How to Make a UPI QR Code for Your Shop (Free, Works With Every UPI App)

Walk into almost any shop in India today and the first thing you look for at the counter is the QR code. Customers expect it. If it isn't there, or it's faded, or it belongs to the previous owner, you lose a few seconds of trust at exactly the moment someone is trying to pay you. The good news is that a working UPI QR code costs nothing to make. You need your UPI ID, a minute, and a printer. This guide covers what a UPI QR code actually contains, the two kinds shops use, how to make and print one properly, how to protect it from the most common scam, and what the new UPI charge from 15 October 2026 means for a small business. If you already know all that, the UPI QR code generator is here.

What a UPI QR Code Actually Contains

A UPI QR code is just a short piece of text turned into a pattern of squares. When a customer scans it, their UPI app reads that text and opens a payment screen with your details already filled in. The text looks something like this:

upi://pay?pa=sharmastore@okhdfcbank&pn=Sharma%20General%20Store&cu=INR

Each part has a job:

• pa is the payee address, your UPI ID. This is the only part that decides where the money goes.
• pn is the payee name you want to display.
• cu is the currency, always INR.
• am (optional) fixes the amount, so the customer can't change it.
• tn (optional) adds a note, like an invoice number.

Because the format is the same one every UPI app follows, a single code works with Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM, your bank's own app, and any other UPI app. You don't need a separate code per app, whatever the stickers at some counters suggest.

One detail worth knowing: when the customer scans, most apps show the name the bank has on record for that UPI ID, not just the name written into the code. That's a safety feature, and it's also why you should always test your own code before printing it.

The Two Kinds of UPI QR Codes Shops Use

Shops end up with one of two setups, and they're easy to confuse.

Neither is "fake" or "unofficial". Both use the same UPI rails. The merchant route gives you business tools; the do-it-yourself route gives you a working code in a minute. Plenty of shops start with the second and move to the first once sales pick up.

Step 1: Get Your UPI ID Exactly Right

Your UPI ID looks like name@bank, for example 9876543210@ybl or rakeshsweets@okicici. You'll find it in your UPI app, usually on the profile or "receive money" screen. Copy it rather than typing it from memory. A single wrong character sends money to someone else, or nowhere, and a printed code keeps that mistake alive for months.

If you have several UPI IDs (most people do, one per app), pick the one linked to the bank account you actually want shop money in. Many shopkeepers keep a separate savings or current account for the business so sales don't mix with household spending. That also makes it far easier to see what the shop earned in a month.

Step 2: Decide Between a Fixed Amount and Any Amount

For a counter, leave the amount blank. The customer types what they owe, and the same code works for a ₹20 packet of biscuits and a ₹2,000 grocery bill.

A fixed amount makes sense when the price never changes: a ₹100 entry ticket, a ₹500 monthly tuition fee, a ₹999 course. The customer can't edit it, which removes typing mistakes. Just remember to make a new code if the price changes, and take the old one down.

Step 3: Make the Code

With the UPI QR Code Generator:

1. Enter your UPI ID. The tool checks that it's in the name@bank format and won't draw a code until it is, so a half-typed ID never ends up printed.
2. Add the payee name. Use your shop name. It's optional, but it reassures customers they're paying the right place.
3. Leave the amount empty for a counter code, or fill it in for a fixed price.
4. Add a note if useful. "Fees", "Invoice 214", anything that helps you recognise the payment later.
5. Check the preview line. It shows what payers will see, such as "Pay any amount to Sharma General Store".
6. Download. You can save the plain QR code or a ready-made payment card with your name and UPI ID printed under the code.

The code is generated in your browser. Your UPI ID isn't uploaded or stored anywhere.

Step 4: Test Before You Print

This takes thirty seconds and prevents most problems. Open your own UPI app, scan the code from the screen, and look at the payment page. You should see your name as your bank has it. Then press back. Don't complete the payment.

If you can, ask a family member with a different app to scan it too. A code that opens correctly in two different apps will work for your customers.

Step 5: Print It So It Actually Scans

Most QR codes that "don't work" at a shop are printing problems, not code problems.

