Money Clarity

Someone charged your account. Here is what RBI entitles you to.

If money left your account without your authorisation and you report it within three working days, your liability is zero. Not "may be waived" - zero, under RBI rules, and the burden of proving otherwise sits with the bank, not with you. The bank must also credit the amount back within ten working days while it investigates. Almost nobody is told any of this at the moment it happens.

The problem: the clock starts before you know it has

The protection is real and generous, and it decays fast. Most people lose the strongest version of it not by being careless but by waiting a few days to see whether the charge reverses on its own.

The window is counted in working days from when you notice, and weekends and holidays do not count against you
Waiting to "see if it reverses" is the single most common way people fall out of the zero-liability band
Small unauthorised charges are frequently a test before a large one, so the Rs 49 you ignored matters
Banks are not obliged to tell you which liability band you fell into, and generally do not

Exactly what you are liable for, by when you report

These are RBI-prescribed caps for a third-party breach - where the fault is neither yours nor the bank's. If the loss was caused by bank negligence or a system failure, your liability is zero regardless of when you report.

Within 3 working days: zero liability, whatever the amount
4 to 7 working days, basic savings (BSBD) account: capped at Rs 5,000
4 to 7 working days, savings account, prepaid instrument or MSME: capped at Rs 10,000
4 to 7 working days, credit card with a limit up to Rs 5 lakh: capped at Rs 10,000
4 to 7 working days, credit card above Rs 5 lakh, or current/CC/OD account: capped at Rs 25,000
Beyond 7 working days: your bank's own policy decides, and it will be less generous
If the loss arose from your own negligence, such as sharing an OTP or PIN, you bear it until you report - after which the bank bears anything further

What the bank is obliged to do

These are obligations with deadlines, not service promises. Quote them.

Shadow-credit the disputed amount to your account within 10 working days of your report, value-dated to the transaction date - this happens while the investigation is still running, not after it
Resolve the complaint within 90 days
Prove your liability if it intends to hold you liable. You do not have to prove your innocence
Provide a 24x7 reporting channel and acknowledge your report with a reference number

What to do, in order, today

Do these in sequence. The first two take five minutes and preserve the strongest protection available to you.

Block the card or channel immediately through the app, the 24x7 helpline or SMS
Report the unauthorised transaction in writing - app, email or the bank's dispute form - and get a reference number and a timestamp. This is what starts the clock, not the phone call
State the date you noticed it, not the transaction date, and keep the acknowledgement
Check for other unfamiliar charges across every account and card, since a test charge precedes a large one
If the shadow credit has not appeared in 10 working days, write to the bank's nodal officer citing the deadline
If unresolved after 30 days, escalate to the RBI Ombudsman under the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme. It is free and it is online

Where Unyfy fits

Unyfy cannot dispute a charge for you. What it changes is how quickly you notice one - which, given the three-day rule, is worth more than anything that happens afterwards.

Reads transactions across accounts and cards, so a small unfamiliar charge is visible without opening five apps
Decodes cryptic merchant strings into readable brand names, which is what tells you whether a charge is unfamiliar or just badly labelled
Charge disputes are a Premium feature at Rs 99 a month; the detection that surfaces them is on the free plan
The three-working-day window is the whole reason noticing early matters, and it is why this page exists

Common questions

What is the RBI zero liability rule for unauthorised transactions?

If you report an unauthorised electronic transaction within three working days, your liability is zero regardless of the amount, in cases of third-party breach or bank negligence. Report in 4 to 7 working days and liability is capped by account type — Rs 5,000 for a BSBD account, Rs 10,000 for a savings account or a credit card up to Rs 5 lakh, Rs 25,000 for a current account or a larger credit card.

How long does a bank have to refund an unauthorised transaction in India?

The bank must credit the disputed amount to your account within 10 working days of your report, value-dated to the transaction date, while the investigation continues. It then has up to 90 days to resolve the complaint fully.

Who has to prove an unauthorised transaction was my fault?

The bank. Under RBI rules the burden of proving customer liability rests with the bank, not with you. You are not required to demonstrate that you did not authorise the transaction.

What if my bank does not resolve the dispute?

After 30 days without resolution, escalate free of charge to the RBI Ombudsman under the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, which can be filed online. Cite your original complaint reference and the date the bank received it.

Report in writing within three working days and you owe nothing. That is a rule you can cite, with deadlines attached, and the burden of proof is on your bank. The only thing that reliably loses people money here is waiting to see whether it fixes itself.

Written by Danish Mirza, founder of Unyfy. 14 years in Indian lending and collections at Standard Chartered, Barclays, Ola Money and Uni Cards.
Last reviewed 2026-09-09.