Compare Easy Access Business Savings Accounts

Easy access business savings accounts pay less than fixed-rate bonds, but they let you reach your money the same day you need it. On 7 October 2026, Allica Bank’s 12-month fixed bond paid 4.00% AER, against 3.90% on the highest standard easy-access rate open to new savers here. At that moment the reward for locking money away was thin. See our business bonds comparison.

That spread is the trade-off you are weighing. Easy access is the right home for cash you might need at short notice; money you can leave untouched for a year or more may be better suited to a fixed bond, which usually pays more for the same money.

Two things to check before you choose. First, easy access rates have regularly fallen below the rate of inflation in recent years, which means the real purchasing power of your savings can shrink even while the nominal balance grows. Second, ‘easy access’ does not always mean instant. Several accounts on this page impose daily cut-off times or guarantee only next-working-day access. If your business occasionally needs the money the same afternoon, that rules out Shawbrook and Dudley Building Society, which both pay out the next working day.

Rates change frequently.

Easy Access Business Savings Accounts Compared

Which Easy Access Account Suits Your Business?

The right account depends on how much you hold, how fast you need the cash, and whether you can meet any conditions. These picks come from the comparison above, checked 6 October 2026.

• Highest straightforward rate: Cynergy Bank (3.90% AER, from £10,000), with no conditions or linked account. Hampshire Trust Bank’s 3.91% account is paused to new savers.
• Highest promotional rate: Allica Bank Savings Pot, up to 4.33% AER for qualifying new customers (4.08% ongoing, with conditions).
• Best from a £1 opening balance: Virgin Money (3.50% AER), or Tide and Capital on Tap from £1.
• Best for large balances: Cynergy Bank (3.90% AER, up to £10 million) with no transfer conditions.
• Fastest access: Cynergy Bank (online withdrawals usually arrive within two hours), Capital on Tap (usually within about three hours) and Virgin Money (usually within a few hours).
• No linked current account needed: Cynergy Bank (Hampshire Trust Bank’s account is paused to new savers).

How Quickly Can You Withdraw Your Money?

“Easy access” does not mean the same thing at every provider. All of these accounts pay out to a nominated or linked account only; the difference is the daily cut-off and how fast the money lands. If you hold this cash as a same-day buffer for payroll or a supplier bill, the cut-off time matters as much as the headline rate.

Headline Rates vs the Rate You Actually Keep

Several accounts advertise a rate that only lasts for a promotional window or needs conditions. If you are choosing for the long term, the column that matters is the ongoing rate, not the headline.

Rates were verified on 6 October 2026 and are variable. We re-check these rates when a provider announces a change, and the date above is our last full check. FSCS cover applies per authorised firm; brands that share one banking licence share a single limit, so it is not simply per account.

Provider Reviews

Hampshire Trust Bank Easy Access SME Saver

• Rate: 3.91% AER (variable), the highest standard easy-access rate in this comparison, but the account is paused to new savers while the bank makes changes.
• Access: Unlimited withdrawals to your nominated account; requests before 1pm on a working day are paid the same day.
• Minimum / Maximum: £5,000 / £750,000.
• Eligibility: Sole traders, companies, charities, clubs and societies with up to 250 employees. No linked current account required.
• FSCS: £120,000 per eligible depositor, per authorised firm.

Hampshire Trust has paused this account to new savers while it makes changes. When open, it tops the table on rate and asks for nothing in return: no linked current account, no monthly transfer conditions, and no promotional window that quietly expires. We checked all three against its own account terms, because a headline rate that survives contact with the small print is rarer on this page than it ought to be. The 1pm cut-off is the thing to plan around, because a withdrawal requested at two in the afternoon lands the next working day instead. Its £750,000 ceiling sits well below Cynergy’s £10 million, so only the largest balances outgrow it.

Shawbrook Bank Easy Access Business Account

3.86% AER, open from just £1,000 and to sole traders, which makes it one of the most accessible near-top rates here. The catches: it caps at £500,000, and the £120,000 FSCS limit sits well below that, so a large balance needs spreading across banks to stay fully protected; LLPs, charities and trusts are also excluded.

