What is a tanda and how does it work?
A tanda is a rotating group savings circle: a group of people each put in the same amount every week, every two weeks or every month, and each round one of them receives the whole pot. No bank, no interest — just trust.
How does a tanda (or cundina) work? Step by step
- The group comes together: family, friends or coworkers — usually 5 to 20 people.
- Everyone agrees on the amount and schedule: for example, $100 every payday.
- Numbers are drawn: each member gets a number that says which round they'll be paid in.
- Everyone pays in every round: the organizer collects the contributions.
- Each round has one payout: whoever holds that round's number receives the full pot.
- The cycle ends when everyone has been paid: each person gets back what they put in, as one lump sum.
Example: in a 10-person tanda where everyone puts in $200 twice a month, each member receives $2,000 on their turn. It's a form of forced savings that families use to put together a down payment, pay off a bill or make a big purchase.
What is a tanda called in English? Names around the world
Researchers call them rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs), and they exist in almost every culture under hundreds of names. In the US you'll also hear savings circle, lending circle or money pool. These are the most common names:
Tanda / Savings circle — United States
Latino communities across the US run tandas, cundinas and sanes in dollars, just like back home. In English they're called savings circles, lending circles, money pools or ROSCAs.
Run yours in the US →Tanda — Mexico
The most common name in central and southern Mexico, and among Mexican families in the US.
Cundina — Northern Mexico
In Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California and other northern states, the tanda is called a cundina.
San — Dominican Republic & Venezuela
The san is a pillar of everyday saving for Dominicans and Venezuelans, at home and abroad.
Cuchubal — Guatemala & El Salvador
The cuchubal is Central America's version of rotating savings among people who know each other.
Junta / Pandero — Peru
The junta or pandero works just like a tanda: regular contributions and one payout per round.
Natillera / Cadena — Colombia
The natillera is a tradition in Antioquia; cadena is the common name elsewhere.
Susu — The Caribbean & West Africa
The susu (or osusu) came to the Caribbean from West Africa and is still going strong in Trinidad, Jamaica and Haiti.
Polla — Chile
In Chile, a polla is a group savings pool where one member takes the pot each period.
Pasanaku — Bolivia
From the Quechua for "passing from hand to hand", the pasanaku is a tradition in Bolivian families and offices.
Paluwagan — The Philippines
The Filipino paluwagan follows the same pattern of contributions and turns.
Tontine — French-speaking Africa & France
A tontine brings neighbors or merchants together to save and lend in a circle.
Hui — China & Asian communities
The hui is the traditional Chinese savings circle, found across Asia and in Asian communities in the US.
Stokvel — South Africa
South Africa's stokvels move billions every year through community savings groups.
The risks of running it by hand
Because a tanda runs on trust, the weak spot is always record-keeping: notebooks that go missing, payments nobody remembers, members who fall behind and organizers who carry all the work. Most tanda problems aren't about bad faith — they're about unclear records.
That's what TandaPlus is for: an automatic payment schedule, a log of every contribution with receipts, configurable late fees, WhatsApp reminders and a dashboard where every number is clear. Whether you call it a tanda, cundina, san or savings circle, it works the same way — and so does the app. TandaPlus keeps the records; the money stays between you and your group.
Getting ready to start one? Follow our step-by-step guide to organizing a tanda and use the tanda calculator to show your group the payout schedule.