How to Cut Your Mobile Money (MoMo) Charges in Ghana (2026)

Mobile money is how Ghana moves money — MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash and AT Money sit at the centre of daily life for roughly 19 million active users. But every cash-out and most transfers carry a fee, and over a year those small charges add up to real money. Here is how the charges work in 2026, the tax that no longer applies, the fee that was announced and then stopped, and the practical ways to keep more of your cedis.

The big change: no more E-Levy

The Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) — the government tax on electronic transfers introduced in 2022 at 1.75% and later cut to 1% — was repealed with effect from 2 April 2025. Parliament passed the repeal bill in March 2025, the President signed it on 2 April, and the Ghana Revenue Authority directed charging entities to refund any E-Levy deducted on or after that date.

There is now no government levy on your mobile money transfers. Any charge you still see is a provider fee — MTN, Telecel or AT — not a tax. That distinction matters: provider fees are competitive and avoidable in ways a tax never was. If a merchant or agent still tells you a deduction is "the e-levy", they are wrong.

The fee that was announced, then paused

In May 2026 MTN announced a 0.75% charge on MoMo-to-bank transfers (capped at around GH¢5), due to start on 1 June 2026. The Bank of Ghana directed that it be paused the next day, pending stakeholder consultation, so it did not take effect as announced.

Treat wallet-to-bank pricing as live and contested: check what your provider actually charges before moving a large sum, and do not assume either that it is free forever or that the paused fee has quietly arrived. The app or USSD menu shows the charge before you confirm — that is the only number that counts.

How the provider fees work

Tariffs change, so always check your provider's current fee schedule. The shape in 2026, using MTN Ghana as the reference, is:

• Receiving money is free. There is no charge to have money sent to your wallet, from Ghana or from abroad.
• Sending / peer-to-peer transfers: roughly 0.75% on amounts up to GH¢1,000, moving to a flat cap (around GH¢7.50) above that. So a GH¢200 transfer costs about GH¢1.50, while a GH¢5,000 transfer costs the same capped few cedis as a GH¢1,500 one.
• Cash-out (withdrawing to physical cash): free under about GH¢50, then roughly 1% up to GH¢2,000, then capped at about GH¢20 above that.
• Wallet-to-bank and bank-to-wallet: see the paused-fee section above.
• Merchant payments (MoMoPay): typically cheaper than sending to a personal number, and often free to the payer.

Telecel Cash and AT Money price on a similar shape but not identical numbers — worth a comparison if most of your money moves on one network.

Nine ways to pay less

1. Keep money digital. The expensive step is almost always cash-out. If you can pay a merchant, a bill or another person directly from your wallet, you skip the withdrawal fee entirely.
2. Use merchant pay (MoMoPay / till numbers). Paying a registered merchant from your wallet is typically cheaper than sending to their personal number and having them cash out — and safer, because it leaves a proper record.
3. Consolidate transfers. Because the send fee caps above the threshold, one larger transfer usually costs less in total than several small ones. Sending a month's support in one go beats four weekly transfers.
4. Cross the cash-out cap deliberately. With a flat cap above roughly GH¢2,000, two withdrawals of GH¢2,000 cost more than one of GH¢4,000. If you genuinely need the cash, take it in one trip.
5. Stay under the free cash-out floor for small amounts — withdrawals under about GH¢50 are free.
6. Receive into the right wallet. Since receiving is free, have people send to the wallet you will actually spend from, rather than moving it afterwards and paying twice.
7. Link a bank account if you move larger sums regularly — a GhIPSS instant pay transfer between banks can be cheaper than repeated cash-outs, subject to whatever wallet-to-bank fee applies.
8. Check the fee before you confirm. The USSD menu and app show the charge before you approve. A two-second habit that stops surprises.
9. Compare networks. Tariffs differ between MTN, Telecel and AT. If most of your money moves within one network, being on that network avoids cross-network costs.

A worked example

Say you receive GH¢3,000 a month from family abroad and currently cash out the whole lot at an agent, then hand cash to a landlord and a school.

• Cashing out GH¢3,000 in one go: about GH¢20 (the cap).
• Cashing out in two trips of GH¢1,500: roughly GH¢15 each, so GH¢30.
• Paying the landlord and the school directly from the wallet via MoMoPay: potentially GH¢0 in cash-out fees.

Over a year, that is the difference between roughly GH¢360 and nothing. Nothing about the money changed — only the route.

A note on safety

Free-to-receive does not mean risk-free. Never share your MoMo PIN or an OTP, and treat "you've been sent money by mistake, please send it back" messages as the scam they usually are — a genuine reversal is handled by the network, not by you sending money to a stranger. Register the line in your own name, and report a lost or swapped SIM immediately. Good habits here also protect the mobile money history that increasingly feeds your credit record — see how to check your credit score in Ghana.

Frequently asked questions

Is the E-Levy still charged in 2026? No. It was repealed with effect from 2 April 2025, and the GRA ordered refunds of any deductions made on or after that date. Any charge on a transfer today is a provider fee, not a government tax.

Is it free to receive money on MoMo? Yes — receiving is free across the networks, including money sent from abroad. Fees apply to sending, cashing out, and potentially wallet-to-bank transfers.

Does MoMo-to-bank cost 0.75%? MTN announced that fee in May 2026 for a 1 June start, and the Bank of Ghana paused it the following day pending consultation. Check what your provider actually charges before you transfer.

What is the cheapest way to send GH¢5,000? One transfer rather than several, paid directly to a merchant or account where possible, avoiding cash-out. The send fee caps above roughly GH¢1,000, so splitting the amount only multiplies the charges.

Is my MoMo money protected like a bank deposit? Mobile money issuers must hold your float in trust accounts at banks under the Bank of Ghana's e-money rules, and the Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Act, 2025 extended the deposit protection scheme's mandate to electronic money — see GDPC deposit protection explained.