New Rules From 1 October 2026: LPG, SBI ATM, EPF ₹25,000 Ceiling, NPS, UPI Charges

Updated 2 October 2026 · Reviewed by Basant Upadhyay · Every figure checked against at least two reports

Short answer

From 1 October 2026: commercial LPG cylinders cost ₹62–70 more while domestic cylinders are unchanged; subsidised LPG refills need biometric Aadhaar authentication; SBI cuts free ATM use for salary accounts and charges basic savings accounts after 4 cash withdrawals; NPS gets a new fee structure; and buying property from an NRI no longer needs a TAN. Post office savings rates stay the same (PPF 7.1%). From 15 October, merchants pay a 0.4% fee on UPI payments above ₹2,000; customers and person-to-person transfers stay free.

All the changes at a glance

What	From	What changes	Who is affected
Commercial LPG (19 kg)	1 Oct	Up ₹62.50 in Delhi to ₹2,810; up ₹70 in Kolkata to ₹2,954	Restaurants, shops, caterers
Domestic LPG (14.2 kg)	1 Oct	Price unchanged; biometric Aadhaar check for subsidised refills	Every household on subsidised LPG
Post office small savings	1 Oct	All rates unchanged for Oct–Dec (PPF 7.1%, SSY and SCSS 8.2%)	Savers in PPF, NSC, SCSS, SSY, KVP, MIS, TD, RD
SBI ATM and cash withdrawals	1 Oct	Salary accounts: 5 free other-bank ATM uses, not 10. Basic savings accounts: ₹15 + GST after 4 cash withdrawals	SBI salary-package and BSBD account holders
NPS charges	1 Oct	₹200 onboarding through a PoP and 0.20% of your corpus a year, adjusted in NAV	NPS and NPS Lite subscribers
TDS on property bought from an NRI	1 Oct	Buyer can use PAN; separate TAN no longer needed	Resident individuals and HUFs buying from non-residents
Bank deposit rules	1 Oct	RBI’s revised framework gives banks more room on bulk deposits of ₹3 crore and above	Mainly large depositors
EPF wage ceiling	17 Sep	Raised from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000; PF, EPS and EDLI compulsory up to ₹25,000 basic + DA	About 51 lakh more employees; anyone whose PF is limited to the ceiling
UPI merchant charge (MDR)	15 Oct	0.4% on specified payments above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300; flat ₹5 for fuel, telecom, railways, insurance and agri inputs	Merchants, not customers

1. LPG: commercial cylinders up, household price unchanged

Oil companies revise LPG prices on the first of every month. On 1 October 2026 the 19 kg commercial cylinder went up in every metro, while the 14.2 kg household cylinder stayed the same.

City	Commercial 19 kg (new)	Change	Domestic 14.2 kg
Delhi	₹2,810	+₹62.50	₹942 (unchanged)
Kolkata	₹2,954	+₹70	₹968 (unchanged)
Mumbai	₹2,764.50	+₹63.50	₹941.50 (unchanged)
Chennai	₹2,983	+₹66.50	₹957.50 (unchanged)

Biometric Aadhaar for subsidised refills. To get a domestic refill at the subsidised regulated price, the consumer now has to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication. You can do it when the cylinder is delivered, at your distributor’s showroom, or through your oil company’s mobile app. Do it before your next booking so the refill is not held up.

If you run a restaurant or a shop that uses commercial LPG, a ₹62–70 rise per cylinder feeds straight into your food cost. Recheck your menu margins with the profit margin calculator.

2. Post office rates: no change for October–December

The Ministry of Finance announced on 30 September that every small savings rate stays the same for the October–December 2026 quarter: Sukanya Samriddhi and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme 8.2%, NSC 7.7%, 5-year time deposit and Kisan Vikas Patra 7.5%, Monthly Income Scheme 7.4%, PPF 7.1% and the 5-year RD 6.7%. See every rate and work out your returns with the post office savings calculator, or plan a PPF account with the PPF calculator.

3. SBI: fewer free ATM uses and a cash withdrawal charge

Salary package accounts: free transactions at other banks’ ATMs drop from 10 to 5 a month, counting financial and non-financial use together. After that, a cash withdrawal costs ₹23 + GST and a non-financial transaction (such as a balance check) ₹11 + GST.
Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts: the first 4 cash withdrawals in a month are free, including Aadhaar-enabled (AePS) withdrawals. Each one after that costs ₹15 + GST. Digital payments stay free.

