Bharat Connect is the bill payment network formerly known as the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). It is run by NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL). Through Bharat Connect BBPS, a customer can pay electricity, water, gas, DTH, credit card, loan and many other bills at a connected bank, app or shop. Every successful payment carries a Bharat Connect transaction reference, and complaints are handled through one central system.
If you run a shop, you will meet a lot of jargon around it: BBPCU, BBPOU, COU, agent institution. This guide explains each term using RBI's own definitions, and shows where your counter and Payonclick fit.
From BBPS to Bharat Connect
RBI issued guidelines to set up the Bharat Bill Payment System on 28 November 2014 (RBI/2014-15/327). They created two tiers: one central unit that sets the standards and handles clearing and settlement, and many operating units that deal with billers and customers.
Today the central unit is NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL). RBI's current rulebook is the Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Bharat Bill Payment System) Directions, 2024, dated 29 February 2024 (RBI/DPSS/2023-24/111). It applies to NBBL and to all Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units.
The rename. The official Bharat Connect website says BBPS was rebranded as Bharat Connect in 2024. Press reports, including Financial Express, say RBI Executive Director Vivek Deep announced the new name at Global Fintech Fest 2024 in Mumbai on 30 August 2024. We could not find an official press release that confirms the exact day.
RBI's directions still use the name BBPS, so you will see both. They refer to the same network, which is why we write "Bharat Connect (formerly BBPS)".
Who does what: BBPCU, BBPOU, COU, agent institution and agent
RBI's Master Direction and the operating units page on bharat-connect.com describe the roles like this:
| Role | Who it is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| BBPCU (Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit) | NBBL | Operates the system, sets its operational, technical and business standards, and handles clearing and settlement |
| BBPOU (Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit) | Banks and non-bank institutions authorised by RBI | The system participants. A BBPOU works as a Biller Operating Unit, a Customer Operating Unit, or both |
| BOU (Biller Operating Unit) | A BBPOU on the biller side | Onboards billers, directly or through biller aggregators, and handles collections, settlement and disputes for them |
| COU (Customer Operating Unit) | A BBPOU on the customer side | Gives customers a physical or digital interface to pay bills, directly or through agent institutions |
| Agent institution | A business certified by NBBL | Provides a bill payment interface for customers and may run a network of agents. The COU it has an agreement with is responsible for its activities |
| Agent | A shop counter, bank branch or app | The touchpoint where the customer actually pays, online or offline |
| Biller | Electricity boards, telecom operators, lenders and others | Raises the bill and receives the payment |
Two more points from the Master Direction are worth knowing:
- "Bill" is a broad word. It means any notice for payment raised by a biller, for recurring or one-off payments, and it includes a notice for recharge of prepaid services.
- Bill payment systems outside BBPS need authorisation. Any entity other than a biller that runs a system for paying bills outside BBPS is a payment system under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, and needs RBI authorisation.
Because each COU answers for the agent institutions it signs up, a shop reaches Bharat Connect through an operating unit's network, not on its own.
How a bill payment travels from counter to biller
Here is the path of a typical electricity bill paid at a shop counter. The software differs from one platform to another, but the roles stay the same.
The customer gives the details
The customer names the biller and gives their consumer number, K number or other ID. You pick the category and biller in your app.
The bill is fetched
For billers that support it, the request passes through your platform's operating-unit partner (the COU), through Bharat Connect, to the biller's BOU and the biller. The amount, due date and customer name come back to your screen.
You submit the payment
You confirm the amount with the customer and submit it. The COU sends the payment through Bharat Connect.
The biller side confirms
The biller's BOU accepts the payment, and the customer gets a receipt with the Bharat Connect transaction reference.
Money is settled
NBBL, as the central unit, clears and settles between the operating units, and the BOU settles with the biller.
Some billers, such as most DTH operators, don't support a bill fetch. For those, the amount is entered directly.
