How to set up a UPI QR code for your shop
A QR code on the counter is the cheapest way to take digital payments, but a printed code is also easy to tamper with and easy to get slightly wrong. Here is what's inside one, and how to set yours up so that the money reliably reaches you.
What's inside a UPI QR code
A UPI QR code is only text. A customer's UPI app reads it and fills in the payment screen. The text looks like this:
upi://pay?pa=sharmastore@okaxis&pn=Sharma%20Store&am=150.00&cu=INR&tn=Order%2012
| Part | Meaning | Needed? |
|---|---|---|
pa | The UPI ID that receives the money | Yes |
pn | The name to show | Yes |
am | A fixed amount | No |
cu | The currency, INR | Yes |
tn | A note about the payment | No |
The code contains no bank balance, password or PIN, and it can only ask for money to be sent to you. That's why sharing your own payment QR is safe.
Fixed amount or open amount?
- Leave the amount out for the code on your counter. Customers type what they owe, so one code works for every sale.
- Fix the amount for a one-off bill, a set-price product or a QR printed on an invoice. The customer can't mistype it, and you can add a note like "Invoice 1042" so you can match the payment later.
Setting it up
- Use the right UPI ID. It should belong to the account you want paid. Many banks and payment apps offer a merchant or business account with better records than a personal one, so ask yours if you take many payments a day.
- Enter your name carefully. The customer's app usually shows the name registered with the bank. Check that this looks familiar to customers, as a surprising name makes them hesitate.
- Test with a small real payment. Before printing, pay ₹1 from another phone and confirm that it reaches your account.
- Print it clearly. Print it dark on white, with a clear margin all around, large enough to scan from a customer's normal distance. Avoid glossy lamination that catches shop lights, and keep your shop name next to it.
Protecting a printed QR code
A known scam is to paste a fake QR sticker over a shop's real one, so that payments go to the fraudster. Nobody notices until you check your account at the end of the day. To prevent it:
- Keep the code where you can see it, behind glass or fixed to the counter rather than on a wall outside.
- Check it each morning. Your shop name printed beside the code makes a sticker easier to spot.
- Make sure each payment has really arrived. Don't accept a customer's screen as proof: fake payment screens exist. A soundbox or your own bank's notification is what counts.
You never need a PIN to receive money. If anyone says you must scan something or enter your UPI PIN to get paid, it's a scam. See our guide to QR code scams.
General information about UPI. Your bank or payment app can advise on merchant accounts and limits. More from NPCI, which runs UPI, at npci.org.in.