The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has issued a firm clarification after viral social media posts claimed that ₹500 currency notes would be discontinued by March 2026. Terming the claims as false, the government’s fact-checking agency said no such announcement has been made by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Press Information Bureau stated: “Some social media posts claim that the Reserve Bank of India will discontinue the circulation of ₹500 notes by March 2026. PIBFactCheck: This claim is fake! RBI has made NO such announcement.”

₹500 notes remain legal tender

PIB clarified that ₹500 notes continue to be valid legal tender and can be freely used for all transactions across the country. The agency urged citizens not to fall for unverified or misleading claims circulating on social media platforms.

“₹500 notes have NOT been discontinued and remain legal tender. Always verify news from official sources before believing or sharing it,” PIB said, cautioning against misinformation that could cause unnecessary panic.

Repeated rumours, repeated clarifications

This is not the first time such rumours have surfaced. Similar claims about the demonetisation of ₹500 notes have emerged multiple times in the past and have consistently been debunked by the government.

In June 2025, PIB’s fact-check unit had dismissed identical speculation about an alleged demonetisation in March 2026. At the time, a video from a YouTube channel claiming that ₹500 notes would be withdrawn went viral before being officially refuted.

Government assurance in Parliament

Reinforcing the clarification, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed Parliament in August that there were no plans to discontinue ₹500 denomination banknotes.

He also stated that ATMs would continue to dispense ₹500 notes along with other denominations such as ₹100 and ₹200, clearly dismissing rumours of any proposed withdrawal.

Advisory to the public

Officials reiterated that citizens should rely only on official communications from the RBI, PIB or the Ministry of Finance for information related to currency and banking policies.

With misinformation spreading rapidly online, authorities have once again stressed the importance of verifying claims before sharing them, especially on sensitive financial matters that affect the public at large.