When something goes wrong. A payment is not always confirmed the moment it is sent. The Master Direction requires COUs and BOUs to handle failed transactions within RBI's prescribed timelines, and NBBL runs a centralised dispute resolution system. A customer can use the Bharat Connect complaint form with the 20-character Bharat Connect transaction reference ID from their receipt. The form covers refunds, failed transactions, money debited without confirmation and missing transaction IDs.
In the Payonclick app, a TPIN confirms each bill payment, and only one payment can be in progress on an account at a time. Receipts carry Bharat Connect branding and the Bharat Connect transaction reference. For a successful payment, a complaint can be raised through Bharat Connect.
Bill categories on Bharat Connect
The Bharat Connect website lists 25+ payment categories and 22,000+ billers (checked in September 2026). Categories have been added over time, and RBI's Master Direction refers to their continued expansion.
The Payonclick app offers retailers 30 categories:
| Group | Categories |
|---|---|
| Utilities | Electricity, Water, Gas, LPG Gas, Prepaid Meter |
| Telecom and TV | Mobile Postpaid, Mobile Prepaid, Broadband Postpaid, Landline Postpaid, DTH, Cable TV |
| Finance | Credit Card, Loan Repayment, Insurance, Recurring Deposit, NPS |
| Travel and mobility | Fastag, NCMC, eChallan, Fleet Card, EV Recharge |
| Civic and household | Municipal Taxes, Municipal Services, Housing Society, Rental, Education Fees |
| Other | Subscription, Donation, Clubs & Associations, Agent Collection |
A few practical rules in the app: one payment can be ₹1 to ₹2,00,000, the customer's PAN is required from ₹50,000 upward, and a credit card bill amount can be edited so the customer can pay the minimum due or part of the bill. Mobile Prepaid and DTH appear in the list because RBI counts a prepaid recharge as a bill. The current limits for every service are on our rules and limits page.
What a small business can and cannot call itself
Bill payment is a regulated activity, so the words on your board, visiting card and social media posts matter. A shop that offers bill payments through a platform is a customer touchpoint in an operating unit's network. It is not an operating unit.
| You can say | Don't say |
|---|---|
| "Pay your bills here through Bharat Connect" | "BBPOU", "COU" or "BOU": these are operating units authorised by RBI |
| "Bharat Connect (formerly BBPS) bill payments available" | That you are "licensed", "approved" or "authorised" by RBI, NPCI or NBBL |
| "Electricity, water, gas, DTH, FASTag and credit card bills" | "Agent institution", unless NBBL has certified your business |
| "Keep your Bharat Connect transaction reference for complaints" | "Official NPCI centre", or anything suggesting you are part of NPCI or NBBL |
Two practical cautions:
- Keep every payment inside the system. Put each payment through your app, so the customer gets a Bharat Connect reference and can complain if needed. RBI's Master Direction treats a non-biller system for paying bills outside BBPS as a payment system that needs RBI authorisation.
- Don't make your own logos or badges. Use Bharat Connect branding only in the form your platform or operating unit provides, such as the branded receipt.
If you also offer AEPS at your counter, similar care applies to KYC. Our guide to AEPS operator KYC rules for 2026 explains what RBI now expects.
Where Payonclick fits
Payonclick (VVN MULTISERVICES INDIA Pvt. Ltd., Sirsa, Haryana) is a technology and service provider. It is not a BBPOU, not a bank and not a payment aggregator. Bill payments made in the Payonclick app reach Bharat Connect through an authorised operating-unit partner, which holds the regulated role. Our part is the software, the retailer network and support.
For a shop, that means you don't need to become an operating unit or an agent institution to offer bill payments. You register on payonclick.in or in the Payonclick Android app, complete KYC, sign the retailer agreement by eSign and activate the service. Our team shares the charges and commission on request. See our bill payment service for shops and retailers for the full flow.
Businesses that want bill payments inside their own app can use the separate BBPS bill payment API instead. It covers the same 30 categories with bill fetch, status checks and complaints over a signed REST API.