How to Make a UPI QR Code for Your Shop (Free, Step by Step)

A UPI QR code lets any customer pay you by pointing their phone camera at a printed square. It works with every UPI app — Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM, Amazon Pay, Cred and your bank's own app — because they all read the same standard format defined by NPCI. You do not need a payment gateway, a website or a monthly plan to make one. If you have a UPI ID, you can have a working QR in under a minute.

This guide explains what a UPI QR code actually contains, how to make one for free, when to add a fixed amount, and how to print and display it so it scans reliably at the counter.

What is inside a UPI QR code?

A UPI QR code is simply a short line of text, encoded as a QR pattern. The text is a UPI payment link that looks like this:

Each part has a meaning:

• pa (payee address) — your UPI ID, such as 9876543210@ybl or shopname@okaxis. This is the only field the money actually depends on.
• pn (payee name) — the name shown to the customer before they pay. Use the name customers know your shop by.
• am (amount) — optional. If you add it, the customer's app opens with the amount already filled in.
• cu (currency) — always INR for UPI.

Because the QR only contains your UPI ID and name, it is safe to display publicly. Anyone who scans it can only send money to you; they cannot take money out of your account.

How to make a UPI QR code for free

1. Find your UPI ID. Open your UPI app and look under your profile or the "Receive money" section. It ends with @ and a bank or app handle, for example @oksbi, @ybl, @paytm or @axl.
2. Open the free QR generator on the QRBabu homepage and choose the UPI tab.
3. Enter your UPI ID exactly as shown in your app, and the payee name you want customers to see.
4. Leave the amount empty for a counter QR that customers can use for any bill. Fill it in only if every payment is the same, such as a ₹50 parking fee.
5. Download the PNG and test it: scan it with a different phone and send yourself ₹1. Check that the name shown before payment is correct and that the money arrives in the right account.

Fixed-amount vs open-amount QR codes

Most shops should use an open-amount QR: customers type the bill amount themselves, and one printed code works for every sale. Fixed-amount QRs are useful when the price never changes — entry tickets, parking, a donation box with a suggested amount, or a single product at a stall. You can also create a fixed-amount QR on the spot for a specific invoice and show it on your phone screen.

Keep in mind that customers can usually still edit a pre-filled amount in some apps, so always check the amount on the payment confirmation, not just on the QR.

Personal UPI ID or merchant UPI ID?

A QR made from your personal UPI ID works perfectly for collecting payments. However, banks and UPI apps apply limits and checks to personal accounts that receive many small payments from strangers, and you may be asked to move to a merchant account. A merchant (business) UPI ID from your bank or apps such as PhonePe Business, Paytm for Business or Google Pay for Business adds sound-box support, settlement reports and higher limits. If your shop takes more than a handful of UPI payments a day, a merchant ID is worth setting up — and you can make a QR for it in exactly the same way.

Printing and placing your UPI QR

• Size: print the code at least 5 cm × 5 cm for a counter, and larger if customers scan from a distance or from a queue.
• Contrast: keep a dark QR on a white or very light background. Avoid printing on glossy or reflective material that causes glare under shop lights.
• Quiet zone: leave a clean white border around the code. Do not let borders, logos or text touch the pattern.
• Label it: print your shop name and the payee name next to the code so customers can confirm they are paying the right person.
• Placement: put it at eye level near the billing point, and laminate it if it will be handled or exposed to water.

For more detail on sizes and error correction, read our QR code printing guide.

Protecting your customers (and yourself) from UPI QR scams

The most common UPI QR fraud is not hacking — it is a sticker. Fraudsters paste their own QR code over a shop's real one, so payments go to them. Check your printed QR regularly, especially if it is outside or unattended, and keep it behind a counter or under a laminated cover if possible. Teach staff to confirm the payment notification on your own phone or sound box before handing over goods.

Also remember the golden rule that you can share with customers: you never need to scan a QR code or enter your UPI PIN to receive money. Anyone asking you to scan a code "to receive a refund" is trying to take money from you.

Frequently asked questions