Kenyan YouTubers and other content creators with AdSense for YouTube accounts based in Kenya are being required to submit their Kenya Revenue Authority personal identification numbers to Google ahead of a new tax withholding requirement.
Google has notified creators that, under the Kenya Income Tax Act, it will begin withholding 5% Kenya tax from their finalised YouTube earnings. The new deduction will first apply to earnings made in September 2026 and paid out in October 2026.
The development means creators who earn money through YouTube monetisation will see a portion of their earnings deducted before payment, with the withheld amount being handled as tax in Kenya.
This email is to inform you that you need to provide your Kenyan personal identification number (PIN) in AdSense for YouTube by October 1, 2026.
What YouTubers need to do ¶
Google says creators must submit their 11 character Kenyan PIN through AdSense for YouTube by October 1, 2026.
Creators can provide the information by logging into their AdSense for YouTube account, going to Payments, then Payments info, Manage settings, Kenya tax info and finally Manage tax info.
The PIN must be entered in capital letters and without hyphens. Google says individual PINs start with A, while entity PINs start with P.
Under the Kenya Income Tax Act, Google is required to withhold taxes on YouTube earnings paid to AdSense for YouTube accounts based in Kenya. Each month, Google will withhold a 5% Kenya tax on finalized YouTube earnings along with any applicable U.S. taxes. This withholding will first apply to September 2026 earnings paid out in October 2026.
For creators who fail to provide a verified PIN by the deadline, their YouTube earnings will continue to accumulate, but payments may be held until the PIN is verified.
Why is Google doing this? ¶
The move is linked to Kenya's existing withholding tax framework for income from digital content monetisation. KRA lists digital content monetisation among income categories subject to a 5% withholding tax for residents.
This means the Google notification is not announcing a completely new 5% tax rate on digital content monetisation. Rather, it signals the implementation of the withholding requirement directly on YouTube earnings paid through AdSense for YouTube accounts based in Kenya.
Google will also continue applying any applicable US taxes to earnings where relevant. The 5% Kenyan withholding is separate from those US tax obligations.
Google will share information with KRA ¶
Google says it will report certain information to KRA each month, including the gross payments subject to Kenyan withholding tax, the amount withheld, the creator's PIN and address.
For Kenyan creators, the immediate message is therefore simple: if you monetise your YouTube channel through a Kenya based AdSense for YouTube account, make sure your KRA PIN is submitted and verified before October 1, 2026.
The first affected payout will be the October 2026 payment covering September 2026 earnings.