Safaricom adjusted their M-Pesa charges effective 1st Jan 2021. According to the company, the change was necessitated by the Finance Bill 2018 which raises the excise tax on mobile money from 10% to 15%.Safaricom Mpesa transfer and withdrawal charges depend on the amount in the transaction. The maximum one can send using Mpesa is Ksh 70,000 per transaction. The maximum daily M-pesa transaction limit is Ksh 300,000. It costs a little more to send money to non-registered subscribers.
All Mpesa deposits are free. There are no Mpesa charges when buying Safaricom airtime through Mpesa. Mpesa registration is free and there are no Mpesa charges when you generate your Safaricom Mpesa statement.
Current Safaricom Mpesa charges for sending and withdrawing money though a Safaricom agent, ATM and m-pesa tariffs when transferring cash both to registered and unregistered Mpesa users.
As indicated in the Mpesa charge table below, you can not withdraw less than Ksh 50 from an Mpesa agent but you can transfer any amount greater than Ksh 10 to another Mpesa user. Use the Mpesa rates calculator to get Mpesa fees for sending or withdrawing any amount.
The new M-PESA tariffs, which take effect immediately, are below:
Below, you can find a breakdown of M-PESA Charges in 2022
| Min (Kshs.) | Max (Kshs.) | Withdrawal from M-PESA agent | Transfer to unregistered users | Send money to other M-PESA users | Transfer to other mobile money users |
| 1 | 49 | N/A | N/A | Free | N/A |
| 50 | 100 | 10 | N/A | Free | N/A |
| 101 | 500 | 27 | 45 | Free | 11 |
| 501 | 1,000 | 28 | 49 | Free | 15 |
| 1,001 | 1,500 | 28 | 59 | 26 | 26 |
| 1.501 | 2,500 | 28 | 74 | 41 | 41 |
| 2,501 | 3,500 | 50 | 112 | 56 | 56 |
| 3,501 | 5,000 | 67 | 135 | 61 | 61 |
| 5,001 | 7,500 | 84 | 166 | 77 | 77 |
| 7,501 | 10,000 | 112 | 205 | 87 | 87 |
| 10,001 | 15,000 | 162 | 265 | 97 | 97 |
| 15,001 | 20,000 | 180 | 288 | 102 | 102 |
| 20,001 | 35,000 | 191 | 309 | 105 | 105 |
| 35,001 | 50,000 | 270 | N/A | 105 | 105 |
| 50,001 | 150,000 | 300 | N/A | 105 | 105 |
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Kenya in March 2020, the maximum amount per transaction was Kenya shillings 70,000 and the maximum amount of money you could transfer to other M-PESA users for free was Kshs 100. Also, the maximum account balance was Ksh 100,000 before the pandemic but Safaricom has increased it to Ksh 300,000.
ATM Withdrawal rates
| Min (Kshs.) | Max (Kshs.) | charges |
| 200 | 2,500 | 34 |
| 2.501 | 5,000 | 67 |
| 5,001 | 10,000 | 112 |
| 10,001 | 20,000 | 197 |
M-PESA charges will depend on the amount you are sending or withdrawing. You can use your M-PESA menu to buy airtime for your phone, or for someone else. This service is free and you will only pay for the airtime purchased.
NOTE:
- Maximum Account Balance is KSHs.300,000
- Maximum Daily Transaction Value is KSHs.300,000.Maximum per transaction is KSHs.150,000
- You cannot withdraw less than KSHs.50 at an M-PESA agent outlet.
- To initiate M-PESA person to person self reversal, send the transaction confirmation message to 456
- To transact, your Safaricom line and M-PESA account must be active
- At an agent outlet, you cannot deposit money directly into another M-PESA customer’s account
- You earn Bonga points when you transact on M-PESA.
- To transact at any M-PESA Agent outlet, you will be required to produce your original identification document, i.e., National ID or Kenyan Passport.
- Dial *234# to view applicable M-pesa charges or use M-PESA cost calculator on mySafaricom App