This is a working reference table for Kenyan bank paybills and USSD self-service codes as of 2026. Two use cases: paying money into a bank account from M-PESA (Pay Bill, use the bank paybill, enter the bank account number as account), and pulling money out of a bank account to M-PESA via the bank's USSD short code. Both directions are common, and the numbers you need for each are in the same row of the table.
The verified 2026 table
| Bank | USSD code | M-PESA paybill |
|---|---|---|
| KCB | *522# | 522522 |
| NCBA | *488# | 880100 |
| Co-operative Bank | *667# | 400200 |
| Standard Chartered | *722# | 329329 |
| Absa Kenya | *224# | 303030 |
| Family Bank | *325# | 222111 |
| Stanbic Bank | *208# | 600100 |
| Equity Bank | *247# | 247247 |
| National Bank (NBK, part of KCB Group) | *625# | 547700 |
| I&M Bank | *458# | 542542 |
| DTB (Diamond Trust Bank) | *382# | 516600 |
| Ecobank Kenya | *335# | 700201 |
| Gulf African Bank | *399# | 985050 |
| Housing Finance (HFC) | *618# | 100400 |
| Bank of Africa Kenya | *987# | 972900 |
| UBA Kenya | Dialled 13 Sep 2026, no answer | 559900 |
| Guardian Bank | Dialled 13 Sep 2026, no answer | 344500 |
| Kenya Women Microfinance Bank (KWFT) | Dialled 13 Sep 2026, no answer | 101200 |
| SMEP Microfinance Bank | *741# | 777001 |
| Musoni Microfinance | Dialled 13 Sep 2026, no answer | 514000 |
| VisionFund Kenya | Dialled 13 Sep 2026, no answer | 200555 |
| Rafiki Microfinance | *366# | 802200 |
Numbers are cross-checked against public bank pages and the paybillke manifest. As a rule, always verify on the bank's own website before you send a large amount. The one number a lot of readers look for and do not see here is KRA: the correct 2026 KRA paybill is 222222 (via eCitizen with a PRN as the account), covered in the next section.
That policy came out of a bad week. Since 12 September 2026 we have dialled eighteen of the USSD codes published on this site. Eight answered. Standard Chartered was listed here as *722# and in our own USSD directory as *329# at the same time, for four months; *329# is dead. We had *625# filed against both National Bank and a loan app, which meant we were sending borrowers into a bank menu. DTB's own help pages still tell customers to dial *531# and enter an ID number and PIN; that code does not reach DTB. Absa's Kenyan site prints *233#; it does not work here either.
The pattern is not that Kenyan banks change their codes often. It is that nobody re-checks, so a code published once stays published, and directories copy each other until a dead number looks unanimous. HFC is the encouraging half of this: this table said *231#, our directory said *618#, we published neither for a day, and then dialled. *618# answers. The blank was worth a day.
Which bank is free to and from M-PESA?
This is the question the table above always triggers, and it has two halves that get muddled together. Going into a bank from M-PESA is free at almost every bank: you pay Safaricom's pay-bill tariff and the bank adds nothing. Going out, from your bank account to your M-PESA wallet, is where banks differ enormously, and that is the number worth knowing before you choose where to keep your money.
I&M Bank was first to zero-rate it. In January 2023, after the Central Bank reintroduced bank-to-wallet charges, I&M became the first Kenyan bank to waive them. Its current tariff still lists M-PESA to account at Nil, and we confirmed directly with I&M on 13 September 2026 that a personal account still pays KES 0 going out. A business account does not: I&M charges those on a band topping out at KES 65. Full breakdown on our I&M charges page.
Standard Chartered sits at the other end, and publishes its tier openly, which is more than most banks do:
| Amount (KES) | StanChart bank to M-PESA / Airtel |
|---|---|
| 1 to 1,000 | 40 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 55 |
| 5,001 to 10,000 | 60 |
| 10,001 to 20,000 | 65 |
| 20,001 to 35,000 | 70 |
| 35,001 and above | 75 |
So the honest 2026 spread is zero to seventy-five shillings for the same job. On a single transfer that is trivial. If you move money out of your bank twice a week, it is roughly KES 7,800 a year between the cheapest and the dearest of those two, which is the sort of gap worth acting on.
Two practical notes that apply whoever you bank with. First, these charges are usually flat per transaction within a band rather than a percentage, so one large transfer beats several small ones. Second, paying a paybill directly from your bank is often dearer than moving the money to M-PESA first and paying from the wallet: I&M charges up to KES 260 for a bank-to-paybill payment. Our bank to M-PESA fees comparison goes deeper, and the paybill calculator prices the M-PESA leg for your amount.
Full guides for the major banks
Each of these goes well past the paybill: the USSD menu paths, what the bank actually charges, the products, and how to reach a human.
- I&M Bank — paybill 542542, the 14-digit account number, and the cheapest M-PESA rail
- Absa Bank — all four Absa paybills, Hello Money *224#, and Timiza
- NCBA Bank — paybill 880100 and *488#
- DTB — paybill 516600, *382#, and the Airtel branch-code difference
- KCB Bank — four KCB paybills and which is which
- Co-operative Bank — paybill 400200 and MCo-op Cash
- Equity Bank — paybill 247247 and Eazzy banking
Why competing 2022-era lists are stale in 2026
A few things have shifted since the widely-syndicated davidodigitalsolutions list was first assembled:
- KRA has two live paybills, 222222 and 572572. The 2023 eCitizen consolidation introduced 222222, the Government Single Payment Platform number, but it did not retire 572572. Both accept a Payment Registration Number (PRN) generated on iTax as the account. The PRN slip names the paybill for that obligation — read it rather than assuming either number.
