How to get paid by a company abroad from Kenya

From Kenya you can be paid by a company abroad through Payoneer, PayPal, Grey or a transfer to your bank account, and move the money to M-PESA. Wise doesn’t give people here their own account details, but an employer can use it to send shillings to your account.

We checked each service’s own pages on 11 November 2026. Fees and rules change, so read the page linked beside each one before you choose.

The ways to get paid

Payoneer. You can receive from companies abroad and withdraw to a local bank. Payoneer’s price list shows US$1.50 for a bank withdrawal here. (Payoneer: fees, dated 1 January 2026)
PayPal. You can receive payments and withdraw to a Kenyan bank: free above KES 20,000, KES 105 below that. Through a provider it is 2% plus US$1.50. Safaricom also runs a service that moves PayPal dollars to M-PESA, with its own fees and limits. (PayPal: fees for this country) (Safaricom: the M-PESA PayPal service)
Grey. Grey gives you account details in foreign currency and pays out in shillings to banks or M-PESA. (Grey: about your Grey account)
Wise. Wise doesn’t give people living in Kenya their own balances or account details. An employer can still use Wise to send shillings straight to your bank account. (Wise: where you need to live to hold money with Wise) (Wise: currencies you can send to and from)

What people trip on

Moving PayPal money to M-PESA has its own conversion fee and a limit on each transfer, so check Safaricom’s page before you count on it.

Before you say yes to a job

Ask how they pay, in which currency, and who covers the fees.
Ask whether you’d be an employee, often through a company that employs you locally for them, or a contractor who sends invoices.
Get the pay, the currency and the pay day in the contract, and keep every invoice or payslip.
You pay tax where you live. The rules differ from place to place, so check with your tax office or an accountant.
Never pay to get paid. A “fee to release your salary” is a scam: see how to spot a remote job scam.

Find jobs open to people in Kenya

See remote jobs open to people in Kenya

Every one shows the line in the listing that says you can apply from Kenya. Match me reads your CV and picks the ones that fit you best.

Getting paid in other countries

Questions people ask

Can I use Wise to get paid in Kenya?

Not with your own Wise account details: Wise doesn’t offer balances to people living in Kenya. An employer can still send shillings to your account through Wise.

Can I move PayPal money to M-PESA?

Yes, through Safaricom’s M-PESA PayPal service, which has its own conversion fee and a limit on each transfer.

Does it cost money to receive pay from abroad?

Usually, somewhere: a fee to receive, a fee to withdraw, or a weaker exchange rate. Ask the employer who covers the fees, and compare what lands in your account, not the headline rate.

Should I pay a fee to release my salary?

No. A real employer never asks you to pay to get paid. Treat any “release fee”, “tax clearance fee” or request to buy gift cards as a scam.