Payments — Africa

Request for an M-Pesa Paybill or BuyGoods

An mpesa Pay Bill and buy goods is a service under mpesa that allows a business to collect money from its customers.

Safaricom is famously acknowledged for its Till number / Buy goods services which are used by a large number of Kenyans on a day to day basis to enable them to pay for goods, to send money from one end to another , you name it.

In this article we will be addressing how to request for one.

Difference between Buy Goods and Till number

The difference between an mpesa Paybill number and Buygoods is a service that an a Paybill allows a business to collect money on a regular basis from your customers through the use of M-PESA while Buy Goods/ Till number allows an individual to pay for goods and services.

How to get an Mpesa Till number

If a business wishes to request a Till number they should

1. Go to Safaricom's Self Onboarding portal https://m-pesaforbusiness.co.ke/ and complete the application .

 Safaricom's Self Onboarding portal
Safaricom's Self Onboarding portal

2. Click the apply now button

3. Choose M-pesa business till (Buy goods till )

4. Based on what your business model is like, choose if the business is individual , sole-proprietorship or an LLC (limited liability company )

5. After this the business will get a notification with the till number and store number via SMS on the nominated number

6. From the same portal a lipa na M-pesa sticker should be downloaded.

7. To activate the business one should dial *234#

8. Change the pin

9. The business will immediately start receiving payments from that point henceforth.

How to Activate the Till number

1. Dial *234# on your Safaricom phone

2. When presented with options , one should choose the second option- M-pesa Business Till

3. Input the store number that had been sent via SMS

4. Accept the presented terms and conditions

5. Submit

An M-pesa message will be sent with the operator ID and Start key pin. Follow instructions that will be provided to change the pin.

Requirements to get a Till number

Different business models have different requirements in order to be eligible to get a Till number

Individual business

1. A copy of your national id.(front and back)

2. A copy of your KRA pin

3. A cancelled cheque or a letter from your bank stating bank details as per certificate of registration

Sole proprietorship

1. A copy of your national id.(front and back)

2. A copy of your business permit number

3. A cancelled cheque or a letter from your bank stating bank details as per certificate of registration

4. A copy of your KRA pin

LLC (Limited liability company )

An individual requires a copy of their national id.(front and back) or passport

1. A copy of their companies and Kenyan Director KRA certificate

2. A copy of a recent(valid for 90 days )CR12

3. A copy of a certificate of incorporation

4. A receipt with their annual returns

5. A  copy of a cancelled cheque or a letter from their bank stating company bank details

6. A Filled, stamped or sealed resolution letter signed by Directors of the LLC

How to request for an Mpesa Paybill

1. First things first is to head over to Safaricom's Lipa Na Mpesa portal.

2. Make sure to download the Mpesa Paybill application form that has been provided

3. Download the Terms and Conditions

4. Fill out the downloaded forms with the required information.

5. gree to the terms and conditions .

6. Ensure the pay bill form that has been requested is signed

7. Ensure that copies of the stated requirements have been attached to the form.

8. Visit the nearest Safaricom shop to you to drop of the documents .

9. Wait for the submitted forms to be approved.

How do I get access to my Mpesa portal for my paybill or till number?

After Safaricom issues you a paybill, you should get access to an Mpesa portal for that paybill, however, if that is not the case, then you will have to ask Safaricom to create for you a Business Admin for that paybill.

You can do that by preparing a letter (addressed to Safaricom) with the below details on a company letter head, signed and stamped.

Organization Name:
Organization Short code:


First name:
Middle Name:
Last name:


ID type (national ID, Passport):
ID or passport number:
Nationality:
DOB:


Phone number;
Preffered administrators User Name:
Preffered administrator Email:

Once you have this ready, attach it with the id of the business admin and email it to : [email protected]

Last updated
June 12, 2024
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