SBI user alert: UPI outage scheduled for September 4; what you need to know

State Bank of India (SBI) customers using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) may face a temporary disruption this week as the country's largest lender has scheduled maintenance work for September 4. SBI said its UPI services will be unavailable for 45 minutes during the maintenance window.

Customers planning to make UPI payments during this period may therefore want to keep an alternative payment method available.

When will SBI UPI services be unavailable?

SBI UPI services will be temporarily suspended on September 4, 2026, between 00:15 hrs and 01:00 hrs IST.

The bank, however, said the scheduled maintenance activity could be completed before the end of the announced window. SBI has advised customers to use UPI Lite services if they require uninterrupted UPI transactions during the maintenance period.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, SBI said the temporary interruption was due to scheduled maintenance and apologised to customers for the inconvenience. The bank also reiterated that UPI Lite would continue to be available.

SBI UPI transaction limits

SBI currently applies the following limits to UPI transactions:

• Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions: Up to 20 transactions per day.
• Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions: Subject to the applicable daily UPI transaction value limit.
• Overall UPI transaction value limit: ₹1,00,000.
• Combined daily P2P and P2M transaction value limit: ₹1,00,000.

Higher limits are available for certain verified merchants and specific categories.

• Insurance and capital market transactions: Up to ₹2,00,000.
• IPO applications through ASBA, Retail Direct Scheme (RDS), tax payments, hospitals and educational institutions: Up to ₹5,00,000.
• Inward and outward remittances through the India-Singapore UPI corridor: Up to the equivalent of 1,000 Singapore dollars.

UPI Lite limits

UPI Lite is designed for small-value transactions and allows users to make payments of up to ₹1,000 without entering their UPI PIN for each transaction. The maximum balance that can be maintained in UPI Lite is ₹5,000.

How to activate UPI Lite on BHIM SBI Pay

Customers can enable UPI Lite through the BHIM SBI Pay application by following these steps:

1. Download and open BHIM SBI Pay.
2. Select the UPI Lite section.
3. Follow the prompt to add funds to the UPI Lite balance.
4. Once the funds are loaded, UPI Lite will be activated on the app.

Key NPCI FAQs on UPI Lite

Does the UPI Lite balance earn interest?

No. The balance maintained in UPI Lite does not earn interest.

What happens if a customer changes their mobile device?

If a customer has an active UPI Lite account and wants to move to another device, the existing UPI Lite account should first be disabled. The balance held in the Lite account will then be transferred back to the customer's bank account. The customer can subsequently create a new UPI Lite account on the new device.

How can UPI Lite be disabled?

Customers can disable their UPI Lite on-device wallet through the available disable option. Once the account is disabled, the funds held by the bank in the UPI Lite account will be released and transferred to the customer's bank account.