The short answer
To take M-Pesa on a website you need an M-Pesa business number, usually a Buy Goods Till, connected to the site through Safaricom's Daraja service. The customer types their phone number, gets a payment prompt and enters their PIN. On a Till, Safaricom charges the business nothing on sales up to Sh 500 and 0.55% above that, capped at Sh 200 a sale. Approval to go live usually takes 2 to 10 working days.
Till, Paybill or Pochi la Biashara
| Type | Best for | What Safaricom charges the business |
|---|---|---|
| Buy Goods Till | Shops and online stores selling products | Free up to Sh 500 a sale. Above that, 0.55%, capped at Sh 200 1 |
| Paybill | Payments that need an account number: rent, school fees, bills, bookings | Set by Safaricom's tariff for your Paybill. Check its schedule before you choose |
| Pochi la Biashara | Small traders who want business money kept apart from personal money | Tiered by amount. Until 31 October 2026, payments up to Sh 200 are free under a promotion 1 |
The Till charges above took effect on 7 August 2026, when the free limit rose from Sh 200 to Sh 500.
What the charge looks like on real sales
- A sale of Sh 400: no charge.
- A sale of Sh 2,000: Sh 11.
- A sale of Sh 10,000: Sh 55.
- A sale of Sh 40,000 or more: Sh 200, the cap.
How the payment works for your customer
- They choose M-Pesa at checkout and type their phone number.
- A prompt appears on their phone asking for their M-Pesa PIN. This is called STK Push.
- They enter the PIN. The money goes to your Till or Paybill.
- The website is told the payment has landed, marks the order as paid and sends the receipt.
Nobody has to copy a Till number or send you a screenshot of a confirmation message.
What you need before you can go live
Safaricom approves each business before its website can take live payments. A published checklist lists these 2:
- An active Till or Paybill number, in place before you apply
- The business registration certificate, in the same name as the application
- The KRA PIN certificate for the business
- The national ID or passport of the person signing
- A letter of authorisation, if the person applying is not the owner or a director
Approval usually takes 2 to 5 working days and can stretch to 10 when Safaricom is busy or a document is missing 2. Start it early, because it is the one step a developer cannot speed up.
What it costs to have it built
At Anza Studios, M-Pesa checkout is included in the online store package from Sh 165,000 and in most custom software from Sh 250,000. If you do not have a Till or Pochi la Biashara yet, we help you set one up. See M-Pesa integration, or compare the routes in Shopify or a custom store.
Sources
- The Standard, "Safaricom halves M-Pesa merchant fees in CBK-led move", 2 August 2026. standardmedia.co.ke
- McTaba Labs, "Daraja production checklist", updated 19 July 2026. mctaba.com
Third-party figures were read on 11 October 2026. Safaricom changes its tariffs from time to time and publishes the full schedule on its website.