Certain UPI IDs may have an expiration date. Verify the status of your UPI ID to ensure it remains safeguarded from deactivation
If you have a UPI ID that has been inactive for an extended period, be aware that the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is conducting a cleanup and plans to deactivate dormant accounts by the year-end.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has directed all payment applications to disable UPI IDs that have been inactive for over a year by December 31, 2023. This directive aims to enhance security and prevent potential fraud related to outdated or unused UPI IDs.
According to the new guidelines, third-party app providers (TPAPs) and payment service providers (PSPs) must identify UPI IDs linked to phone numbers that have not been used for payments or non-financial transactions in the past 12 months. Such inactive UPI IDs will be disabled for receiving funds, and the associated mobile numbers will be removed from the UPI mapping system.
This move comes after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulations that allow telecom providers to reassign inactive mobile numbers to new users after 90 days of inactivity. There is a risk that funds could be inadvertently transferred to the wrong person if the original UPI ID owner does not unlink their ID from an old number before getting a new SIM card.
To mitigate potential issues, the NPCI recommends that UPI app users review all mobile numbers linked to their IDs, ensuring none have been inactive for over three months. In cases where UPI IDs are disabled, customers will be required to re-register through their UPI apps to restore the linkage.
The overarching goal of this directive from the NPCI is to establish a more dependable and secure digital payments ecosystem. Payment apps such as Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm have been instructed to comply by December 31, disabling all UPI IDs inactive for a year. Users are strongly advised to proactively manage their linked mobile numbers to prevent account deactivation.
