How to approve a UPI mandate for an IPO application
When you submit an IPO bid through any Indian broker, the sponsor bank for that issue pushes a UPI mandate request to whichever UPI app your handle is registered on. Authorising that mandate places a lien on your bank account against the bid value and is what actually makes the bid count — without mandate authorisation, the bid is treated as unconfirmed and rejected at the registrar stage. This guide documents the generic flow, which applies on every NPCI-compliant UPI app, and then lists the app-specific UI variations for the seven most widely used apps.
For the underlying mechanism see the UPI ASBA wiki. For the per-broker bid submission, see the Kite web guide or the Kite app guide.
Generic procedure (every UPI app)
Receive the mandate notification
Within thirty seconds of submitting the bid on your broker app, your UPI app receives a Block Funds for IPO (sometimes labelled Mandate Request or Collect Request) push notification. The notification is sent to the UPI app where your handle is registered — not necessarily the app that is currently open. If the notification does not arrive within fifteen minutes, open the UPI app manually and refresh the pending-requests section.
Open the UPI app’s pending requests section
The label varies by app:
| App | Pending requests label |
|---|---|
| Google Pay | Requests tab on home screen |
| PhonePe | Notifications → Pending requests |
| Paytm | UPI & Payments → Pending UPI requests |
| BHIM | Approve mandate on home screen |
| Amazon Pay | Money → Pending requests |
| WhatsApp Pay | Payments → Pending |
| Bank-own apps | UPI menu → Mandate requests (usually) |
Review the mandate details
Before authorising, verify:
- Issuer name — should match the IPO company you applied for.
- Block amount — should match the maximum bid value you submitted (highest bid quantity × upper price band).
- Validity — typically listing date + 1 working day, e.g., for an issue closing on 8 March 2026 the validity ends around 14–15 March 2026.
- Beneficiary — the sponsor bank for the issue. Common sponsor banks include HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Yes Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and State Bank of India. The sponsor bank name is also visible on your broker’s bid confirmation.
If any of these does not match, do not approve. Cancel the mandate from the app and contact your broker for clarification.
Tap Authorise or Approve
The button label varies by app — Authorise, Approve, Continue, Confirm. Some apps additionally require a confirm-this-action gesture (swipe, double tap) before the PIN prompt to reduce accidental authorisation.
Enter your UPI PIN
The UPI PIN entry screen is rendered by NPCI’s secure SDK, not by the host app, so it looks consistent across apps. Enter your four- or six-digit UPI PIN. Do not screenshot this screen — many UPI apps explicitly block screenshots of the PIN prompt.
Verify the success confirmation
On successful PIN entry, the app displays a success screen showing the mandate as Active. The bank places a lien on your savings account against the block amount. The available balance in your bank’s mobile app drops by the block amount; the book balance and the interest-earning balance are unchanged.
Cross-check on the broker interface
Return to your broker app. On Zerodha Kite, navigate to Bids → Order history (web) or Bids → Orders (mobile). The bid status updates from Mandate Pending to Mandate Accepted within thirty seconds of authorisation. If push notifications are enabled, you also receive a confirmation from the broker.
App-specific variations
The seven major UPI apps differ only in UI labels and notification routing. The underlying mandate authorisation is identical (NPCI-rendered PIN prompt, identical lien placement).
Google Pay
Mandate appears in the Requests tab on the home screen, badged with the issuer name. Tap the request → review → tap Pay Now (despite the label, this only authorises the mandate, not a transfer) → enter UPI PIN. Confirmation screen shows Mandate active. Google Pay sends a follow-up notification to your linked Gmail with the mandate details.
PhonePe
Mandate appears under Notifications → Pending requests, also exposed in the Mandates section under UPI Settings. Tap → review → Authorise → UPI PIN. PhonePe pushes a confirmation notification within five seconds.
Paytm
Mandate appears under the UPI & Payments tile on the home screen, in the Pending UPI requests sub-section. Some users also receive the request in Notifications. Tap the request → review → Authorise → UPI PIN. Paytm Money users (Paytm’s broking app) additionally see the mandate cross-referenced in their own IPO module.
BHIM
Mandate appears prominently on the BHIM home screen as a banner labelled Approve mandate. Tap → review (BHIM displays the full XML mandate parameters, which is useful for diagnostics if details look unusual) → Authorise → UPI PIN. BHIM is often the fastest app for mandate authorisation because it has the least UI chrome.
Amazon Pay
Mandate appears under Money in the bottom navigation, in the Pending requests section. Amazon Pay does not push a push notification by default — you need to open the app to see the request. Tap → review → Approve → UPI PIN. The mandate confirmation also appears in your Amazon notification feed.
WhatsApp Pay
Mandate appears in the Payments section of WhatsApp, under Pending. Note that WhatsApp Pay is region-limited (not available in all states) and supports a smaller set of issuer banks than the other apps; check NPCI’s eligibility list if your handle is on WhatsApp Pay. Tap → review → Pay → UPI PIN.
Bank-own UPI apps
Most large bank apps (SBI YONO, HDFC PayZapp, ICICI iMobile, Axis Mobile, Kotak 811) include a UPI mandate section under their UPI or Mandates menu. The exact navigation differs by bank but the authorisation flow (review → approve → UPI PIN → confirmation) is identical. Bank-own apps are often more reliable than third-party apps during peak IPO subscription windows because they bypass third-party push notification chains.
What can go wrong
- Notification not received within 15 minutes. Open the UPI app and pull-to-refresh the pending-requests section. The mandate is usually queued at the sponsor bank; refreshing forces a fetch. As a fallback, open your bank’s own UPI app — the same mandate is discoverable there.
- Authorisation fails with U16 / ZD / U30. See the UPI ASBA wiki for the failure-code catalogue. For U16 / ZD (duplicate mandate), wait fifteen minutes and re-submit. For U30 (technical error), try a different UPI handle on the same bank account.
- Wrong issuer name on the mandate. Cancel immediately and contact your broker. Do not authorise a mandate whose issuer does not match your bid.
- PIN forgotten or locked. Reset UPI PIN through the Forgot UPI PIN flow in your UPI app — typically requires re-verification with your debit card last six digits and OTP. Reset can take 1–10 minutes; you may not have time during a final-hour bid.
- Bank account marked under any regulatory freeze. Mandate is rejected immediately. The applicant cannot apply for any IPO until the freeze is cleared.
Related guides
- How to apply for an IPO on Kite web
- How to apply for an IPO on Kite mobile app
- How to modify or withdraw an IPO bid on Zerodha
- How to check IPO allotment status on Zerodha
References
- NPCI UPI 2.0 mandate specification, https://www.npci.org.in/what-we-do/upi/product-overview.
- FAQs on UPI in Public Issue Process, SEBI, July 2019.
- NPCI Circular dated 8 September 2025, Enhancement of UPI Per-Transaction Limits for Capital Markets and Insurance Premium Categories.