NHIF is a Kenyan parastatal that offers medical insurance for Kenyans.

We occasionally get sick and have to visit the hospital to have our health restored. Without an NHIF cover, our medical costs can be unaffordable.

That’s why you should have one and pay consistently in preparation for such tough days.

It’s very easy to remit your NHIF monthly payments. You can use Mpesa, pay through a bank and even pay online using mobile banking apps.

We’ll cover all these payment gateways for NHIF. Meanwhile, you can check your NHIF account status anytime.

Pay NHIF via MPesa

MPesa is the most widely used payment gateway in Kenya. Therefore, it is not a surprise that NHIF has an MPesa payment gateway with MPesa, which most people use.

To pay NHIF using MPesa.

1. Go to the M-Pesa menu
2. Select Lipa na M-PESA.
3. Choose Pay Bill
4. Enter NHIF Paybill Business Number: 200222
5. Enter your National ID Number as Account Number
6. Enter amount KES 500.00 per month
7. Enter your M-Pesa Pin
8. Confirm details and press OK

This transaction will charge you Ksh 10.

Simple as cake. You will receive a confirmation SMS from MPESA immediately, but your account could take 2 to 3 days to reflect.

Using this method, you can even pay for a family member or friend NHIF’s by using their national ID as the account number.

To quickly check the status of your account using a mobile phone

• Compose a new SMS
• Type the letters “ID”, space, then your ID number.
• Send the SMS to 21101

You’ll get a reply showing your member number, your ID number, year of birth, your last contributions, and your dependents.

Now, what if you’re an employer and you wish to pay NHIF using MPesa?

Pay NHIF via MPesa for Employers/Company

The process is quite similar to that of normal citizens. The only difference is the account number used.

To pay NHIF using MPesa for Employers

1. Go to the M-Pesa menu
2. Select Lipa na M-PESA.
3. Choose Pay Bill
4. Enter NHIF Paybill Business Number 200222
5. Enter E-slip number/ By Product Number as Account number
6. Enter amount
7. Enter your M-Pesa Pin
8. Confirm details and press OK

You’ll be charged Ksh 10 for this transaction.

If you’re wondering what an E-Slip number is, you can get it from the electronic ticket containing taxpayer details such as Name, Pin, Amount Due.

You can generate your E-slip via NHIF online portal.

How to pay NHIF Online

We are in the digital era, so for those who want to pay NHIF online, maybe because they are out of the country and cannot access MPesa services, your options are a little limited.

You’ll need a bank app to pay NHIF online. And preferably an app by one of the 4 banks NHIF uses to receive payments. I’ll use Equity for this example; it’s the largest Kenyan bank by customer numbers.

To pay NHIF online through Equity Bank app

1. Open Eazzy Banking App
2. Click on Pay Bill
3. Search “National Hospital Insurance Fund-Settlement Account” (in full)
4. Enter Bill account: your ID number or E-slip if you’re an employer
5. Enter Amount
6. Enter your Equity M-Banking Pin
7. Select Account
8. Click Pay

If you’re keen, you’ll notice that Equity uses the same NHIF Business Number 200222.

So, if you’re going outside the country and wish to pay while away, make sure you set up your Mobile banking apps before taking the flight. With mobile apps, you can access these services from anywhere.

How to Pay NHIF penalty via MPesa

Now, sometimes you will fall back in payment or miss the NHIF payment deadline on; 9^th of every month. Consequently, you’ll be charged Ksh 250 as a self-employed individual and 50% of your monthly premium as an employed person on as an employer/company.

Worry not. You can pay your NHIF penalty easily through MPesa, following the same process with a minor addition.

1. Go to the M-Pesa menu
2. Select Lipa na M-PESA.
3. Choose Pay Bill
4. Enter NHIF Paybill Business Number: 200222
5. Enter your National ID Number and y, e.g. 12345678y
6. Enter NHIF Penalty, i.e. Ksh 250.
7. Enter your M-Pesa Pin
8. Confirm details and press OK

This transaction will also cost you Ksh 10, and on top of that, you’ll have to pay the defaulted premium to clear the bill.

If you miss 12 consecutive monthly payments, you’ll be deregistered from the NHIF, and your card deactivated. To re-enrol, you’ll have to visit the NHIF offices and pay Ksh 1500 to get back into the system.

How to Pay NHIF penalty for Employers

Employers are held to a strict accountability level regarding NHIF payments. If a company defaults payment, the penalty amount is generated through the NHIF office. You can check this information through the online portal.

To pay the penalty, you’ll have to visit a Bank Branch (NOT a bank agent) of one of these banks;

• Equity Bank
• KCB Bank
• National Bank
• Co-operative Bank of Kenya

And pay through the availed NHIF bank account numbers.

You have an allowance of 5 days from the date of paying a late premium to completion of the penalty.

To clarify, the NHIF rate for self-employed citizens is Ksh 500 monthly. In contrast, the rates for employed citizens with different salaries vary from 150 for a monthly salary of up to Ksh 6,000 to Ksh 1,700 for a monthly salary of over Ksh 100,000.

Wrapping up

NHIF is a very important medical service. Kenyans save millions of shillings in medical costs daily using t NHIF services. If you pay your NHIF premiums religiously, at some point’ you’ll have your medical bills covered almost entirely by the service. And since we never know when we’ll get sick, it’s better to be prepared early on.