M-Pesa Charges and Limits in Kenya (2026)
M-Pesa charges depend on the transaction type and the amount sent. Deposits, registration, airtime purchases, balance enquiries, and PIN changes are free, while sending money and withdrawing cash attract tiered fees that rise in steps as the transaction amount increases.
Official source: Safaricom M-PESA Charges & Tariffs (Safaricom's own page was last updated 4 August 2026; this content was verified against it on 19 October 2026). Verified 19 Oct 2026 · source
M-Pesa account and transaction limits
| Limit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Maximum M-Pesa account balance | KSh 500,000 |
| Maximum daily transaction value | KSh 500,000 |
| Maximum amount per transaction | KSh 250,000 |
| Minimum cash withdrawal at an agent | KSh 50 |
Free M-Pesa transactions
| Transaction | Charge |
|---|---|
| M-Pesa registration | Free |
| All deposits | Free |
| Buying airtime through M-Pesa | Free |
| M-Pesa balance enquiry | Free |
| Changing M-Pesa PIN | Free |
Send Money charges (to M-Pesa, Airtel Money or T-Kash)
| Amount sent (KSh) | Charge (KSh) |
|---|---|
| 1 – 100 | Free |
| 101 – 500 | 7 |
| 501 – 1,000 | 13 |
| 1,001 – 1,500 | 23 |
| 1,501 – 2,500 | 33 |
| 2,501 – 3,500 | 53 |
| 3,501 – 5,000 | 57 |
| 5,001 – 7,500 | 78 |
| 7,501 – 10,000 | 90 |
| 10,001 – 15,000 | 100 |
| 15,001 – 20,000 | 105 |
| 20,001 – 250,000 | 108 |
Withdraw Cash at an M-Pesa Agent
| Amount withdrawn (KSh) | Charge (KSh) |
|---|---|
| 50 – 100 | 11 |
| 101 – 2,500 | 29 |
| 2,501 – 3,500 | 52 |
| 3,501 – 5,000 | 69 |
| 5,001 – 7,500 | 87 |
| 7,501 – 10,000 | 115 |
| 10,001 – 15,000 | 167 |
| 15,001 – 20,000 | 185 |
| 20,001 – 35,000 | 197 |
| 35,001 – 50,000 | 278 |
| 50,001 – 250,000 | 309 |
There's no agent withdrawal below KSh 50 — that's the agent minimum payout.
Withdraw Cash at an M-Pesa ATM
| Amount withdrawn (KSh) | Charge (KSh) |
|---|---|
| 200 – 2,500 | 35 |
| 2,501 – 5,000 | 69 |
| 5,001 – 10,000 | 115 |
| 10,001 – 35,000 | 203 |
ATM withdrawals use wider bands than agent withdrawals and are capped at KSh 35,000 per transaction.
Pay Bill (Lipa na M-Pesa)
| Amount paid (KSh) | Charge (KSh) |
|---|---|
| 1 – 100 | Free |
| 101 – 500 | 3 |
| 501 – 1,000 | 5 |
| 1,001 – 1,500 | 8 |
| 1,501 – 2,500 | 10 |
| 2,501 – 3,500 | 13 |
| 3,501 – 5,000 | 17 |
| 5,001 – 7,500 | 21 |
| 7,501 – 10,000 | 24 |
| 10,001 – 15,000 | 29 |
| 15,001 – 20,000 | 31 |
| 20,001 – 25,000 | 34 |
| 25,001 – 30,000 | 36 |
| 30,001 – 35,000 | 42 |
| 35,001 – 40,000 | 50 |
| 40,001 – 45,000 | 52 |
| 45,001 – 250,000 | 54 |
Excise duty explained
Kenya imposes excise duty on the fees charged for money-transfer services by mobile network operators and licensed payment service providers. The Kenya Revenue Authority's Excise Duty Act (First Schedule, Part II, paragraph 3) sets this at 15% of the excisable value for fees charged by cellular phone service providers and by payment service providers licensed under the National Payment System Act.
In practical terms: Safaricom calculates the underlying service fee (the tables above); excise duty is applied to that fee under Kenyan tax law; the customer-facing M-Pesa charge shown at the point of transaction is a single, all-in amount, so the excise component isn't broken out separately for the user; and tax rates can change through a Finance Act, so this figure should be re-checked periodically rather than copied forward indefinitely.
The charges shown in the tables above are the full customer-facing amount — the 15% excise duty is already included in each figure; Safaricom does not add it separately at the point of transaction.
Some older or third-party sources cite a 20% excise rate on mobile money — that was the rate banks and other money-transfer agencies paid before the Finance Act 2023 harmonized it down to 15% (the same Act raised the telco/payment-service-provider rate up from 12% to the same 15%). For Safaricom's M-Pesa fees specifically, 15% is the current rate — see the PwC source cited below.
Note: during 2026, Finance Bill proposals discussed adding a separate 16% VAT on digital payment platforms on top of the existing 15% excise duty. As of this review, the enacted rate remains the 15% excise duty described above.
Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Kenya (reviewed 17 July 2026), reflecting the Finance Act 2023 rate harmonization of excise duty on money-transfer fees to 15% (up from 12% for telcos and payment service providers, down from 20% for banks and other money-transfer agencies). Verified 19 Oct 2026 · source
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