UPI handle directory

The one thing worth understanding first

The bank named in the handle is not necessarily where the money is.

When an app like Google Pay or PhonePe issues you a UPI ID, it does so through a sponsor bank — a bank that is licensed to issue UPI addresses and agrees to front for the app. The handle names that sponsor bank. Your money still sits in whichever bank account you linked.

So arun@okaxis can perfectly well be linked to a Kotak savings account. Seeing @okicici tells you the person probably uses Google Pay. It tells you nothing reliable about where they bank.

Handles by app

Google Pay

Always prefixed ok.

PhonePe

PhonePe added the second and third sponsors after the 2020 Yes Bank moratorium briefly took its payments offline. PhonePe QR generator →

Paytm

The pt handles arrived when Paytm migrated users off Paytm Payments Bank after the January 2024 RBI restrictions. If you have an old @paytm QR printed somewhere, verify it still works. Paytm QR generator →

Other apps

Handles issued directly by banks

If you created your UPI ID inside your own bank’s app rather than a third-party one, the handle is usually just the bank: @hdfcbank, @sbi, @axisbank, @icici, @kotak, @yesbank, @pnb, @unionbank, @idbi, @federal, @rbl, @indus, @aubank and so on.

Handles change. Banks are added and retired as sponsorship arrangements shift — the Paytm migration is the clearest recent example. Your app is always the authoritative source for your current UPI ID. If you are about to print a QR code, send yourself ₹1 first.

How to check your own UPI ID

• Google Pay — profile picture → Bank accounts → pick an account.
• PhonePe — profile picture → UPI IDs.
• Paytm — profile → UPI & Payment Settings → UPI ID.
• BHIM — profile, shown at the top.
• Your bank’s app — usually under UPI or a “UPI ID” menu.

Most banks also let you create a readable custom handle like yourname@hdfcbank for free. How to create a UPI ID →

Common questions

Does the handle affect who can pay me?

No. Every UPI ID is payable from every UPI-compliant app. An @ybl address is paid from Google Pay exactly as easily as from PhonePe.

Can I tell someone’s bank from their UPI ID?

Not reliably, and you should not try. The handle names the sponsor bank, not the account bank. If you need to confirm who you are paying, look at the verified name your UPI app shows on the confirmation screen — that comes from the actual bank record.

Is it safe to share my UPI ID?

Yes, that is what it is for. A UPI ID can only receive. Nobody can pull money using it. What you must never share is your UPI PIN — entering a PIN always sends money, never receives it. Scams that exploit this confusion →

I have several UPI IDs. Which should I use?

Any of them, as long as it is linked to the account you actually want paid. If you have several accounts, check which one each UPI ID maps to before publishing a QR.