Why you should open a separate business bank account

What is the difference between a business account and a personal account?

A business bank account allows you easily manage your business’ expenses and income. Personal bank accounts help individuals to access and manage their personal funds. If you're a small business or a sole trader starting out, it's a good idea to open a separate a business bank account, and the sooner the better, even if you run your business part time. 

Benefits of a business bank account

Many small business owners use their existing personal bank accounts, but there are benefits to opening a separate and dedicated account to manage your business finances.

Let’s explore the main benefits of opening a separate business bank account.

Spend less time and money on admin

When tax time comes, it'll be easier to get your books in order if you have a separate account for your business. You won’t have to spend hours trying to work out which transactions were for your business. If you use a bookkeeper or accountant to do your tax, you won’t have to pay them to sort out what’s business and what’s personal.

Link to other business accounts and accounting software

If you have a business bank account you can link other accounts like a business credit card or a merchant payment device, making managing all your transactions smoother. Once your business starts using accounting software, having a separate business account will make bookkeeping a lot easier. That’s because many accounting packages can integrate directly with your bank account, to automate a lot of the bookwork. You could connect software like Xero, MYOB or Quicken to a NAB Everyday Business Account, which has no monthly fees.

Track your business expenses and income easily

With a separate business account you’ll find it much easier and simpler to track your expenses, income and profit. You’ll be able to quickly look at the numbers and then make decisions about where to invest your time and money, and where to reduce expenses. If you run your business through a personal bank account, you’ll have to find a way to work out all these things, and that can be difficult and time-consuming.

Prepares your business for the future

It’s much easier to have a separate bank account set up from the start, so you won’t have the hassle of changing it later on. If you start with a personal account then swap to a business account, you'll have to tell your suppliers and customer to change the banking details they have on file for you.

Also, with a business account you’ll be better prepared to get your books in order. This'll make it easier if you decide to apply for a loan or obtain finance to expand. It'll also make it much easier for your business to be valued, should you consider selling it.

Deductions for tax time are easier and simpler

A separate business account can make it a lot easier to identify and deduct any bank fees from your tax liability. When tax time comes you won’t have to sort through various accounts to sort out business fees from personal banking fees.