How to make a UPI QR code for your shop counter, and keep it safe

A UPI QR code on the counter saves you from spelling out your UPI ID ten times a day. Your customer scans it with GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM or their bank app, sees your name, types the amount and pays. Here is how to make one, print it well, and keep it from being misused.

What is inside a UPI QR code

A UPI QR code is just a short link that payment apps understand. It looks like this:

upi://pay?pa=yourname@okbank&pn=Your Shop Name&cu=INR

• pa is the payee address, your UPI ID.
• pn is the payee name the customer sees.
• am is an optional fixed amount.
• tn is an optional note, such as an order number.
• cu=INR says the payment is in rupees.

There is no secret in it. Anyone who scans it learns your UPI ID and the name, which is exactly what you want for a payment code. It cannot be used to take money from you.

Make the code

1. Find your UPI ID in your payment app. It is usually on the profile or "receive money" screen and ends in something like @okhdfcbank, @ybl or @paytm.
2. Open the QR code generator and pick UPI pay.
3. Type the UPI ID and the name you want customers to see. Leave the amount empty for a counter code, so each customer types their own amount.
4. Download PNG for WhatsApp or a quick printout, or SVG if a printer will make a sticker or a standee, because SVG stays sharp at any size.
5. Scan the code with your own phone and pay yourself a small amount, such as ₹1, from a second account. Check that the name shown is right before you print anything.

The code is drawn in your browser. Your UPI ID is not uploaded to us and there is no account to make.

When to set a fixed amount

A fixed amount is useful for one bill: a tuition fee, a society maintenance charge, a single invoice you send on WhatsApp. Add the amount and a short note like "Flat 304 October" so the payment is easy to match later. For a counter, leave it blank. A wrong fixed amount on a printed code is worse than no amount.

Print it so it scans

• Keep it at least about 5 cm wide for a counter, larger if people scan from a distance.
• Keep the white border around the code. Phones need that quiet margin to find it.
• Dark code on a light background. Avoid light-on-dark and avoid busy photos behind it.
• Put your shop name and UPI ID in plain text under the code, so people can type it if a camera struggles.
• Laminate it or put it in a stand. A creased or wet sticker scans badly.

Two scams to watch for

Pasted-over codes. Someone sticks their own QR code on top of yours, and your customers pay a stranger. Check your code every morning, and look at the name your customers' apps show when they pay. Ask them to read it out if a payment seems to be missing.

"Scan to receive money". You never need to scan a code or enter your UPI PIN to receive money. The PIN is only for paying. If a buyer sends you a QR code and says you will receive money when you scan it and enter your PIN, it is a scam.

Personal code or a merchant code from your bank?

A code made from your personal UPI ID works for small, everyday payments. If you take many payments a day, a merchant QR from your bank or a payment app's business account is worth it: you get payment alerts, settlement reports and sometimes a sound box that announces each payment. Use what fits your volume.

Written by the TaskNinja team. The QR tool linked here is our own free tool. It does not check that a UPI ID exists, so always test with a small payment before you print.