People without a bank account: RBI rules allow ₹50,000 NEFT cash transfer at a branch, ₹10,000 per cash pay-out
RBI's Domestic Money Transfer Directions, 2026, dated 11 November 2026, set limits for people without a bank account: up to ₹50,000 via NEFT at a branch, and ₹10,000 per cash pay-out, ₹25,000 a month.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the Domestic Money Transfer Directions, 2026, on 11 November 2026, effective immediately. They set the cash limits for sending money to or from people who have no bank account: a walk-in customer at a bank branch can send up to ₹50,000 per transfer through NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer, the RBI-run system for bank-to-bank transfers), and a person without an account can receive cash from an ATM or agent up to ₹10,000 per transaction and ₹25,000 a month.
What the Directions say
“Domestic money transfer” here means sending money within India to or from someone who may not have a bank account. The Directions cover two kinds of service.
Cash pay-out (money from a bank account paid out in cash to a recipient with no bank account)
- It can be done through an ATM, a Business Correspondent (BC, an agent who provides banking services for a bank) or other authorised channels.
- The limit is ₹10,000 per transaction and ₹25,000 per month for each recipient.
- The sending bank must record the recipient’s name and address.
Cash pay-in (cash handed over to credit a bank account)
- A walk-in customer at a bank branch, meaning someone without an account at that branch, can send up to ₹50,000 per transfer through NEFT. The Directions state no separate monthly limit for this route.
- Through BCs, ATMs and similar channels, the limit is ₹5,000 per transaction and ₹25,000 per month for each sender.
- Where applicable, the sender must be registered with a verified mobile number and a self-certified Officially Valid Document under the RBI’s Know Your Customer (KYC) Directions, 2025.
- Where applicable, every transaction needs an additional factor of authentication.
- Banks and BCs must follow the Income-tax Act, 2025 and its rules for cash deposits.
- IMPS and NEFT messages must carry the sender’s details and an identifier showing the transfer is cash-based.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Instrument | Reserve Bank of India (Domestic Money Transfer) Directions, 2026 |
| Date and effect | 11 November 2026, effective immediately |
| Walk-in NEFT at a bank branch | Up to ₹50,000 per transfer |
| Cash pay-out (ATM, BC) | ₹10,000 per transaction, ₹25,000 a month per recipient |
| Cash pay-in via BC, ATM | ₹5,000 per transaction, ₹25,000 a month per sender |
| Applies to | Scheduled commercial banks, regional rural banks, urban, state and district central co-operative banks, and authorised payment system operators and participants |
| Excluded | Card-to-card transfers |
Other provisions
- Banks must run velocity checks (monitoring how often and how fast money is credited) and alert customers about credits to their accounts. Unusual spikes in credits are to be investigated, and suspicious transactions reported to the authorities.
- Transfers are expected to be real-time or near real-time, and banks settle among themselves only through RBI-approved payment systems.
- Banks and non-bank operators may charge reasonable fees. The Directions do not set any fee amount.
- Complaints fall under the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026.
- The Directions repeal the RBI circulars of 5 October 2011 and 24 July 2024 on domestic money transfer.
Basis of these figures
All limits, dates, conditions and the list of covered institutions are taken from the RBI’s own notification, Reserve Bank of India (Domestic Money Transfer) Directions, 2026. The notification does not say whether any limit is new or changed from the repealed circulars. Read the notification itself for the full text.