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How to generate a QR code for a bank account

You can build a payment QR from an account number and IFSC alone, with no UPI ID. It works — but not in every app, and it is worth knowing that before you print anything.

What you need

  • Your account number — 9 to 18 digits.
  • Your IFSC code — exactly 11 characters.

The IFSC identifies your specific branch. Find it on your cheque book, on the first page of your passbook, or in your banking app under account details. Its shape is fixed: 

HDFC0001234
└bank┘│└branch┘
      └── always the digit zero

That fifth character is a zero, not the letter O. It is the single most common reason an IFSC is rejected.

The steps

  1. Open the bank account QR generator.
  2. Select the Bank Account tab.
  3. Enter the account number and IFSC.
  4. Optionally set an amount. Leave it blank for a reusable code the payer fills in.
  5. Download the QR as a PNG, or copy the link.
  6. Test it with ₹1 before printing. Ideally from more than one UPI app — see the next section for why.

What the QR actually contains

upi://pay?pa=123456789012@HDFC0001234.ifsc.npci&cu=INR

That account@IFSC.ifsc.npci form is a real part of NPCI’s UPI specification. Nothing about it is a workaround or a hack.

Why it may not work

PhonePe and Paytm reject bank-account QR codes. They classify account-plus-IFSC addressing as an unverified high-risk payee and block the payment. Google Pay and BHIM usually allow it, sometimes after an extra confirmation.

The reason is verification. A UPI ID has been through the issuing bank, so the payer’s app can display a confirmed account-holder name before money moves. Raw account addressing carries no such name, so the payer would be confirming a payment to a string of digits. Two of the largest apps in India decided that was not acceptable.

This is a per-app policy that can change at any time, in either direction. Which is why you test before you print.

The better route, if you have five minutes

Get a UPI ID. It is free, takes minutes, and produces a QR that works everywhere without warnings.

  1. Open any UPI app and check whether you already have one — if you have ever paid with UPI, you do. Where to look →
  2. If not, register with the mobile number linked to your bank account and set a UPI PIN.
  3. Generate from that UPI ID with the standard QR generator instead.

A UPI ID also leaks less than your account number does, and it is far easier to read aloud.

Common questions

Can I do this for a current account?

Yes. Account type makes no difference, and current accounts receive UPI at 0% MDR with no additional KYC if the account is already open.

Is it safe to publish?

Account number and IFSC are receive-only — the same details you would print on an invoice for a NEFT transfer. Nobody can pull money with them. The genuine risk is targeted phishing, so weigh publishing them on a public poster the same way you would weigh printing them there.

Can I put my business name on it?

Not through a generator. The payer’s app shows the name from the bank record, by design. A displayed business name requires a verified merchant QR from a PSP such as Razorpay or Cashfree.

Which apps should I test with?

Google Pay and BHIM first — those are most likely to work. Then PhonePe and Paytm, to see what your payers on those apps will actually experience.