UPI Payment Failed but Money Debited? RBI Refund Deadline and ₹100 a Day

The RBI’s time limits

The RBI’s circular on failed transactions (RBI/2019-20/67, in force since 15 October 2019) sets an outer limit for each kind of failure. “T” is the day of the transaction, counted as a calendar date. The RBI calls these limits the outer limit, so most banks fix a failure sooner.

RBI time limits for failed transactions
What went wrong	Money back by	If late
UPI transfer to a person or account: debited, but the receiver was not credited	T+1 (reversed by the receiver’s bank)	₹100 a day
UPI payment to a shop, app or website: debited, but the merchant did not get a confirmation	T+5 (automatic reversal)	₹100 a day
IMPS transfer: debited, but the receiver was not credited	T+1	₹100 a day
ATM: account debited, but no cash came out	T+5	₹100 a day, to the account holder
Card at a shop (PoS): debited, but no charge slip	T+5	₹100 a day

A payment from a wallet to another bank or wallet travels over UPI, IMPS or a card network, and the RBI says the limits of that system apply.

Check your refund deadline

Choose what failed and enter the date. If the money has already come back, add that date too. Nothing you enter leaves your device.

The checker counts calendar days, Sundays and holidays included, as the RBI does. It shows what the rule says, not what your bank has decided.

Pending, failed or “successful”

Pending. The payment has not settled yet. It will either reach the receiver or come back to you. Do not pay the same person again; check the status in your app after a while.
Failed, but money debited. The money should come back on its own within the limit in the table. You do not need to apply for it, but note the UPI reference number in case it does not.
Successful, but the receiver says it has not arrived. Send them the 12-digit UPI reference number (also called the UTR) and ask them to check their bank statement, not only their app. If it truly is not there, raise a complaint in your UPI app.

What to do, in order

Save the details. Take a screenshot of the transaction in the app and of the debit SMS. Note the UPI reference number, the date and time, the amount and the receiver’s UPI ID.
Wait out the limit. T+1 for a transfer, T+5 for a shop payment. Most failed payments come back within hours.
Complain in the UPI app. Open the transaction and use the help or “raise a complaint” option. NPCI’s dispute process starts with the app you paid with, then the app’s bank, then your own bank. Note the complaint number.
Write to your bank. Use the complaint form on the bank’s website (the address ends in .bank.in) or give a letter at the branch. Include the reference number and ask for the reversal and the compensation due.
Escalate if needed. No reply in 30 days, or a reply you are unhappy with: go to the RBI Ombudsman, as explained below.

Our money recovery tool has a “failed transaction” option that drafts the letter to your bank for you.

The ₹100-a-day compensation

If the money is not back within the limit, the circular says ₹100 is due for every day of delay. It also says the bank must credit the compensation on its own, “without waiting for a complaint or claim from the customer”.

The circular also says who is paid. When the delay is at the sending bank, the sender gets the compensation. For a transfer where your account was debited but the receiver’s account was not credited in time, its general rule says the penalty goes to the beneficiary. If your money came back late and no compensation reached you, ask your bank in writing how it was applied in your case.

An invented example

If the bank does not fix it

The bank’s grievance officer, then its nodal officer. Their contacts are on the bank’s website. Our grievance directory lists them for major banks.
The RBI Ombudsman. If the bank does not reply within 30 days or you are not satisfied with the reply, complain at cms.rbi.org.in, or call 14448 for guidance. File within 90 days of the bank’s last reply, or of the 30 days running out. It costs nothing.

If the money was taken by a scam rather than lost in a failed payment, this is a different case: call 1930 at once and read the first 24 hours after a fraud.

Beware the “refund helpline”

People who search online for help with a failed payment are a favourite target.

Fake helpline numbers appear in search results and on social media. Use the help section inside your UPI app, or the number on your bank’s .bank.in website.
A refund never needs your UPI PIN. If someone asks you to enter your PIN, scan a QR code or accept a “collect request” to get your money back, they are taking money, not returning it.
Never install an app because a caller asks. Screen-sharing apps let a stranger watch and use your phone.
Not sure about a UPI ID or link? Check it first with the UPI scammer checker.

For bank staff: the counter checklist

Ask for the UPI reference number, the date and the amount, and check the status before anything else.
Tell the customer the limit plainly: T+1 for a transfer to a person, T+5 for a merchant payment or ATM failure, calendar days.
If the limit has passed, register the complaint with the date and time, and explain that ₹100 a day is due under the RBI’s 2019 circular without a claim.
Advise the customer not to pay the same person again while a payment is pending.
Remind the customer that a refund never needs a PIN, a QR scan or an app install, and that the bank’s numbers are on its .bank.in website.
If the complaint is not resolved within 30 days, the customer can go to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in. Say so; it is part of good service.

Questions people ask

UPI payment failed but money was debited. When will I get it back?

For a transfer to a person or account, the RBI says the money must be reversed by the end of the next calendar day (T+1). For a payment to a shop, app or website, the limit is five calendar days (T+5). Most reversals happen much sooner.

Is there compensation if the refund is late?

Yes. Under the RBI’s 2019 circular on failed transactions, ₹100 is due for every day of delay after the limit. The bank must pay it on its own, without waiting for a complaint.

Do Sundays and bank holidays count?

Yes. The RBI defines T as the calendar date of the transaction, so the limit runs in calendar days, holidays included.

The app says the payment was successful, but the person says they did not get it. What now?

Share the 12-digit UPI reference number (UTR) with them and ask them to check their bank statement, not just the app. If the money truly did not arrive, raise a complaint in your UPI app with that number.

Where do I complain about a failed UPI payment?

First in the UPI app you paid with, from the transaction itself. If that does not solve it, write to your bank. If the bank does not reply within 30 days or you are unhappy with the reply, complain to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in.

Should I pay again while the first payment is pending?

Not to a person. Wait for the pending payment to settle, because it will either reach them or come back to you. At a shop, pay again only if the shopkeeper agrees that the first payment has not reached them; the first one must then come back to you within five days.

Where this comes from

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The facts come from these public sources:

RBI, “Harmonisation of Turn Around Time (TAT) and customer compensation for failed transactions using authorised Payment Systems”, RBI/2019-20/67, 20 September 2019: the time limits, ₹100 a day, compensation without a claim, who is paid, and the Ombudsman.
NPCI UPI Help: raising a UPI complaint and checking a transaction’s status.
RBI, Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026: frequently asked questions, and the RBI complaint portal (cms.rbi.org.in).
Related guides: the money recovery and chargeback tool and the UPI scammer checker.

Rules change. Confirm the current details at rbi.org.in, npci.org.in or with your bank before you act.

UPI failed but money debited: the RBI’s refund deadline, step by step