MTN MoMo & Airtel Money Uganda withdrawal charges (2026)
Withdrawing cash from a MoMo wallet in Uganda combines THREE costs: the operator fee (MTN or Airtel based on the band), the 0.5% URA tax on the withdrawn amount, and 15% VAT on the operator fee. Here is the full verified schedule — and the real all-in cost for each band.
The verified MTN MoMo schedule (mtn.co.ug)
Here is the schedule MTN Uganda publishes for agent and ATM withdrawals. ATM bands stop at UGX 1,000,000 — above that, only agents can dispense.
| Band (UGX) | Agent fee | ATM fee |
|---|---|---|
| 500 – 2,500 | UGX 330 | UGX 6 |
| 2,501 – 5,000 | UGX 440 | UGX 1,150 |
| 5,001 – 15,000 | UGX 700 | UGX 1,150 |
| 15,001 – 30,000 | UGX 880 | UGX 1,150 |
| 30,001 – 45,000 | UGX 1,210 | UGX 1,400 |
| 45,001 – 60,000 | UGX 1,500 | UGX 1,400 |
| 60,001 – 125,000 | UGX 1,925 | UGX 2,150 |
| 125,001 – 250,000 | UGX 3,575 | UGX 4,000 |
| 250,001 – 500,000 | UGX 7,000 | UGX 6,650 |
| 500,001 – 1,000,000 | UGX 12,500 | UGX 11,950 |
| 1,000,001 – 2,000,000 | UGX 15,000 | — |
| 2,000,001 – 4,000,000 | UGX 18,000 | — |
| 4,000,001 – 5,000,000 | UGX 20,000 | — |
Source: mtn.co.ug/tariffs/mobile-money-tariffs — verified June 2026. The URA tax and VAT add on to these figures; see the tax page for the detailed breakdown.
Real all-in cost by band
The operator fee is only part of the story. Here, band by band, is the TOTAL COST including the 0.5% URA tax and 15% VAT, computed live.
| Withdraw example | MTN fee | Tax + VAT | Total | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UGX 5,000 | UGX 440 | UGX 91 | UGX 531 | 10.62% |
| UGX 15,000 | UGX 700 | UGX 180 | UGX 880 | 5.87% |
| UGX 50,000 | UGX 1,500 | UGX 475 | UGX 1,975 | 3.95% |
| UGX 100,000 | UGX 1,925 | UGX 789 | UGX 2,714 | 2.71% |
| UGX 250,000 | UGX 3,575 | UGX 1,786 | UGX 5,361 | 2.14% |
| UGX 500,000 | UGX 7,000 | UGX 3,550 | UGX 10,550 | 2.11% |
| UGX 1,000,000 | UGX 12,500 | UGX 6,875 | UGX 19,375 | 1.94% |
| UGX 2,000,000 | UGX 15,000 | UGX 12,250 | UGX 27,250 | 1.36% |
On small withdrawals, the total effective rate often exceeds 5%. On large ones (above UGX 500,000) it converges toward 2%, dominated by the 0.5% URA tax and the flat operator fee.
Dedicated per-amount pages
Withdraw UGX 50,000Withdraw UGX 500,000Withdraw UGX 1,000,000
Each dedicated page gives the exact total cost for that amount, which band it falls into, and — if it sits right at a band edge — the consolidate-or-split tip.
Wave — the near-zero-fee alternative
Wave Uganda came into the market positioning itself explicitly as the low-fee challenger. For withdrawals, Wave's schedule is typically 30-50% cheaper than MTN/Airtel on medium bands. The 0.5% URA tax and 15% VAT still apply — no operator can escape them. But the operator component itself can be much lower at Wave.