UPI and QR payments for small businesses: setup, settlement and scams to avoid

From tea stalls to showrooms, UPI has become the default way to pay in Bihar. Taking UPI properly — with a merchant QR, a sound box and a daily check — protects your money and makes customers trust you.

Personal QR or merchant QR?

Many shopkeepers start with a personal UPI ID. A merchant (business) QR from your bank or a payments app is better: it shows your shop's name to the customer, gives you a separate payment history for the business, and usually comes with a settlement report you can give your accountant.

Setting it up

1. Ask your bank or a payments app for a merchant/business account, with your shop details, PAN and bank account.
2. Print the QR in a large size and fix it where customers can scan it easily.
3. Consider a sound box that announces every payment aloud — it stops arguments at a busy counter.

Charges

UPI payments from customers to shops generally do not carry a merchant fee (MDR) today, but some apps charge for sound boxes or other services. Read your provider's terms and ask before signing up.

Check every payment — the scams

• Fake screenshots: a customer shows a "payment successful" screen that was edited or old. Trust only the sound box or your own bank/app notification.
• Collect requests: you never need to enter your UPI PIN to receive money. Anyone asking you to enter your PIN "to receive a refund" is trying to take money.
• QR swap: check that your QR sticker has not been covered with someone else's.
• Phone "support" calls: banks never ask for your PIN, OTP or screen-sharing apps.

If you are cheated, call the national cyber helpline 1930 quickly and also inform your bank.

Day-end routine (5 minutes)

• Match the UPI total in your app with your sales book or billing software.
• Note any refunds.
• Move the day's cash and UPI totals into your account book — see our guide on simple bookkeeping for shops (Hindi).

Let customers know you accept UPI

Mention "UPI accepted" on your board, your Google profile and your Bihar Directory listing — payment methods are shown on every business page.