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Taking M-Pesa in your salon without losing track

6 min read · For salon, spa and barbershop owners

Most salon clients in Kenya pay by M-Pesa. It's safer than cash and faster at the till — but it's also where money quietly goes missing, when payments land on a personal line or aren't matched to a service. Here's how to take M-Pesa without losing track.

Till, paybill or a personal number?

  • Buy Goods till: the simplest for walk-in clients — they pay to a till number displayed at reception.
  • Paybill: useful if you want an account reference (like the client's name) on each payment.
  • A stylist's personal number: avoid it. You can't see the payments, and it's the most common source of disputes.

Put the till or paybill number on the wall at reception, on your receipts and on your booking page, so clients never ask a stylist where to send money.

Record every payment against the service and the stylist

An M-Pesa statement tells you money came in; it doesn't tell you which service it was for or who did the work. Record each sale at the till — the services, the stylist, and that it was paid by M-Pesa. That's what lets you work out commission and reconcile at night.

Split payments

Clients often pay part by M-Pesa and part in cash. Record both amounts on the same sale, so your M-Pesa total and your cash drawer both match what the system says.

Reconcile every evening

  1. Open your report for the day and read the M-Pesa total.
  2. Compare it with the M-Pesa statement for your till.
  3. Count the cash and compare it with the cash total.
  4. If something doesn't match, it's usually one sale recorded under the wrong method — fix it the same day.

Paying staff by M-Pesa

When you pay commission by M-Pesa, record the payout and the transaction reference, and give the stylist a payslip that lists the services it covers.

BeautyFlow's salon POS records M-Pesa, cash, card and split payments against each stylist, splits your takings by method in the daily report, and books commission as the client pays. Outside Kenya it names your own mobile money — see mobile money for salons in East Africa.

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