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Many people search for "how much money can I send to Mexico per month" hoping to find an official number. The short answer: there is no legal limit in Mexico for receiving remittances. But that doesn't mean you can send any amount without consequences.
In Mexico, there is no legal cap on receiving remittances from abroad, but the SAT monitors transfers and applies different rules depending on the type of income, the cash amount, and the relationship between the sender and the recipient. Knowing these rules before you send can prevent tax surprises for your family member.
Why "there is no legal limit" isn't the whole story
The absence of a legal cap is often interpreted as total freedom, but the Mexican tax system establishes thresholds that do matter, especially when money enters as cash or when the amounts are high.
The SAT (Tax Administration Service) tracks international transfers arriving in Mexican bank accounts. Financial institutions in Mexico are required to report transactions that exceed certain amounts or show unusual patterns. This monitoring exists to prevent money laundering, not to tax normal family remittances.
The SAT does not charge tax on remittances simply for receiving them: the tax depends on the nature of the income and whether the amount exceeds the thresholds that trigger the obligation to file a tax return.
There are two rules your family member in Mexico needs to know:
Cash deposits: 15,000 peso monthly limit
If your family member receives cash and deposits it into their bank account, Mexican banks must report cash deposits exceeding 15,000 pesos in a calendar month to the SAT. This report does not automatically generate a tax, but it can trigger an audit if your family member's tax profile does not justify it. This limit applies to cash, not electronic transfers.
Electronic transfers: no monthly cap, but subject to monitoring
International transfers that arrive directly into a bank account or digital wallet in Mexico do not have a fixed monthly limit. The SAT may request clarification on income that does not match the recipient's tax return.
When family remittances are tax-exempt in Mexico: what the ISR says
Article 93 of the Income Tax Law (ISR) is the key regulation for remittances. It establishes that donations received from direct family members are exempt from ISR provided that three conditions are met:
- The money was sent by a direct family member: spouse, parents, children, or other direct-line relatives.
- The remittance did not pass through a third party as a commercial intermediary.
- The total annual amount received as a donation does not exceed the threshold that triggers the obligation to declare (approximately 600,000 pesos per year, subject to review each fiscal year).
If the annual amount exceeds that threshold, your family member must include it in their annual tax return to the SAT. It does not necessarily mean they will pay tax, but they must declare it.
Commercial remittances, such as payments for services or work income, are a different case: they do not qualify as donations and are subject to ISR based on the recipient's income level. If your family member receives payments from an employer or client abroad, those amounts must be declared.
If you send money to a direct family member in Mexico as financial support, the exemption under Article 93 of the ISR covers that transfer as long as the annual amount does not exceed the threshold established by the SAT for that fiscal year.
Félix's limits and how to plan your transfers
The limits for sending from the U.S. are not set by the SAT, but by the service you use to transfer. Félix operates under U.S. federal regulations and sets limits based on identity verification levels:
Verifying your identity with Félix is free, done once via WhatsApp, and in most cases, takes only a few minutes. Check the Félix sending limits article to see the full process.
The Félix fee for transfers to Mexico is $2.99 for bank account or digital wallet deposits (Mercado Pago, Cuenta Nu, Spin by Oxxo), and $4.98 for cash pickup at retail locations. There are no hidden costs or exchange rate markups beyond what is shown before you confirm the transfer. Everything is handled via WhatsApp, with no need to download any app.
For those who send significant amounts regularly, verifying your identity is the most useful step: it increases your monthly limit from $2,999 to $9,999 and your six-month limit from $9,999 to $30,000. If you have questions about your current limit, type "my limit" in your WhatsApp chat with Félix and the system will reply immediately.
Sources and references
Gobierno de México / SAT
- SAT: Income Tax Law, Article 93: ISR exemptions for donations received from direct family members and annual reporting thresholds.
Bank of Mexico
- Banxico: Remittance Statistics: Data on remittance flows to Mexico and foreign exchange operation regulations.
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