Calculator
M-PESA Bulk Payments (B2C) Calculator (Kenya, 2026)
100 recipients × KES 2,000 = KES 2,300 in fees on top of KES 200,000disbursed. Total batch cost KES 202,300. Below: the full per-recipient band table, the worked example, and an interactive widget for any amount and recipient count.
Worked example: 100 recipients × KES 2,000
| Amount per recipient | KES 2,000 |
| Number of recipients | 100 |
| B2C fee per recipient (1,501-2,500 band) | KES 23 |
| Total fees (100 × KES 23) | KES 2,300 |
| Total disbursed | KES 200,000 |
| Total batch cost (disbursed + fees) | KES 202,300 |
Fee cost as a share of disbursed: 1.15%. At small per-recipient amounts (KES 500-2,000) the fee-to-amount ratio can approach 1-2%; at large amounts (KES 10,000+) it falls below 1%.
Full B2C per-recipient fee table (2026)
| Amount band (KES) | Fee per recipient |
|---|---|
| 1 to 100 | Free |
| 101 to 500 | KES 6 |
| 501 to 1,000 | KES 12 |
| 1,001 to 1,500 | KES 20 |
| 1,501 to 2,500 | KES 23 |
| 2,501 to 3,500 | KES 33 |
| 3,501 to 5,000 | KES 45 |
| 5,001 to 7,500 | KES 55 |
| 7,501 to 10,000 | KES 75 |
| 10,001 to 15,000 | KES 95 |
| 15,001 to 20,000 | KES 100 |
| 20,001 to 35,000 | KES 105 |
| 35,001 to 50,000 | KES 105 |
| 50,001 to 250,000 | KES 108 |
Source: Safaricom M-PESA for Business B2C tariff (safaricom.co.ke/business/sme/mpesa-solutions). Verified 30 August 2026. Aggregator resellers (Cellulant, Interswitch, Kopo Kopo) may add a small margin on top; ask for the raw B2C rate before signing.
Where Bulk Payments makes sense
B2C is the right channel for repetitive high-volume disbursements: payroll for 50+ staff, monthly agent commissions, dividend or NAV disbursements, grant payouts. Each recipient receives a normal M-PESA credit; the business bears the fee. There is no recipient action required.
For fewer than 10 recipients per run, send-money via the standard M-PESA app or paybill route can be cheaper because you dodge the aggregator setup fee. Above ~20 recipients per run, the B2C batch is materially faster and more auditable than manual sends.
Setup requires a paybill account plus API access via the Safaricom Daraja portal, or integration through an authorised aggregator (which handles the Daraja side for a margin). Direct Daraja is cheaper at scale; aggregators are faster to launch.
Try your own numbers
Enter the per-recipient amount and the number of recipients. The calculator returns per-recipient fee, total fees, and total batch cost.
KES
Result
Total batch cost
KES 502,900
Fee per recipient
KES 29
Total disbursed
KES 500,000
Total fees
KES 2,900
What is an M-PESA Bulk Payment?
Bulk Payments (B2C, business-to-consumer) is a Safaricom API channel for paying many M-PESA recipients from one merchant account: payroll, agent commissions, dividend runs, grant disbursements, refunds. Each recipient sees a normal M-PESA credit; the business pays a per-transaction fee.
How is the Bulk Payment fee calculated?
Standard B2C tariff, banded by transaction amount. Typical bands: KES 6 (up to 1,000), KES 12 (1,001-1,500), KES 23 (1,501-2,500), KES 33 (2,501-5,000), KES 55 (5,001-7,500), KES 75 (7,501-10,000), scaling up to KES 105-108 in the top bands.
What does 100 recipients × KES 2,000 cost in Bulk Payment fees?
Per-recipient fee KES 23 (band 1,501-2,500). Total fees 100 × KES 23 = KES 2,300. Total disbursed KES 200,000. Total batch cost KES 202,300.
Who can use M-PESA Bulk Payments?
Registered Safaricom M-PESA business accounts with a paybill and API access via the Daraja portal. Individual M-PESA accounts cannot access B2C. Setup is via Safaricom Business or an authorised aggregator (Cellulant, Interswitch, etc.).
Are Bulk Payment fees paid by the business or the recipient?
The business pays. The recipient receives the full disbursed amount into their M-PESA wallet. This is a B2C distinction from send-money (which charges the sender per transfer, similar effect but different tariff table).
Do Bulk Payments trigger the Finance Act excise?
The 20% excise on mobile-money charges (Finance Act) applies to the M-PESA fee itself, not the disbursed amount. Fee bands published by Safaricom typically include the excise where quoted as the customer-facing figure.