UPI error CA: Compliance error at acquirer
Raised by: Bank / PSP. Source: NPCI, UPI Error and Response Codes v2.9, section 3.1, codes populated by banks and PSPs.
What it means
The acquiring bank (the merchant's bank) declined for a compliance reason. NPCI doesn't list the specific rules; it is a policy decline, not a system fault.
Not fully documented: NPCI doesn't say which compliance rule triggers CA.
No. This decline happens before your account is debited.
Nothing to refund in the normal case. If a debit does show on your statement, the bank must reverse it by T+1 for a transfer to a person, or T+5 for a payment to a merchant.
Acquirer: the merchant's bank.
Business: the systems worked and declined the payment.
What you should do
Nothing you can change on your side. Pay the merchant another way, or ask them to check with their bank.
If you are a merchant, bank or PSP
Ask your acquiring bank which compliance check failed: merchant category, KYC status or a transaction-type restriction are common reasons.
UPI error CA kya hai?
CA ka matlab hai merchant ke bank ne compliance kaaran se payment rok di.
Related codes
If it still isn't sorted
- Raise a complaint inside your UPI app. Every UPI app has a help or dispute option on the transaction, and it goes into NPCI's online dispute system. Keep the UPI transaction ID or RRN handy.
- If the app doesn't resolve it, contact your bank's grievance desk with the same reference.
- If your bank hasn't replied within 30 days, or you're not happy with the reply, complain to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in. It's free.
Technical or business decline?
NPCI splits declines into two kinds. A technical decline means a system didn't respond or failed: a bank offline, a timeout, a switch error. A business decline means the systems worked and said no, for a reason about the account or the payment: wrong PIN, not enough money, a limit, a risk check. Retrying helps with some technical declines and almost never with business ones.