legal point.
The UPI ID is the identifier you share so people can pay you, such as user@upihandle. The UPI PIN is the secret passcode of 4 or 6 digits that you enter to approve a payment.
NPCI's safety checkpoints say that only sending money requires a UPI PIN.
RBI's offline-payments notice sets ₹1,000 per transaction and ₹5,000 in total for UPI Lite, against ₹500 and ₹2,000 for offline payments in general. Check the notice for the latest amendment before you build on these figures.
RBI's 2022 publication lists payer PSP, payee PSP, remitter bank, beneficiary bank, NPCI, bank account holders and TPAPs.
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