M-Pesa & Card Payments
M-Pesa car wash payments that match every shilling to a wash
Most of your customers pay with M-Pesa. That is convenient for them, but it can be a headache for you when messages pile up and nobody knows which payment belongs to which car. CarwashManage sends an M-Pesa STK Push straight from your counter and links every payment, whatever the method, to the wash it paid for.
Matching M-Pesa messages to cars is a nightly puzzle
You know the routine. The day ends, and someone scrolls through a long list of Paybill or Till messages trying to match them to the book. A customer paid KES 500 but the book says KES 400. Two payments came from the same number. One message says 'Kamau' and there is no Kamau in the book. By the time it is sorted, it is late and the answer is still a guess.
Cash adds its own trouble. A customer pays cash, the cashier writes it down later, or not at all. A staff member says the customer 'sent to my number'. Small gaps like these add up over a month, and without a clear record it is very hard to know whether money is being lost or simply recorded badly.
What you get
STK Push from the counter
Type the customer's phone number and the amount is sent to their phone as an M-Pesa PIN prompt. They enter their PIN and the payment is attached to that wash, with no typing of codes.
Every payment tied to a wash
Cash, M-Pesa to your Paybill or Till, card or bank transfer can all be recorded against the exact car they paid for. Nothing floats around unexplained.
Daily reconciliation in one view
See what was expected, what was paid and how it was paid, side by side. Unpaid or part-paid washes stand out so you can follow up the same day.
Fewer 'I sent to my number' stories
When the counter pushes the payment request to the customer's phone, money goes to your business account, not to a staff member's personal line.
We can connect your M-Pesa for you
With our optional M-Pesa Setup Service, our team gets your own Till or Paybill approved for Safaricom Daraja API access, sets up STK Push and payment confirmation, and tests it with you. Money lands straight in your till; CarwashManage never holds it.
Clear payment method breakdown
At a glance, see how much came in as cash, M-Pesa, card and bank today, this week or this month. That makes banking and bookkeeping much simpler.
How it works
Step 1: Finish the wash
When the car is marked ready, the amount due comes from your price list for that vehicle type and service.
Step 2: Choose how the customer pays
Send an STK Push to their phone, or record a cash, card, bank or direct Paybill/Till payment if they have already paid another way.
Step 3: Customer confirms on their phone
For STK Push, the customer enters their M-Pesa PIN on the prompt. The payment is linked to the wash without anyone copying codes into a book.
Step 4: Reconcile before you close
Open the daily reconciliation view, check the totals per payment method and clear any washes that are still unpaid before staff go home.
Three ways to take M-Pesa, on your own till
Every branch can use its own Till or Paybill, and you choose how M-Pesa comes in. Option one is manual entry: staff record the M-Pesa code and amount against the wash. It works on day one with no setup. Option two is Safaricom Daraja STK Push on the branch's own Till or Paybill, so the PIN prompt goes straight to the customer's phone. Option three is Kopo Kopo: if you already use a Kopo Kopo till, you can connect it.
Getting Daraja access approved by Safaricom (the 'Go-Live' step) can be slow and confusing if you have never done it. That is why we offer the M-Pesa Setup Service, a paid optional add-on with a one-time fee; contact us for the price. We handle the approval for your own till, configure STK Push and payment confirmation in your account, and test it before you rely on it. The money always goes directly to you.
Not every customer pays by phone, so you can still record cash, card, bank transfer or a payment sent to your Paybill or Till on their own. Fleet clients and matatu saccos that settle weekly can be recorded too. Car washes outside Kenya can record mobile money, cash, card and bank payments manually against each wash in the same way.
Clean payment records also help at tax time. You are expected to keep proper records for KRA, and a full list of washes and payments by day is far easier to work with than a stack of notebooks and screenshots. CarwashManage keeps that history for you; your accountant decides how to use it for filing.
Optional add-on · one-time
M-Pesa Setup Service: we connect your M-Pesa for you
Getting STK Push working on your own till means applying to Safaricom for Daraja API access, getting the till approved to "Go-Live" and configuring it correctly. Our team does it with you: we get your own Till or Paybill approved for Daraja, set up STK Push and payment confirmation in your CarwashManage account, and test it with real payments - so money lands directly in your till, never with us.
- 1. Manual entryRecord M-Pesa payments against each wash. Works on day one, no setup.
- 2. Daraja STK PushPrompt the customer's phone from the counter, on your own till or Paybill.
- 3. Kopo KopoAlready on Kopo Kopo? Connect that till instead.
Each branch can use its own till with any of the three options. Price: contact us.
Book M-Pesa setup on WhatsAppM-Pesa & Card Payments: questions
What is an M-Pesa STK Push?
It is a payment request sent to the customer's phone. A pop-up asks them to confirm the amount and enter their M-Pesa PIN. Once they confirm, the money goes to your business and the payment is recorded against the wash.
Can I still accept cash and card?
Yes. You can record cash, card, bank transfer and M-Pesa paid directly to your Paybill or Till. Each one is linked to the wash, so your daily totals include every method.
Can you set up M-Pesa for me?
Yes. Our M-Pesa Setup Service is a paid, optional add-on with a one-time fee; contact us for the price. We get your own Till or Paybill approved for Safaricom Daraja API access, configure STK Push and payment confirmation, and test it with you. Payments land directly in your till, and CarwashManage never holds your money.
Can each branch have its own till?
Yes. Each branch can use its own Till or Paybill. Per branch, you can record M-Pesa codes manually, use Daraja STK Push on that branch's till, or connect a Kopo Kopo till. Payments are still linked to each wash and show up in that branch's reconciliation.
Will this file my taxes with KRA?
No, CarwashManage does not file returns or connect to KRA systems. What it does is keep a clear record of every wash and payment, which you or your accountant can export to PDF or Excel when you prepare your returns.
Ready to run your car wash with less stress?
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