What to do: use SBI’s own ATMs where you can, use UPI for payments instead of withdrawing cash, and check balances in the app rather than at another bank’s ATM.

4. NPS: new charges through a Point of Presence

PFRDA’s revised Point of Presence (PoP) charges apply from 1 October:

A one-time onboarding charge of ₹200 per PRAN when you join through a PoP, recovered as ₹50 a quarter.
An annual charge of 0.20% of your NPS corpus. It is adjusted through the NAV every quarter, so it will not show as a separate deduction in your statement.

Because the 0.20% charge grows with your corpus, it matters more over 20–30 years than the one-time fee does. Accounts opened and funded directly through e-NPS do not go through a PoP, so these PoP charges generally do not apply; check the channel before you open an account.

5. Buying property from an NRI: PAN instead of TAN

Earlier, a resident buying property from a non-resident had to get a separate TAN just to deduct and deposit TDS. From 1 October 2026, resident individuals and HUFs can do it with their own PAN, reporting the deal in Schedule E of Form 141 and issuing Form 132 to the seller as the TDS certificate. The obligation does not go away: the buyer must still deduct TDS at the correct rate on the sale price, deposit it on time and give the seller the certificate.

6. From 15 October: 0.4% UPI charge for merchants

Under the government’s new UPI merchant discount rate framework, merchants pay MDR on specified person-to-merchant UPI payments above ₹2,000:

0.4% of the payment, capped at ₹300 (the cap is reached at ₹75,000).
Flat ₹5 for railways, telecom, insurance, fuel and agricultural inputs.
0.02%, capped at ₹300, for mutual fund and securities payments.
Free: every payment up to ₹2,000 and all person-to-person transfers. Customers are not charged.

On a ₹5,000 sale, a shop receives ₹4,980. A shop taking 300 such payments a month averaging ₹4,500 would pay about ₹5,400 a month. Work out your own cost with the UPI MDR calculator. The Supreme Court has issued notice on a petition against the charge but has not stayed the rollout.

7. EPF: wage ceiling raised to ₹25,000 (from 17 September)

The Ministry of Labour and Employment raised the EPF wage ceiling from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month, the first change since 2014. Employees with basic + DA up to ₹25,000 must now be covered by EPF, EPS and EDLI. If your employer limits PF to the ceiling, your deduction can rise from ₹1,800 to ₹3,000 a month, matched by the employer, and the EPS pension share rises from ₹1,250 to ₹2,083. EPF interest for FY 2025-26 is 8.25%. See your own split and retirement balance with the EPF calculator.

Also this month

7 October: the RBI Monetary Policy Committee announces its repo rate decision, which can move loan EMIs and FD rates. See what a rate change does to your EMI with the EMI calculator.
31 October: the last date to file income tax returns for taxpayers whose accounts need a tax audit. Most salaried taxpayers had an earlier deadline; this date is only for audit cases.

Your October checklist

Complete biometric Aadhaar authentication for your LPG connection before the next refill.
If you have an SBI salary or basic savings account, plan cash withdrawals around the new free limits.
If you are a merchant, check with your bank or payment app how MDR will show in your settlements from 15 October, and recheck prices on high-value items.
If you are buying property from an NRI, ask your lawyer or CA to file TDS through Form 141 with your PAN.
If you are opening NPS, compare the PoP and e-NPS routes for charges.

Frequently asked questions

Did the price of the household LPG cylinder change on 1 October 2026?

No. Only the 19 kg commercial cylinder changed. The 14.2 kg domestic cylinder costs the same as in September (₹942 in Delhi, ₹968 in Kolkata).

Will I pay extra for UPI from October?

No. As a customer you do not pay MDR. It is charged to merchants on specified payments above ₹2,000 from 15 October. Sending money to friends and family stays free at any amount.

Did PPF or Sukanya Samriddhi interest change?

No. PPF stays at 7.1% and Sukanya Samriddhi at 8.2% for October–December 2026.

Do the SBI changes apply to every SBI account?

No. The ATM change applies to salary package accounts using other banks’ ATMs, and the cash withdrawal charge applies to Basic Savings Bank Deposit accounts. Check your account type in the YONO app or at your branch.

This guide explains general changes for individuals and small businesses in India. It is not financial or tax advice. Prices can differ by city and are revised monthly; rules can change after publication. Confirm with your bank, gas distributor or chartered accountant before acting.