• Rate: 3.86% AER (variable).
• Access: Next working day, for withdrawals requested before 9:30pm.
• Minimum / Maximum: £1,000 to £500,000.
• Eligibility: Sole traders, limited companies (limited by shares), and general partnerships. Not available to LLPs, charities, or trusts.
• FSCS: £120,000 per eligible depositor, per authorised firm.

Allica Bank Instant Access Savings Pot

Allica pays up to 4.33% AER, but the headline needs unpacking. The Savings Pot rate is tiered and tops out at a 3.08% AER base (on £40,000+). You lift it to 4.08% with two boosts: 0.5% for making 15 outbound transfers a month, and 0.5% for six months after a CASS switch. You only reach 4.33% as a new customer, for three months, by paying in £50,000 or more. The pot sits inside an Allica Business Rewards Account. Allica also runs a separate standalone Easy Access account at 3.05% AER from a £20,000 minimum. Our Allica Bank business savings review breaks down the balance tiers and boost conditions in full.

• Rate: Up to 4.33% AER for new customers; up to 4.08% AER ongoing (variable)*, calculated daily and paid monthly.
• Access: Instant, into your linked Allica Business Rewards Account. No withdrawal penalties.
• Minimum / Maximum: £1 to £5,000,000 (tiered; no interest below £20,000).
• Eligibility: UK businesses registered with Companies House, holding an Allica Business Rewards Account, with all controlling owners UK-resident and over 18.
• FSCS: £120,000 under Allica Bank’s own banking licence.

*The Savings Pot base rate is tiered, up to 3.08% AER on balances of £40,000+. Add 0.5% for making 15 bank transfers out of the account in the previous month, and a further 0.5% for six months after a CASS switch, for up to 4.08% AER ongoing. New customers paying in £50,000+ earn a further 0.25% for three months, reaching 4.33% AER. Eligibility criteria and T&Cs apply.

Cynergy Bank Business Saver

At 3.90% AER Cynergy is the highest rate here open to new savers, just behind Hampshire Trust’s paused account, and from a £10,000 opening deposit there are no transfer conditions and no fees, and it takes deposits up to £10 million. For a six-figure reserve that wants a flat, unconditional rate, it is the one to beat here.

• Rate: 3.90% AER (variable); 3.83% gross paid monthly.
• Access: Easy access, no withdrawal fees or penalties.
• Minimum / Maximum: £10,000 to £10,000,000.
• Eligibility: UK businesses registered with Companies House, with up to 10 partners, directors, or shareholders.
• Application: Online, in around 10 minutes. You’ll need a UK business current account, mobile number and email for all signatories, and your Unique Taxpayer Reference.
• FSCS: £120,000.

Dudley Building Society Business Saver (Issue 6)

3.45% AER on balances over £250, with interest paid once a year on 31 March rather than monthly. You can now apply online, by post or in branch. The £250 entry and the branch option suit a small business that still wants a counter to walk into, but at a mid-table 3.45% with next-business-day access, you trade both rate and speed for that familiarity.

• Rate: 3.45% AER (variable) on balances above £250. Interest paid annually on 31 March.
• Access: No-notice (easy access) withdrawals to your nominated account; funds typically arrive the next business day.
• Minimum / Maximum: £250 to open; up to £1,000,000.
• Eligibility: Sole traders, partnerships and limited companies of all sizes and structures.
• Application: Online, by post or in branch.
• FSCS: £120,000. Dudley Building Society is a UK building society covered by the FSCS.

Oxbury Bank Farm Easy Access Tracker

A specialist pick for the agricultural sector: 3.38% AER (a tracker rate) with same-working-day access, subject to a 1pm cut-off. Not available to general businesses: you must hold an active CPH or SBI number confirming farming activity. If you farm, it is a competitive same-day rate that moves with the base rate; if you do not, there is nothing here to weigh: without a CPH or SBI number, you cannot open it.

• Rate: 3.38% AER (variable, tracker).
• Access: Same working day, subject to a 1pm cut-off.
• Minimum / Maximum: £20,000 to £1,000,000.
• Eligibility: Active farmers with a valid CPH (County Parish Holding) or SBI (Single Business Identifier) number only.
• Application: Apply online with a minimum £20,000 opening deposit.
• FSCS: £120,000.

