SBI Announces UPI Maintenance Window

State Bank of India (SBI) has informed customers that its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services will be temporarily unavailable on September 4, 2026, from 12:30 AM to 1:15 AM IST, a 45-minute maintenance window. The bank stated that the disruption is part of a scheduled maintenance activity and advised customers to plan their digital transactions accordingly.

In an official communication, SBI said: "Due to scheduled maintenance activity, SBI UPI services will be temporarily unavailable from 00:30 hrs to 01:15 hrs on 04.09.2026 (IST)."

UPI Lite as an Alternative

To ease inconvenience during the downtime, SBI has highlighted UPI Lite as an alternative payment method. UPI Lite supports small-value transactions without requiring a UPI PIN, making it suitable for quick payments during the maintenance window. SBI's specified limit for UPI Lite transactions is up to ₹1,000 per transaction, and the maximum balance that can be held in a UPI Lite account is ₹5,000.

Customers who need to make urgent small payments during the outage can consider using UPI Lite.

SBI UPI Transaction Limits

SBI has implemented specific limits for UPI transactions. The bank allows up to 20 person-to-person (P2P) transactions per day, while person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions are subject to the applicable daily UPI transaction value limit.

The standard UPI transaction value limit is ₹1 lakh, and the combined daily ceiling for P2P and P2M transactions is also set at ₹1 lakh. For select verified merchants, enhanced limits apply: transactions involving insurance and capital markets can go up to ₹2 lakh, while payments for IPO applications through ASBA, the Retail Direct Scheme, taxes, hospitals, and educational institutions can have limits of up to ₹5 lakh.

The bank also facilitates inward and outward remittances through the India-Singapore UPI corridor, allowing cross-border transfers up to the equivalent of 1,000 Singapore dollars (SGD).

Upcoming MDR Charges on UPI?

Separately, reports indicate that the government is likely to introduce Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select UPI transactions. According to these reports, a gazette notification regarding MDR is expected by mid-September, possibly issued by the Department of Financial Services (DFS). Following that, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) could issue a circular to facilitate implementation. However, the exact MDR rate, transaction threshold, and other details have not yet been formally notified.

Customers are advised to keep other payment methods ready during the maintenance window to avoid any disruption in their transactions.