By ArthaShala Financial Desk | Updated: November 7, 2026 | ✓ Verified Against RBI Directions (RBI/2025-26/82 & Oct 2026 Master Directions) Losing a parent, spouse, or family member is emotionally devastating. Fighting a bank branch for their life savings shouldn't be your second tragedy. Every day across India, grieving families walk into bank branches holding an original Death Certificate—only to be sent on a months-long runaround. Uninformed branch officers routinely demand court Succession Certificates even when a valid nominee is registered, insist on wealthy third-party sureties, or leave safe deposit locker claims gathering dust for months. Here is the regulatory weapon banks rarely advertise: Under the Reserve Bank of India (Settlement of Claims in respect of Deceased Customers of Banks) Directions, 2025 (fully enforced across all banks in 2026), your bank is legally required to settle deposit and locker clai...
We have all experienced that split-second of anticipation. You pay a friend via GPay or PhonePe, a colorful "Scratch Card" appears, you swipe it, and... "Better luck next time." But sometimes, you get lucky—₹50, ₹100, or even a rare ₹1,000 reward. For power users, deal hunters, and small business owners, these small rewards can accumulate into thousands of rupees over a financial year. But as we move into Assessment Year 2026-27 , with the government tightening controls on digital transactions (SFT reporting, AIS mapping), a critical question arises: Is UPI cashback taxable in India? Are you unknowingly hiding income from the taxman? Winning small rewards on GPay or PhonePe is common, but do these add up to taxable income? It depends on the ₹50,000 annual limit. In this detailed guide, we move beyond the ...