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The Ministry of Finance’s announced framework keeps person-to-person (P2P) UPI transfers free and sets zero MDR for merchant payments up to ₹2,000 and qualifying small-merchant transactions. It describes category-based MDR for some other merchant payments, while saying consumers must not be charged the merchant fee. The Supreme Court has not made a final ruling on the framework’s legality.
What “UPI fee” means in this debate
The disputed charge is the merchant discount rate (MDR), a payment-system charge associated with specified merchant transactions—not a fee announced for customers sending money through UPI. The Ministry says: “MDR is a charge within the merchant payment ecosystem. It is not a charge on customers making UPI payments.” It also says: “It is clarified that MDR is neither a tax nor a charge collected by the Government or NPCI.” These are the Ministry’s characterizations, not a final court ruling. Ministry of Finance release, 15 September 2026.
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The Ministry says MDR is distributed among payment ecosystem participants, including banks, payment service providers and UPI application providers. It says the framework was introduced under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, following deliberations by the UPI Steering Committee.
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- P2P transfers: The framework keeps all person-to-person UPI transfers free, regardless of amount.
- Smaller merchant payments: Merchant transactions up to and including ₹2,000 remain at zero MDR.
- Qualifying small merchants: The release says small merchants in the P2PM category—including street vendors receiving up to ₹1 lakh per month through UPI QR codes—continue to receive zero MDR on all transactions.
The Ministry also says ordinary individuals will have unlimited free usage, without monthly quotas or volume restrictions. It characterizes bank and NPCI daily transaction limits as security safeguards, not fee thresholds. The release sets out these conditions.
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What MDR does the framework describe for other merchant payments?
For specified person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions above ₹2,000, the Ministry describes different rates by merchant category. The rate is not a single 0.4% charge on every UPI payment above that amount.
| Transaction category | MDR described by the Ministry |
|---|---|
| Specified general merchant transactions above ₹2,000 | 0.4%; capped at ₹300 for transactions of ₹75,000 and above. |
| Specified essential and thin-margin sectors above ₹2,000, including railways, telecommunications, insurance, fuel and agricultural inputs | Flat ₹5 MDR. |
| Payments related to mutual funds, securities, stockbrokers and dealers | 0.02%; capped at ₹300. |
The categories and thresholds above reflect the Ministry’s description of the framework in its 15 September release. The release does not make the general rate applicable to every merchant payment over ₹2,000.
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What protections does the Ministry say apply to customers and small merchants?
The Ministry says customers must not be charged MDR directly or have it passed through by merchants. It says banks were advised to ensure customers are not charged and that app providers are prohibited under the framework from adding platform or hidden fees. Those safeguards are the Ministry’s account of the policy.
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The release estimates that approximately 96% of P2M transactions remain unaffected, with MDR applying to about 4% of merchant transactions. It also estimates that P2P transactions—which remain outside MDR—account for 70% of total transaction value. These are government estimates attributed to its data analysis; the cited material does not independently validate them.
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The Ministry says 5% of total MDR collections will go to a dedicated fund for small-merchant UPI adoption. It presents the zero-MDR P2PM treatment and the fund as support for smaller merchants. The Ministry release provides the estimates and safeguards.
What has the Supreme Court decided, and when was the framework due to start?
As of 3 October 2026, reporting says the Supreme Court declined to grant an interim stay, issued notices to the Centre, RBI, NPCI and other respondents, and asked the Centre to explain the legal and policy basis for the levy. Declining an interim stay is not a final decision on whether the framework is lawful. The report said the framework was scheduled to take effect on 15 October 2026; that date was still in the future as of 3 October, so the report does not establish whether it subsequently commenced. The Economic Times reported on the court proceedings on 28 September 2026.
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What this means for a typical UPI user
Under the Ministry’s announced framework, a person sending money to another person remains outside MDR, and a merchant payment of ₹2,000 or less also has zero MDR. For a larger payment to a merchant, the category matters: the Ministry describes separate treatment for general merchants, specified essential or thin-margin sectors, and capital-market-related payments. The Ministry says none of those merchant-side rates should be billed to customers, but the legal challenge had not been finally resolved as of 3 October 2026.
For an explanation of the consumer question and other reported FAQs, see NDTV Profit’s 15 September 2026 explainer.
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