How to collect rent on M-Pesa: paybill, till or bank

Updated 7 November 2026

Option 1: your bank's paybill

Every major bank has an M-Pesa paybill — KCB is 522522 and Equity is 247247, for example. The tenant pays the bank's paybill and enters your account number, and the rent lands in your account the same day.

• Nothing to apply for: if you have a bank account, you can start today.
• The money is banked straight away, which helps with loans and records.
• The catch: the account number is yours, not the tenant's, so your statement shows names and amounts that you match by hand — unless your software reads the bank's payment notifications or statement for you.

Option 2: your own M-Pesa paybill or till

A paybill or Buy Goods till registered to you or your company. With a paybill, the tenant types an account number, usually their house number, which makes matching much easier. Safaricom's Daraja API can also send each payment to your software the moment it happens and prompt the tenant's phone to pay.

• Instant: payments can be recorded and receipted within seconds.
• Needs a registration with Safaricom and, for automatic matching, a Daraja app.
• Watch the account numbers tenants type: a house number like A4 is far easier to match than a free-text name.

Option 3: send money to your phone

Common, but the hardest to manage. Rent arrives mixed with personal money, there is no account number, and at the end of the year you can't easily show KRA what was rent. If you start with this, move tenants to a paybill as soon as you can.

How to stop matching payments by hand

Whichever option you use, the time goes into the same job: deciding which tenant each payment belongs to.

• Give each tenant one written instruction — paybill and account number — and repeat it on every invoice and reminder.
• Use the house number as the account number wherever the paybill allows it.
• Let tenants send you their M-Pesa code when a payment can't be matched, and confirm it instead of searching.
• Send a receipt for every payment, so the tenant knows it was recorded and doesn't call you.

Rent you receive is also what your monthly KRA rental income tax is worked out on, so clean records here save you twice.

Common questions

What is the easiest way for a landlord to collect rent on M-Pesa?

Your bank's paybill with your account number. You don't need to apply for anything, the money lands in your bank, and tenants are used to it. The work is in knowing who paid, which is what rent management software does for you.

Should I use a paybill or a till for rent?

A paybill, because the tenant types an account number — their house number or name — which tells you who paid. A till payment carries only the sender's name and phone number, so you match it by hand or with software.

Can I stop tenants sending rent to my personal M-Pesa number?

Yes. Give every tenant the same written payment instruction (paybill and account number) on their lease and on every invoice and reminder. When the instruction is on every message, most tenants follow it within a month or two.

Does Nyumba PMS take a cut of the rent?

No. Rent goes straight from the tenant to your paybill, till or bank account. Nyumba records the payment and charges landlords a flat subscription, never a fee on rent.