New guidelines have been issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), increasing the interoperability and customer experience for the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), number-based payments.
This latest update is considered an addition to NPCI’s previous circular on the Numeric UPI ID solution.
These new guidelines will be effective from April 1, 2025, Tuesday, and the authorities have asked everyone to follow the same, including the UPI banks, UPI applications, and third-party app providers, which are abbreviated as TPAPs.
UPI Account Deactivation
— Prateek (@Pratz_0078) March 29, 2025
UPI users, listen up!
If your mobile number linked to UPI goes inactive (unused for long), your account gets shut off from April 1.
Effect: Keep your number active, or say bye to easy payments don’t let your UPI snooze!
Accordingly, these measures are implemented to ensure the security and efficiency of UPI, along with phasing out inactive numbers, as the inactive number could pose a security risk. When an individual deactivates or closes their number, the UPI remains active, which could result in misuse or cyber crime.
The official notice by NPCI mentioned, “The Bank's PSP App shall use the Mobile Number Revocation List/Digital Intelligence Platform (MNRL/DIP) and update their database accordingly at regular intervals, at least on a weekly basis.”
Along with this, the authorities have also asked the public to update their mobile number if it is inactive or unused for a few months to avoid any inconvenience in UPI payments after April 1, 2025.