Single crystals of nonlinear optical bis ID-phenyl glycinium sulphate monohydrate (BD-PGSMH) are grown by slow evaporation technique from aqueous solution at room temperature. Optically transparent crystals of dimensions up to 32 x 30 x 2 mm(3) are obtained within a period of 30 days. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirm that the crystal belongs to monoclinic system with the space group P2(1). The crystal is subjected to the characterizations such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, UV-visible-NIR optical absorption spectral studies, thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) and dielectric measurements. The electrical conductivity variation is also studied for different temperatures. The second harmonic generation (SHG) property in the crystal is confirmed by using Kurtz-powder technique and the SHG efficiency is found to be 0.8 times greater than that of KDP crystal. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.