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Verified 13 September 2026

Where to find your DStv smartcard number or GOtv IUC number

By David Wachira · MultiChoice Kenya hub · paybillke is an independent guide and is not affiliated with MultiChoice Kenya.

The GOtv IUC number is on the red sticker on the underside of the decoder. The DStv smartcard number is printed on the smartcard itself, and also shows under Settings, then Information on the decoder. Both are digits only. This is the number the paybill account field wants, and getting it wrong is the single commonest way a pay-TV payment goes missing.

Why this one field matters more than the paybill

If you enter the wrong paybill, the payment usually fails outright and your money stays put. If you enter the right paybill with the wrong account number, the payment succeeds. It just credits somebody else’s decoder. M-PESA will send you a cheerful confirmation SMS, your screen will stay blank, and the money is now sitting on an account that is not yours. That asymmetry is why the account number deserves more care than the paybill, and why it gets its own page here.

GOtv: the red sticker

  1. Turn the GOtv decoder over. The IUC number is on a red sticker on the base, which is where GOtv itself says to look.
  2. It is a run of digits with no letters. Copy it exactly, with no spaces and no dashes.
  3. If the sticker has worn off, press Menu on the remote and look for the information or system screen, which displays the same number.
  4. You can also dial *423# from the phone number registered on the account, which reads the account back to you.

DStv: the smartcard, or the decoder menu

  1. Slide the smartcard out of the decoder. The number is printed on the card.
  2. You do not have to remove it. On the decoder, go to Settings, then Information, and the smartcard number is listed there.
  3. It is also on any MultiChoice statement, and on the DStv app once you are signed in.
  4. Digits only. No spaces, no dashes, and do not add anything in front of it.

One confusing thing on DStv’s own website

DStv’s and GOtv’s Kenyan payment pages both tell you to enter a Basket ID (reference number) as displayed on Eazy Self Service in the M-PESA account field. Every other instruction on the very same pages, for Absa, Co-op, KCB, DTB and I&M, says to use the smartcard or IUC number. So does the separate M-PESA Pay Bill walkthrough further down GOtv’s page. If you are paying by paybill, use your smartcard or IUC number. We flag the Basket ID wording only so you are not thrown by it.

You paid against the wrong number. Now what?

  1. Do not pay again yet. A second payment to the correct number is money you may not get back from the first one.
  2. Find the M-PESA confirmation SMS and keep the transaction code. Without it nothing can be traced.
  3. Contact MultiChoice with three things: the M-PESA code, the number you meant to pay, and the number you actually paid.
  4. Ask for a transfer between accounts. This is a manual correction on the MultiChoice side, and how quickly it happens depends on whether the receiving account has already consumed the credit.
  5. If the wrong number belongs to someone you know, that is a much easier conversation than a MultiChoice ticket. Start there.

About this page

paybillke is an independent payments directory. We are not MultiChoice, DStv or GOtv, and we cannot see or change your account. Prices and paybills on this page were checked on 13 September 2026 against dstv.com/en-ke and gotvafrica.com/en-ke. Always confirm the paybill and your own smartcard or IUC number on screen before you enter a PIN.
What goes in the account field
ProductPaybillAccount numberWhere to find it
DStv444900Smartcard numberOn the smartcard, or Settings then Information
GOtv423655IUC numberRed sticker on the underside of the decoder

Frequently asked

Where is the GOtv IUC number?

On the red sticker on the underside of the decoder. It is also readable from the decoder menu and on *423#.

Where is the DStv smartcard number?

Printed on the smartcard, and shown on the decoder under Settings then Information.

Is the IUC number the same as the smartcard number?

They do the same job but they are different numbers on different products. GOtv uses an IUC number, DStv uses a smartcard number.

Can I use my phone number as the account?

Not for DStv or GOtv. The account is the smartcard or IUC number.

I paid to the wrong IUC number. Can I get it back?

Contact MultiChoice with your M-PESA code, the correct number and the wrong one, and ask for a transfer between accounts. Do it before the other account uses the credit.