How to switch business bank account providers

Reasons businesses switch

There's no single right time to switch business bank account providers, but these are common triggers:

• Fees have crept up. Your plan price or per-transfer charges no longer fit how you use the account.
• Your needs have changed. You now take cash, pay staff, trade abroad or want invoicing and tax tools.
• Protection matters more. Some businesses switch business bank accounts to move from an e-money account to one where eligible deposits are FSCS-protected.
• Service. You want phone support, longer opening hours or a better app.

If one of these applies, compare a few options first. It's worth knowing what you'll gain before you switch business bank account providers, because a switch closes your old account for good.

What the Current Account Switch Service is

CASS is a free service owned and operated by Pay.UK, a not-for-profit company that's part of the UK's payment system. It lets you switch business bank account providers without setting up every payment again yourself. Your new provider does the work: it moves your balance, Direct Debits, standing orders and saved payees, and arranges for payments sent to your old account to be redirected.

Only banks and building societies that display the CASS Trustmark take part. If either your old or your new provider isn't signed up, you can't use the service and you'll need to switch business bank account providers by hand (see switching without CASS).

Who can switch business bank accounts with CASS

According to the Current Account Switch Service's business FAQs, a business can use the service "so long as you have an annual turnover that does not exceed £6.5 million and you employ fewer than 50 people". Small trusts with net assets under £6.5 million can also use it.

• Accounts: current accounts only. Savings accounts can't be switched through CASS.
• Overdrafts: agree any overdraft you need with the new provider. Otherwise, you'll need to repay your existing overdraft separately.
• Both providers: must be CASS participants.

Your new provider will still run its normal checks before it opens your account, even if you switch business bank account providers through CASS. The switch can only be arranged once the new account exists.

How to switch business bank accounts with CASS

Here's the process to switch business bank account providers through CASS, based on the service's own business switching guide.

1. 1

   Choose your new account

   Compare fees, features and protection. You can compare business bank accounts on our site, then check the provider shows the CASS Trustmark.

2. 2

   Open the new account

   Apply as normal. Expect identity checks, business details, ID for directors or partners, and proof of business. Our guide on how to open a business bank account explains this stage.

3. 3

   Request the switch and pick a date

   Ask your new provider for a full switch and choose a switch date. It can't fall on a weekend or bank holiday, and you need to allow 7 working days.

4. 4

   Sign the switch forms

   You'll sign a Current Account Switch Agreement and a Current Account Closure Instruction. Your new provider supplies and handles both.

5. 5

   Keep using your old account

   You can use it until the switch date. When you switch business bank accounts, don't set up new payments in the 7-day window, because they won't be transferred.

6. 6

   Switch day

   Your balance moves across, your old account closes, and your regular payments now run from the new account.

CASS says you can cancel up to seven working days before your switch date if you change your mind. Most businesses that switch business bank accounts this way don't need to contact their customers at all.

What moves and what doesn't

Before you switch business bank account providers, download your old statements and keep them safe. You'll need them for your records and your tax return, and you won't be able to log in once the old account closes.

The Current Account Switch Guarantee

Every full CASS switch is covered by the guarantee, which your new provider gives. If something goes wrong, any charges or interest on your old or new account caused by the error are refunded, and your new provider sorts out any payment problems. If you keep your old account open, you're not using the full service and the guarantee won't apply.

Which providers take part

You can only switch business bank accounts through CASS if both providers take part, and participation varies a lot among app-based providers. Here's what each says on its own website.

Switching without CASS

If your business is too big for CASS, or one of the providers doesn't take part, you can still switch business bank accounts by hand. It takes more work, but it's straightforward if you plan it.

1. Open the new account and make sure it works.
2. List every payment in and out of the old account over the last few months.
3. Give customers, platforms and payment processors your new details, and update your invoice template.
4. Ask suppliers to move Direct Debits, and recreate standing orders yourself.
5. Update HMRC, payroll and accounting software where they hold your bank details.
6. Keep the old account open for a while to catch stragglers, then move the balance and close it.

Many businesses that switch business bank accounts by hand run both accounts side by side for a month or two. A manual switch isn't covered by the Current Account Switch Guarantee, so check each payment has moved before you close the old account.

Switching to Tide

Tide is our featured partner and takes part in CASS, so you can switch business bank account providers to Tide using the full service. Tide's help centre says you can switch to Tide if your annual turnover is up to £6.5 million and you employ fewer than 50 people. Tide says opening an account usually takes about ten minutes, after which you agree a switch date. If your old account has a negative balance, your Tide balance starts at zero and you repay your old provider directly. If you have an overdraft or other credit, only your account and positive balance move.

Tide also links a savings rate to switching: its help centre describes a higher variable rate on the Tide Instant Saver for new members who complete a full CASS switch of at least £10,000, applied for within 7 days of joining. Rates and conditions change, so check Tide's current terms before you rely on it. Our Tide review covers plans, fees and protection.

Tide is our featured partner. We may earn commission from referrals. Disclosure

Checklist before you switch

Run through this before you switch business bank account providers:

• My turnover is up to £6.5 million and I employ fewer than 50 people.
• Both my old and new providers show the CASS Trustmark.
• I've downloaded statements from my old account.
• I've agreed any overdraft I need with my new provider.
• I've picked a weekday switch date at least 7 working days away.
• I won't set up new payments during the switch window.
• I've listed third-party apps that need reconnecting afterwards.

Switch business bank account: FAQs

Sources

• Current Account Switch Service (Pay.UK): common questions for businesses (checked 25 October 2026)
• Current Account Switch Service: the switching process for businesses (checked 25 October 2026)
• Tide: how to use the Current Account Switch Service (checked 25 October 2026)
• Providers' own switching pages and FAQs for Monzo, Starling, Zempler and Mettle (checked 25 October 2026)