Virgin Money Business Access Savings Account

The account to pick if you are starting from nothing: £1 opens it, and withdrawals go out by Faster Payments the same day. The 5pm cut-off in Virgin’s terms applies to CHAPS rather than to these withdrawals. Virgin Money says the money should reach your nominated account within a few hours. At 3.50% AER you give up around 0.4 percentage points against Cynergy, which is what that convenience costs you. Protection is the part to watch here rather than the rate, because Virgin Money now shares one £120,000 FSCS limit with Nationwide, so any Nationwide money you already hold counts against the same allowance.

• Rate: 3.50% AER (variable); 3.45% gross.
• Access: Unlimited withdrawals by electronic transfer to your nominated business account. No fees or penalties.
• Minimum / Maximum: £1 to £2,000,000.
• Eligibility: UK-registered SMEs. The account is designed for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
• Application: Apply online with a minimum deposit of £1.
• FSCS: £120,000.

Aldermore Easy Access Business Account

At 2.45% AER the Issue 14 account is the weakest standard rate on this page, and asking £1,000 to open it makes that harder to justify. The withdrawals are unlimited and penalty-free, but so are Cynergy’s and Virgin Money’s at a percentage point or more above. We rate Aldermore worth a second look only at £500,000 and up, where its separate Tiered Easy Access account pays 3.80% AER.

• Rate: 2.45% AER (variable, Issue 14). Gross annual 2.45%, gross monthly 2.42%. Interest paid gross.
• Access: Unlimited, penalty-free withdrawals at any time.
• Minimum: £1,000 to open. Maximum £1,000,000.
• Eligibility: UK limited companies wanting flexible, no-lock-in savings (a linked business current account elsewhere is required).
• Application: Online, available 24/7.
• FSCS: £120,000.

Aldermore Easy Access Tiered Account (Issue 1)

Aldermore opened this account on 13 August 2026 for businesses holding between £500,000 and £1 million. At 3.80% AER it pays a competitive instant-access rate at that size, well above anything else here that takes a deposit that large. Below £500,000 the rate falls to 1.90%, which is less than Aldermore’s own standard easy access pays at 2.45%, so the threshold is one to stay above rather than drift across.

• Rate: 3.80% AER (variable, Issue 1) on balances of £500,000 or over: gross annual 3.80%, gross monthly 3.74%. On balances below £500,000 the rate is 1.90% AER (gross annual 1.90%, gross monthly 1.88%).
• Access: Unlimited, penalty-free withdrawals at any time.
• Minimum: £500,000 to open. Maximum £1,000,000.
• Eligibility: UK limited companies only, with a linked business current account held elsewhere.
• Application: Online, available 24/7.
• FSCS: £120,000. That covers less than a quarter of the £500,000 you need to earn the headline rate, so most of the balance sits outside the scheme.

Recognise Bank Business Easy Access Account

3.15% AER puts Recognise mid-table, and same-working-day payment before a 2pm cut-off is respectable company for that rate. The awkward part is the £500 minimum withdrawal, which is unusual on an easy-access account and rules Recognise out if you draw on reserves in small amounts. We checked the size tests against Recognise’s own terms too: fewer than 250 employees, and turnover under £43.5 million or assets under £37.5 million, which a larger business will fail.

• Rate: 3.15% AER/Gross annually; 3.11% gross monthly.
• Access: Same-working-day withdrawals when requested before 2pm; later requests are processed the next business day. A £500 minimum withdrawal applies.
• Minimum / Maximum: £1,000 to £250,000.
• Eligibility: UK companies registered with Companies House, with a UK business bank account, fewer than 250 employees, and assets under £37.5 million or turnover under £43.5 million. LLPs and limited companies can deposit above £85,000.
• Application: Online in minutes. Manage savings online at any time.
• FSCS: £120,000.

Tide Instant Access Savings Account

The simplest entry point on this page: open inside the Tide app from £1. The rate is plan-dependent, running from 1.50% AER on Free up to 3.25% on Max, and new members get 3.25% AER for their first four months, or up to 4.25% AER if they switch their account to Tide and move in £10,000 or more. Read the ceilings too, because each standard rate stops dead rather than tapering: Tide pays 0.00% on anything over £75,000 on Free, over £100,000 on Smart, over £150,000 on Pro and over £1m on Max. On the Free plan it is the lowest here, but the near-zero friction makes Tide worth considering for businesses that want idle current-account cash earning something without any setup effort.

