Tanzania's three major mobile money operators โ M-Pesa (Vodacom), Mixx by Yas (formerly Tigo Pesa) and Airtel Money โ each publish their own fee tables for sending, withdrawing and bill payments. Fees are tiered, change periodically, and differ for on-network vs. off-network transactions. The Tawala Mobile Money Fees calculator aggregates the current 2026 tariffs so you know the cost before you transact.
What this tool shows
- Send-money fees within the same network (e.g. M-Pesa to M-Pesa).
- Send-money fees across networks (e.g. M-Pesa to Airtel Money).
- Cash-withdrawal (cash-out) charges at agents.
- Bill-payment and merchant-pay charges where applicable.
- The amount the recipient actually receives after fees.
Why mobile money fees matter for businesses
If your business accepts mobile money โ whether as a retail till, a service provider, or for B2B settlements โ fees can quietly eat 1โ3% of revenue. A few practical implications:
- Lipa Na M-Pesa (LNM) business merchant accounts have lower fees than personal-to-personal transfers โ register if you receive customer payments regularly.
- Bulk payments (payroll, supplier settlement) qualify for negotiated fee rates with the operator's enterprise team.
- Off-network fees are higher than on-network โ encourage customers on the same network as you, or absorb the difference deliberately.
- The Government Levy โ a separate small charge โ applies on most transactions; it appears in the receipt but is set by Parliament, not the operator.
How to reduce mobile money fees
- Use merchant payments (Lipa Na M-Pesa, Mixx Hapa Hapa, Airtel Pay Bill) instead of personal transfers.
- For business volumes above ~TZS 50M/month, request enterprise pricing from your operator's account manager.
- Consolidate small transactions where possible โ fees are tiered and the per-shilling cost is lower at higher transaction sizes.
- Settle B2B invoices via bank transfer for amounts above TZS 1M โ usually cheaper than mobile money at that size.