• Size: for a counter sign, 5–8 cm across is comfortable. Customers stand close, but a tiny code on a busy counter gets missed.
• White border: keep a clear white margin around the code. Cropping it flush to the edge of a coloured card confuses some phone cameras.
• Contrast: dark squares on a light background. Avoid printing the code in a light colour or on glossy paper that reflects the shop lights.
• Protection: laminate it or put it in a stand. A curled, stained or sun-faded code is slower to scan.
• Placement: where the customer can hold a phone steady, at chest height if it's on a wall, not behind a glass jar or under a cable.

Protect Your QR Code From the Sticker Scam

The most common UPI fraud at shops needs no hacking at all. Someone prints their own QR code and sticks it over yours. Customers pay, the money goes to the fraudster, and you only notice when the day's collection doesn't match.

A few simple habits stop it:

• Keep the code where you can see it, and check it every morning. A sticker on top of the original is often slightly raised or misaligned.
• Use a laminated card inside a stand rather than a loose paper sticker.
• Turn on payment notifications (or use a sound box) so you know each payment has actually reached you.
• Ask customers to show the success screen for larger payments, and glance at the name.

Also teach anyone who helps at the counter one rule: scanning a QR code is only ever used to pay money, never to receive it. If a "customer" asks them to scan a code or enter a UPI PIN to receive a refund, it's a scam.

UPI Charges From 15 October 2026: What Shops Need to Know

In September 2026 NPCI published a new charge on some UPI payments to merchants, known as the merchant discount rate (MDR). According to NPCI's official FAQ dated 15 September 2026, it takes effect from 15 October 2026. The key points:

NPCI also says that small merchants don't need to change or re-register their existing QR codes, and that merchants cannot pass the charge on to customers. If your shop is small and most bills are under ₹2,000, very little changes for you. If you regularly take large payments through a merchant account, it's worth asking your bank or payment app how the charge will show up in your settlements. Always rely on NPCI, RBI or PIB announcements for charges rather than forwarded messages. To see the exact charge on any bill for your type of business, use the UPI Charges Calculator.

Common Mistakes

• Printing a code that was never tested. One wrong letter in the UPI ID and every payment fails, or goes elsewhere.
• Using a screenshot of a QR code from WhatsApp. Compressed screenshots lose sharpness, and the result can scan slowly or not at all. Generate a fresh, full-size image.
• Leaving an old code up after changing banks. If you close the linked account or change the UPI ID, remove every old code, including on bills and visiting cards.
• Hiding the UPI ID. Print it in text under the code. When a customer's camera struggles, they can type it instead.
• A different QR for every app. One UPI code works in all apps. Several codes side by side just make customers wonder which to use.

Putting All Your Shop's Codes on One Sign

Payment is usually not the only code a shop needs. You might also want a Google review code, a Wi-Fi code for customers, and your Instagram or WhatsApp. The Shop QR Kit puts them together: add your shop name, colour and logo, choose the codes, and download a print-ready counter sign, a sheet of stickers or separate cards. Each code is checked as you type, so a wrong UPI ID never makes it onto the sign. There's also a detailed guide on creating QR codes for websites, Wi-Fi, contacts and payments if you want to understand the other types.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free to make a UPI QR code?
Yes. Making the code is free, and it works with every UPI app. The only possible charge is the merchant discount rate described above, which applies to merchant payments above ₹2,000 from 15 October 2026 and never to the customer.

Will one QR code work with Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm?
Yes. They all read the same UPI format, so one code works in every UPI app, including BHIM and bank apps.

Can I use my personal UPI ID for my shop?
You can make a working code from it, and many small sellers do. For a regular shop it's cleaner to use an account kept only for the business, and a merchant account if you want a sound box and settlement reports. NPCI's rules for small vendors receiving money into their own account are covered under P2PM in its FAQ.

Can someone steal money using my shop's QR code?
Not from the code itself; it can only be used to pay you. The real risk is someone covering your code with theirs, so check it daily and keep it in a stand.

Why does the customer see a different name from the one I typed?
Most UPI apps display the name registered with the bank for that UPI ID. If it's a family member's name or an old spelling, update it with the bank, or use a UPI ID linked to the shop's account.

Does the QR code expire?
A static code like this one doesn't expire. It keeps working as long as the UPI ID and the linked bank account stay active.