- CBA no longer exists as a standalone brand. The 2019 CBA-NIC merger produced NCBA. Legacy CBA paybills have been consolidated under NCBA (880100). Some old lists still show CBA as a separate row with a different paybill; that row should be deleted.
- The NBK paybill is still valid but ownership has shifted. National Bank of Kenya is now part of KCB Group. The 547700 paybill still routes to NBK accounts, but branch consolidation with KCB is ongoing.
- Some microfinance USSD codes have rotated. Where a microfinance bank has changed its short code since 2022, we have used the current published code.
The bigger point: paybill numbers are stable but the surrounding infrastructure (mergers, consolidations, eCitizen migration) is not. If you save a paybill in your M-PESA favourites, re-verify every 6 to 12 months, especially before sending a large amount.
The KRA / eCitizen correction, in detail
This is the most-mistaken entry in Kenyan paybill lists, in both directions. The flow is the same either way: log into iTax, generate a PRN, pay by M-PESA with the PRN as the account. What changed in 2023 is that 222222 (the Government Single Payment Platform) was added — not that 572572 went away. Both are live in 2026, and the PRN slip tells you which to use. Same end state (KRA gets the money and iTax marks your obligation cleared), different rail. See our how to pay KRA via M-PESA guide for the step-by-step, and the eCitizen 222222 case study for the consolidation story.
SACCO paybills
SACCOs are outside the commercial-bank list above but pay-in via M-PESA works the same way: SACCO paybill on the Pay Bill screen, your SACCO member number as the account. Because there are hundreds of SACCOs and paybills rotate more often than at commercial banks, we maintain a dedicated directory. See the SACCO paybills directory for the current list. Always confirm your SACCO's current paybill in your SACCO member statement or their official app before sending.
How to avoid a fake bank paybill
Scam paybills that mimic real bank paybills (one digit off, mapped to a random personal till) circulate on WhatsApp and Facebook, especially around loan-repayment deadlines. Before you confirm the PIN on any bank payment, the M-PESA prompt will show the merchant name. It must read the bank's name (KCB, EQUITY BANK, NCBA, etc.). If it shows a personal name or a merchant unrelated to the bank, cancel. See our paybill scams guide for the specific patterns.
FAQ
Is the KRA paybill 222222 or 572572?
Both are live. 222222 is the Government Single Payment Platform number introduced in the 2023 eCitizen consolidation; 572572 is KRA's own paybill and was not retired. The iTax PRN slip names which one to use for a given obligation, so read the slip rather than assuming. Either way the account is the Payment Registration Number generated on iTax.
Is 222222 really the eCitizen paybill for KRA?
Yes. 222222 is the consolidated eCitizen paybill used by KRA, NTSA, Immigration, Business Registration, HELB, NHIF/SHA (in some flows) and other government services. The account number you enter tells eCitizen which service to route to (a PRN for KRA, an eCitizen invoice number for NTSA and immigration, etc.).
What if my bank USSD code is not on the list?
Two things to try. First, check the bank's own website or mobile app footer; USSD codes rotate occasionally and the bank site is the source of truth. Second, most banks that do not publish a public USSD code still let you initiate transfers via M-PESA Pay Bill using the bank's paybill and your account number, no USSD required.
How do I pay a bank via M-PESA vs paying via bank USSD?
M-PESA route: Lipa na M-PESA, Pay Bill, enter the bank's paybill from the table, use your bank account number as the account, enter amount, PIN. Bank USSD route: dial the bank's USSD, log in with your PIN, choose "Send to M-PESA" or "Pay Bill", follow prompts. The M-PESA route settles into your bank account, the bank USSD route lets you push funds from your bank to M-PESA or to a merchant paybill. They are opposite directions.
Are these paybills the same for all account types at the bank?
Usually yes for retail deposit accounts. Some banks use separate paybills for credit card repayments, loan servicing, or bill-pay aggregators. If your bank statement shows a different paybill on your loan disbursement letter, use that specific paybill for the loan.
What is Absa Kenya's USSD code?
*224#, which Absa brands Hello Money. We dialled it on 13 September 2026 and it answers as Absa. This entry previously said Absa had no centrally published code, which was wrong: Absa gives Hello Money its own product page with the full menu, including CashSend, which lets somebody with no card and no bank account collect cash at an ATM. Our /absa/ussd-224 page has every menu path with option numbers.
Which bank is cheapest to move money to and from M-PESA?
Into a bank from M-PESA is usually free at the bank end, and you pay Safaricom's pay-bill tariff. Out of a bank to M-PESA is where banks differ enormously: I&M charges a personal account nothing, while Standard Chartered publishes a tier starting at KES 40 and reaching KES 75. That is the real spread, and the fee section above has the figures we can cite exactly.
What happened to CBA's paybill after the NCBA merger?
CBA and NBK merged into NCBA in 2019. Legacy CBA paybills have been consolidated under the NCBA paybill (880100). If you still have a saved recipient labelled CBA in your M-PESA, verify the paybill matches NCBA's current published number before sending.
How often do bank paybills change?
Rarely. Most bank paybills have been stable for 5+ years. What changes more often is which agent, aggregator, or third-party service handles specific bill types. Always verify against the bank's help centre before sending a large amount.