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NPCI has postponed the planned rollout of merchant discount rate (MDR) fees on certain UPI merchant payments until after Diwali 2026. As of October 13, 2026, no replacement start date has been announced. The earlier schedule set implementation for October 15, but the reported terms below are the previous plan—not charges confirmed to be in force.
When will UPI MDR charges start?
There is no confirmed start date. The Economic Times reported on October 13 that NPCI had delayed implementation until after Diwali 2026 and would communicate the final date to stakeholders. Its report did not specify a new date, so the postponement should not be read as a move to any particular month or day. (The Economic Times)
The planned start had been October 15, 2026. That date was superseded by the postponement; it is not the current launch date.
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The framework described before the delay concerned eligible bank-account-funded person-to-merchant (P2M) payments—not every UPI transfer. The announced terms reported by The Economic Times specified an MDR of 0.4% for eligible merchant transactions above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300 per transaction. These were proposed framework terms before postponement, not evidence that the fee is now being collected. (The Economic Times)
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| Payment under the earlier framework | Previously described treatment |
|---|---|
| Person-to-person transfer | Free |
| Eligible bank-account-funded P2M payment up to ₹2,000 | No MDR |
| Eligible bank-account-funded P2M payment above ₹2,000 | 0.4% MDR, capped at ₹300 per transaction |
| Qualifying small merchant | Zero-MDR exemption |
| Transactions above ₹2,000 in specified sectors | September clarification described a flat ₹5 MDR; see sector details below |
News On AIR reported that the September Finance Ministry clarification described qualifying small merchants as exempt from MDR. The materials available for this update do not define the qualification criteria, so merchants should not assume that every small business automatically meets them. (News On AIR)
Would customers pay MDR on UPI?
The Finance Ministry’s September clarification said MDR was not to be passed on to consumers. It also said app providers could not impose platform fees or hidden charges under the described framework. This is the government’s stated treatment of the earlier framework; the October postponement report did not independently reconfirm every detail. (News On AIR)
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The Ministry of Finance had stated on August 8, 2026: “Consumers making payments will not face any transaction charges.” The August statement set out the government’s position before the later September fee details and the October delay. (Government of India)
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Which sectors had a separate flat fee?
News On AIR’s account of the September clarification said that transactions above ₹2,000 in railways, telecom, insurance, fuel and agricultural inputs would face a flat ₹5 fee under the earlier framework. The October postponement report did not separately verify these sector-specific terms, and the rollout itself has been delayed. (News On AIR; The Economic Times)
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Why was the rollout delayed?
The Economic Times reported that merchant associations sought relief during the festive-season sales period and requested a postponement. It named the All India Mobile Retailers Association and the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation among those that made representations. This is the report’s account of the context; it does not establish a definitive official explanation from NPCI. (The Economic Times)
What was the government’s stated reason for MDR?
The government described the policy objective as supporting UPI’s long-term sustainability, infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity, fraud prevention and expansion. Those are stated policy goals, not demonstrated effects of the proposed fees. The August government statement also said any MDR, if introduced, would be limited to transactions above a threshold and that the vast majority of merchant transactions would remain free. (Government of India)
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News On AIR reported a government-source estimate that around 96% of UPI merchant transactions would remain unaffected under the described framework. That is an attributed estimate, not an independently calculated share. (News On AIR)
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- NPCI has not supplied a replacement implementation date in the October 13 report.
- The report does not establish whether the previous fee parameters will remain unchanged when a new date is announced.
- The complete statutory amendment text and underlying NPCI circular were not available for review here, so this update does not offer a legal interpretation of how those documents operate.
The Department of Financial Services lists an FAQ dated September 15, 2026, but the PDF text was not reviewed for this update. The October delay and the missing replacement date are the key facts for consumers and merchants: the earlier schedule and fee details should be treated as context, not proof of current charges. (Department of Financial Services)
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