Uganda MoMo transfer (send) charges — and why sending is tax-free
Sending money from one MoMo wallet to another in Uganda costs from UGX 100 (small amounts) to UGX 2,000 (large). Important: sending is NOT subject to the 0.5% URA tax — that only hits cash withdrawals. Receiving is always free.
The MTN MoMo send schedule (live)
Source: mtn.co.ug/tariffs/mobile-money-tariffs. The send fee is identical whether you send to another MTN number or to Airtel/Wave (national interoperability).
| Band (UGX) | Send fee | To bank |
|---|---|---|
| 500 – 2,500 | UGX 100 | — |
| 2,501 – 5,000 | UGX 100 | UGX 1,500 |
| 5,001 – 15,000 | UGX 500 | UGX 1,500 |
| 15,001 – 30,000 | UGX 500 | UGX 1,500 |
| 30,001 – 45,000 | UGX 500 | UGX 1,500 |
| 45,001 – 60,000 | UGX 500 | UGX 1,500 |
| 60,001 – 125,000 | UGX 1,000 | UGX 1,500 |
| 125,001 – 250,000 | UGX 1,000 | UGX 2,250 |
| 250,001 – 500,000 | UGX 1,000 | UGX 4,100 |
| 500,001 – 1,000,000 | UGX 1,500 | UGX 6,150 |
| 1,000,001 – 2,000,000 | UGX 2,000 | UGX 9,250 |
| 2,000,001 – 4,000,000 | UGX 2,000 | UGX 11,300 |
| 4,000,001 – 5,000,000 | UGX 2,000 | UGX 11,300 |
On top of these fees, 15% VAT applies. For a UGX 250,000 send, the operator fee is UGX 1,000 and VAT is UGX 150 — total UGX 1,150. NO URA tax.
Worked examples (total fee with VAT)
- Send UGX 5,000 → fee UGX 100 + VAT UGX 15 = UGX 115 total. No URA tax.
- Send UGX 50,000 → fee UGX 500 + VAT UGX 75 = UGX 575 total. No URA tax.
- Send UGX 250,000 → fee UGX 1,000 + VAT UGX 150 = UGX 1,150 total. No URA tax.
- Send UGX 1,000,000 → fee UGX 1,500 + VAT UGX 225 = UGX 1,725 total. No URA tax.
- Send UGX 2,000,000 → fee UGX 2,000 + VAT UGX 300 = UGX 2,300 total. No URA tax.
Comparing with a withdrawal of the same amount
The cost gap between sending and withdrawing the SAME amount is revealing. For UGX 100,000:
- Send UGX 100,000 → UGX 1,000 fee + UGX 150 VAT = UGX 1,150 (effective rate 1.15%)
- Withdraw UGX 100,000 → UGX 1,925 fee + UGX 500 URA tax + UGX 289 VAT = UGX 2,714 (effective rate 2.71%)
Withdrawing costs ~2.4× as much as sending for the same amount. The 0.5% URA tax accounts for the gap, plus an operator withdrawal fee always higher than the send fee.