Calculator
M-PESA Buy Goods (Till) Calculator (Kenya, 2026)
Paying KES 2,500 at any M-PESA Buy Goods till costs the customer nothing. The merchant is charged 0.55% (KES 13.75 on this amount) out of their own margin. Below: the full merchant-side band table, worked example, and an interactive tool.
Worked example: paying KES 2,500 at a Buy Goods till
| Amount you pay | KES 2,500 |
| Customer charge | KES 0 |
| Merchant charge (0.55% × KES 2,500) | KES 13.75 |
| Total deducted from your M-PESA | KES 2,500 |
The headline is the customer charge: KES 0. The merchant absorbs the 0.55% fee (KES 13.75 on a KES 2,500 sale) out of their retail margin.
Merchant charge band table (2026)
| Amount band (KES) | Merchant charge | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 200 | Free | |
| 201 to 500 | Free | Free from 7 Aug 2026 (was 0.55%) |
| 501 to 36,363 | 0.55% of amount | Worked example band |
| Above 36,363 | KES 200 flat | Capped |
Source: Safaricom Consumer Tariffs and the 7 August 2026 Safaricom Buy Goods tariff cut. Verified 30 August 2026.
The counterintuitive part: customer pays zero
M-PESA Buy Goods (Lipa na M-PESA Till, the 5 to 7-digit numbers used at supermarkets, restaurants, boda rides, taxis, and small businesses) is designed so the merchant pays the fee, not the shopper. This is the opposite of paybill (where the customer pays up to KES 108).
The merchant absorbs 0.55% (on the KES 501-36,363 band) or a KES 200 flat cap (above KES 36,363). The tariff cut on 7 August 2026 widened the free band from KES 0-500 (up from KES 0-200), so small tickets are entirely fee-free on both sides.
The narrow exception: fuel stations. Some fuel tills apply a small customer-side M-PESA fee under a separate arrangement; the till receipt shows it if it applies. For every other retail category, the shopper pays exactly the sticker price with no M-PESA overhead. Full comparison in our paybill vs Buy Goods charges guide.
Try your own amount
The calculator returns the merchant-side cost for any Buy Goods amount using the 2026 tariff shown above. Customer-side is always zero.
KES
Result
Customer total cost
KES 1,000
Customer fee
KES 0
Merchant pays (approx)
KES 6
How much does the customer pay on M-PESA Buy Goods?
Zero. Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods (till payments) is free for the customer at every amount up to KES 70,000 per transaction. The merchant pays the M-PESA fee out of their own margin.
What does the merchant pay?
For collections in the KES 501-36,363 band, 0.55% of the amount. Above KES 36,363 per transaction, a flat KES 200. Collections in KES 0-500 are free for the merchant too (Safaricom widened the free band on 7 August 2026, up from KES 0-200).
What does a KES 2,500 Buy Goods payment cost the merchant?
KES 13.75. That is 0.55% of KES 2,500, in the KES 501-36,363 merchant band. The customer pays zero.
Why is Buy Goods free for the customer?
Safaricom structures the till product to be paid by the merchant, not the shopper. The merchant's 0.55% (up to KES 200) is priced in to their retail margin. Free customer-side is the design that drove Buy Goods adoption at supermarkets, restaurants, taxis, and small businesses.
Are there hidden fees?
No customer-side hidden fees. What you see at the till is what you pay from M-PESA. Fuel stations are the one narrow exception (customer pays a small M-PESA fee on some fuel-till configurations); the till receipt will show it if it applies.
When did the merchant tariff change?
Effective 7 August 2026, Safaricom widened the free-collection band from KES 0-200 to KES 0-500. The KES 201-500 slice, which previously attracted a 0.55% fee, is now free. The KES 501-36,363 band remains 0.55%, and the above-KES-36,363 cap remains KES 200. Small merchants keep 55 basis points more on every KES 201-500 sale.