• Rate: Plan-dependent: 1.50% Free / 2.50% Smart / 3.00% Pro / 3.25% Max AER (variable), each paying 0.00% above a balance ceiling of £75,000 / £100,000 / £150,000 / £1m. New members get 3.25% AER for four months, or up to 4.25% AER with a full account switch to Tide and £10,000 or more moved in.
• Access: Unlimited withdrawals, no fees or penalties.
• Minimum / Maximum: From £1; no maximum balance stated.
• Eligibility: UK residents aged 18+ with an active Tide Business Account. Available to sole traders and limited companies.
• Application: Open inside the Tide app. Deposit a minimum of £1 to begin.
• FSCS: £120,000 covering total deposits held with ClearBank.

What Is an Easy Access Business Savings Account?

An easy access business savings account lets you deposit and withdraw without restriction. Unlike a fixed-rate bond, there is no lock-in period and no exit penalty: if you need the money tomorrow, you can have it. The trade-off is rate: easy access accounts pay less than fixed bonds because the bank cannot rely on the deposit staying put.

The interest rate is variable. It may be influenced by Bank of England base-rate decisions, but most easy-access business rates are managed at the provider’s discretion rather than tracking Bank Rate automatically, so a rate can move up or down independently of it. The trackers on this page are Oxbury, Tide, Capital on Tap and (after its bonus) United Trust Bank; Allica’s Savings Pot also tracks the base rate before its boosts.

Minimum opening balances are typically low, with many accounts starting from £1. A few higher-rate accounts set the bar at £1,000 or more. There is no FSCS joint-account doubling for business accounts the way there is for personal ones. Each business can protect up to £120,000 per authorised firm.

Easy access versus a notice account. If you can give advance notice before withdrawing (typically 30 to 180 days), a business notice account usually pays more; on 7 October 2026 Oxbury Bank’s 35-day notice account paid 4.00% AER (see our notice accounts comparison), against 3.90% on easy access. If you can commit for a full year or more, a fixed-rate bond may be better suited, because a fixed rate usually pays more; Allica Bank’s 12-month bond paid 4.00% AER on 7 October 2026. Easy access earns its place as the home for reserves you might need at short notice.

Easy Access vs Notice vs Fixed Business Savings

Giving up some access usually buys a higher rate. Here is how the three account types compare, using rates we checked on 7 October 2026.

Compare the alternatives in our business notice accounts and business bonds guides.

How FSCS Protection Works for Business Savings

Eligible deposits are protected up to £120,000 per eligible depositor, per authorised firm. How that limit applies depends on your business structure, because a limited company or LLP is a separate legal entity but a sole trader is not.

Final Verdict

Highest standard rate open to new savers, and best for large balances: Cynergy Bank (3.90% AER). No transfer conditions and deposits up to £10 million. The catch is a £10,000 opening deposit. Hampshire Trust Bank pays 3.91% (from £5,000, up to £750,000), but the account is paused to new savers while the bank makes changes.

Best rate from a low minimum: Shawbrook Bank (3.86% AER). Fractionally behind Cynergy but open from £1,000, with next-working-day access. The £500,000 cap and the exclusion of LLPs and charities are the catches. For a genuinely no-minimum account, Virgin Money pays 3.50% AER from £1.

Best for those who can meet the conditions: Allica Bank (up to 4.33% AER). The Savings Pot pays a tiered base of up to 3.08% AER, lifting to 4.08% with two boosts (15 monthly outbound transfers and a CASS switch), and to 4.33% for new customers’ first three months. It accepts up to £5 million. For most businesses without those conditions, Cynergy’s flat 3.90% is the simpler, higher ongoing rate.

Best specialist pick: Oxbury Bank (3.38% AER). Same-day access on its farm easy-access tracker, but only for active farmers with a CPH or SBI number, and from a £20,000 minimum. Not available to the general business market.

Best for app-based simplicity: Tide (plan-dependent). The rate tracks your Tide plan, from 1.50% AER on Free to 3.25% on Max, with 3.25% AER for new members’ first four months, or up to 4.25% AER if you switch your account to Tide and move in £10,000 or more. Two catches the headline hides: the advertised 4.25% needs that switch, and the Free plan pays nothing at all on anything over £75,000. The draw is zero friction: open inside the app, deposit from £1, withdraw anytime.

Easy Access Business Savings FAQs