If you send money home in cash through a bank branch or a business correspondent’s counter, the RBI’s new domestic money transfer guidelines do not change what you can send. The Reserve Bank of India (Domestic Money Transfer) Directions, 2026, dated 11 November 2026 and effective the same day, put two older circulars into one document and repeal them. The limits are the ones set out in the RBI’s circular of 5 October 2011, and the identity checks are the ones added from 1 November 2024.
That includes the ₹50,000 NEFT route for walk-in customers: the 2011 circular already described it as the position “presently” in force.
What the Directions allow
The Reserve Bank of India (Domestic Money Transfer) Directions, 2026 cover two services, both meant for people who cannot use the formal banking channel for want of proof of identity or address, migrant workers in particular.
- Cash pay-out. A bank customer sends money from their account to someone without a bank account, who collects it in cash at an ATM, from a business correspondent or through another authorised channel. The cap is ₹10,000 a transaction and ₹25,000 a month per beneficiary. The remitting bank must record the beneficiary’s name and address.
- Cash pay-in. A walk-in customer pays cash to be credited to someone else’s bank account. At a bank branch, up to ₹50,000 can be sent through NEFT. Through business correspondents, ATMs and similar channels the limit is ₹5,000 a transaction and ₹25,000 a month per remitter.
What changed, and what did not
| Rule | Circular of 5 October 2011 | Review of 24 July 2024, in force from 1 November 2024 | Directions of 11 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash pay-out limit | ₹10,000 a transaction, ₹25,000 a month per beneficiary | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Walk-in NEFT at a branch | Up to ₹50,000 | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Cash pay-in through business correspondents or ATMs | ₹5,000 a transaction, ₹25,000 a month per remitter | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| What the remitter must provide | Name and complete address | Verified mobile number and a self-certified officially valid document; every transaction confirmed with an additional factor of authentication | Same, now under the RBI’s Know Your Customer Directions, 2025 |
| Card-to-card transfers | Included | Taken out of the framework | Excluded |
| Tax rules on cash deposits | Not mentioned | Income Tax Act, 1961 | Income-tax Act, 2025 |
The rest carries over too: banks must run velocity checks and send alerts on credits made through these services, investigate any unusual spurt in credits to an account, report suspicious transactions, and settle only through RBI-approved payment systems. Transfers are expected to be real-time or near real-time. Banks and payment operators may charge “reasonable” fees, and the Directions do not set a figure, so the charge is whatever your bank or agent lists.
One practical difference for remitters: each cash pay-in message over IMPS or NEFT carries the sender’s details and a flag marking it as cash-based, a rule in force since November 2024 and now restated.
If something goes wrong
The Directions bring complaints about these services under the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026. Complain to the bank first; if it rejects the complaint or does not reply within 30 days, our guide to filing an RBI Ombudsman complaint explains the next step. For limits on UPI and other payment channels, which these Directions do not touch, see our UPI limits page.
