SHA PRN: What It Is and How Employers Generate It
A SHA PRN (Payment Reference Number) is the document the SHA employer portal generates automatically after you submit your payroll template. It’s not something individual members ever see or need — it exists purely to let SHA match a bulk employer remittance to the right employees, for the right month, without manual reconciliation. If you’re an employer trying to pay SHA correctly for your staff, this is the number your bank or M-Pesa payment must be tied to.
Is this for you, or are you an individual member?
What a PRN actually does
SHA collects contributions from thousands of employers every month, each covering dozens or hundreds of employees at different contribution amounts. Without a system-generated reference, a lump-sum bank transfer or M-Pesa payment has no way of telling SHA which employees it covers, for which month, or how the total should be split across them. The PRN solves that: it’s generated against one specific payroll submission, carries the exact breakdown per employee, and is what SHA’s system reads to allocate the payment correctly the moment it lands. Pay without it, or pay against the wrong one, and the remittance can sit unallocated even though the money has left your account.
How to generate your SHA PRN
Log in to the SHA employer portal
Go to the employer portal at employers.sha.go.ke and sign in with your registered employer credentials.
Download the payroll template
SHA provides a standard payroll template covering employee names, ID numbers, KRA PIN, and contribution amounts. Download it from the portal rather than reusing an old copy, in case the format has changed.
Populate it with your employees’ details
Fill in every employee being remitted for that period, with accurate contribution amounts based on the 2.75% deduction. Errors here carry through to the PRN and the eventual allocation.
Submit the template on the portal
Upload the completed template. The portal validates the entries before accepting the submission.
Download your generated PRN
Once the submission is accepted, the portal automatically generates a PRN document showing the full payment breakdown. This is what you use to pay — not anything you create yourself.
How to pay using your SHA PRN
| Payment method | What to do |
|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Quote the PRN number exactly as shown on the generated document as your payment reference. |
| M-Pesa | Use the account number provided inside the PRN document — not your own National ID or your company’s KRA PIN — so the payment is matched to that specific submission. |
Common SHA PRN mistakes to avoid
Reusing a previous month’s PRN for a new payment — each PRN is tied to one specific submission and period, and will not correctly allocate a different month’s money.
Paying via M-Pesa using your National ID or company KRA PIN instead of the account number printed inside the PRN document.
Submitting the payroll template with incorrect employee contribution amounts, which carries the error into the PRN and the eventual per-employee allocation.
Losing the PRN document without checking the Submissions tab first, then re-submitting the same payroll template and generating a duplicate.
FAQ: SHA PRN
What is a SHA PRN?
A PRN (Payment Reference Number) is a document the SHA employer portal generates after an employer submits their payroll template. It shows the payment breakdown per employee and is used to complete the remittance, either by quoting it at the bank or by using the account number it provides for M-Pesa.
Do individual SHA members need a PRN?
No. Individual and self-employed members paying their own monthly contribution use SHA paybill 200222 with their National ID number as the account number. There is no PRN step in that flow. PRN generation is specific to the employer portal after a payroll template submission.
How do I generate a SHA PRN?
Log in to the SHA employer portal, download and fill in the payroll template with employee details and contribution amounts, submit it, and the portal automatically generates a PRN document showing the breakdown for that submission.
How do I pay using my SHA PRN?
Via bank transfer, quote the PRN number exactly as shown on the document. Via M-Pesa, use the account number provided inside the PRN document, not your own National ID or company KRA PIN.
Can I reuse a SHA PRN for the next month’s payment?
No. Each PRN is tied to a specific payroll submission and payment period. A new payroll template submission generates a new PRN for that month.
What happens if I lose my SHA PRN document?
Log back in to the employer portal and check the Submissions tab, where past PRN documents for each payroll submission are stored and can be reopened.
Stuck Generating or Using Your SHA PRN?
Send us your employer portal details on WhatsApp and we’ll help you submit your payroll template, generate your PRN correctly, and confirm the payment goes through.
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