M-PESA Till vs PayBill for online businesses
Every Kenyan online seller hits this question: should customers pay a Till number or a PayBill? The honest answer depends on how you take payment — and it matters a lot less once checkout is automated.
Quick Answer
PayBill beats Till for manual payments — the account number lets you tag money to orders. With automated STK Push it stops mattering — the checkout tags every payment to its order automatically, whichever number sits behind it.
The real difference
| Till (Buy Goods) | PayBill | |
|---|---|---|
| What customer enters | Till number + amount | Business no. + account no. + amount |
| Reference field | None — money just arrives | Account number = your order/invoice no. |
| Reconciliation | Match by name + amount (fragile) | Match by account reference (clean) |
| Typical use | Counter sales, kiosks, matatus | Invoices, utilities, online orders |
| Setup needs | ID or business registration | Registered business (trading name) |
If you're taking manual payments
On a free Shops in Kenya plan your checkout shows your payment instructions — Till, PayBill, send-money or bank details. Choose PayBill here if you can: telling customers "use your order number as the account number" makes matching payments to orders nearly automatic, while a Till forces you to match by payer name and amount — fine at five orders a day, painful at fifty.
A personal send-money number works too and costs nothing to set up, but it mixes business and personal money — acceptable for validating an idea, worth upgrading once sales are regular.
If you're on automated checkout
With M-PESA STK Push (Starter plan, KSh 299/month) the customer never types a number at all — the prompt carries the exact amount and the payment lands tagged to the order. Till vs PayBill becomes an accounting footnote, not a checkout decision. And if you don't have a business number yet, paid plans can run checkout through the Shops till while you get yours — you aren't blocked waiting for Safaricom paperwork.
A sensible progression
- Validating an idea (KSh 0): free plan + send-money or existing Till instructions.
- Selling regularly: apply for a PayBill in your business name — cleaner books, better dispute evidence.
- Orders coming in daily: Starter plan + STK Push — automatic confirmation beats either manual option.
- Scaling up: connect your own PayBill credentials so settlement and branding are fully yours.
Skip the reconciliation work
Automated M-PESA + card checkout from KSh 299/month — or start free with manual payments.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an M-PESA Till and a PayBill?
A Till (Buy Goods) number takes payments with no account reference — money just arrives with the payer's name. A PayBill (Business Number) asks customers for an account number, so you can tag payments to orders, invoices or customer accounts. Both settle to your M-PESA business wallet or bank.
Which is better for an online shop?
For manual payments, PayBill wins on reconciliation — customers quote the order number as the account number, so matching is easy. With automated STK Push checkout the question disappears: the system tags each payment to the order either way, and you can even start on the Shops till before you have any business number of your own.
Do I need a Till or PayBill to sell on Shops in Kenya?
No. On the free plan you can display any payment instructions — including a personal send-money number, Till, PayBill or bank details. On paid plans you can use the Shops till for automated checkout, or connect your own credentials when you get them.
How do I get a Till or PayBill number?
Both are applied for through Safaricom business channels — typically via the M-PESA Business app or a Safaricom shop with your business registration (or national ID for a sole proprietor till). PayBill in a trading name usually requires a registered business name.