EDITOR’S NOTE: Please note that there hasn’t been any changes for M-Pesa charges in 2025, and that these are the rates that have applied since June 2023.
M-Pesa is the mobile phone money transfer service operated in Kenya by Safaricom, the largest telecommunications provider in the country. M-PESA Charges are one of the sticking points for usage of the service.
Designed to provide financial services to unbanked people and “to make domestic remittance as simple as sending a text,” M-Pesa has been offering low-cost money transfer services that are quick, secure, and instant to millions of customers across the country since 2007.
Functionally and practically, registered users can use M-Pesa to send, deposit, and withdraw money, pay for goods and services, pay bills, and access credit and savings through their phones with just a click of a button or USSD codes. As 2024 is ending, M-Pesa is having over 34 million active users in Kenya, owing to its convenience when it comes to accessing funds.
Active subscribers initiate the send money process to their family, friends, or business associates by using the Safaricom SIM toolkit manually or dialling the USSD code *334#, selecting “Send Money,” and following the prompts. Similarly, they can download and install the M-Pesa App.
Transferring money in this way is quicker and easier than withdrawing cash from an agent outlet or traditionally using a cheque. However, some charges apply, as it is not a free service. Even withdrawals incur costs.
M-Pesa charges for sending money depend on the amount being transferred, whether the recipient is registered, and the type of transaction.
M-Pesa charges for send money 2025
Below is a table showing all the fees for sending money via M-Pesa in 2025. These charges apply when a customer sends money from Safaricom to Safaricom and other users. Recently, fees for transfers to other networks were harmonised to match Safaricom-to-Safaricom rates. Additionally, transfers to unregistered customers were disabled due to concerns about fraud and money laundering.
For example, if the cost of sending Ksh1,000 from Safaricom to Safaricom is Ksh13, as is the case, the same rate applies when sending to Airtel Money and Telkom’s T-Kash. See full details below:
| Amounts to send | to Safaricom Mpesa fees | to Airtel Money/ Telkom fees |
| Ksh1 to Ksh49 | Free | Free |
| Ksh50 to Ksh100 | Free | Free |
| Ksh101 to Ksh500 | Ksh7 | Ksh7 |
| Ksh501 to Ksh1,000 | Ksh13 | Ksh13 |
| Ksh1,001 to Ksh1,500 | Ksh23 | Ksh23 |
| Ksh1,501 to Ksh2,500 | Ksh33 | Ksh33 |
| Ksh2,501 to Ksh3,500 | Ksh53 | Ksh53 |
| Ksh3,501 to Ksh5,000 | Ksh57 | Ksh57 |
| Ksh5,001 to Ksh7,500 | Ksh78 | Ksh78 |
| Ksh7,501 to Ksh10,000 | Ksh90 | Ksh90 |
| Ksh10,001 to Ksh15,000 | Ksh100 | Ksh100 |
| Ksh15,001 to Ksh20,000 | Ksh105 | Ksh105 |
| Ksh20,001 to Ksh35,000 | Ksh108 | Ksh108 |
| Ksh35,001 to Ksh50,000 | Ksh108 | Ksh108 |
| Ksh50,001 to Ksh250K | Ksh108 | Ksh108 |
The maximum amount per send money M-Pesa transaction is Ksh250,000, which is the same with withdrawals, but the maximum balance one can hold in the account is Ksh500,000, the total amount they can also transact in a day.
For Safaricom M-Pesa withdrawals in Kenya, transaction fees are much higher than when sending money. For example, when it is costing Ksh13 to send a thousand shillings, it is Ksh29 to withdraw as cash.
Ksh1,500 costs Ksh29 to withdraw, compared to its Ksh23 send money fees, and Ksh5,000 is surcharged +Ksh69, more than Ksh10 the regular Ksh57 its send money fees to Mpesa and other networks;
M-Pesa charges withdrawal chart 2025
Here is what Safaricom charges as transaction costs when withdrawing money from M-Pesa agents in 2025:
| Withdrawal amount | Mpesa charges 2025 |
| Ksh1 to Ksh49 | N/A |
| Ksh50 to Ksh100 | Ksh11 |
| Ksh101 to Ksh500 | Ksh29 |
| Ksh501 to Ksh1,000 | Ksh29 |
| Ksh1,001 to Ksh1,500 | Ksh29 |
| Ksh1,501 to Ksh2,500 | Ksh29 |
| Ksh2,501 to Ksh3,500 | Ksh52 |
| Ksh3,501 to Ksh5,000 | Ksh69 |
| Ksh5,001 to Ksh7,500 | Ksh87 |
| Ksh7,501 to Ksh10,000 | Ksh115 |
| Ksh10,001 to Ksh15,000 | Ksh167 |
| Ksh15,001 to Ksh20,000 | Ksh185 |
| Ksh20,001 to Ksh35,000 | Ksh197 |
| Ksh35,001 to Ksh50,000 | Ksh278 |
| Ksh50,001 to Ksh250K | Ksh309 |
The only transaction range that has a lower withdrawal rate than send money is Ksh2,501 to Ksh3,500, whereby the charges decrease from Ksh53 to Ksh52.
The maximum amount you can make per M-Pesa withdrawal is Ksh250,000, costing Ksh309. You cannot withdraw less than Ksh50 at an M-Pesa agent outlet.
There are more than 300,000 Safaricom M-Pesa agents in Kenya, helping customers daily with M-Pesa registration, withdrawal, and deposit of funds, among all the other related services.
