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Paybill vs Till number: what’s the difference?

By · Published · Category: Glossary

Both are Safaricom M-Pesa business shortcodes, but a Paybill is built for bill payments and lets the payer enter an account number (e.g. a tenant’s unit) so each payment is attributable — ideal for rent. A Till (Buy Goods) is for quick point-of-sale purchases with no account field. For collecting rent, a Paybill is usually the better fit.

Side by side

 PaybillTill (Buy Goods)
Built forBill / recurring paymentsPoint-of-sale purchases
Account numberYes — payer enters a referenceNo account field
Payment attributionEasy — each payment maps to a tenantHarder — no per-tenant reference
Best for rent?YesNot ideal

Which to use for rent

Because rent needs to be matched to a specific tenant every month, the Paybill’s account number is what makes automatic reconciliation possible. Learn more in What is an M-Pesa Paybill? and the M-Pesa rent collection guide.

Frequently asked

A Paybill, in most cases. It captures an account number with each payment so rent is attributable to the right tenant and can be reconciled automatically. A Till has no account field.

You can receive money on a Till, but without an account reference it is harder to know which tenant paid, which makes reconciliation manual and error-prone. A Paybill is the better fit for rent.