Best Business

Countingup Business Banking

About Countingup

Editorial Team
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Countingup is a business banking and accounting app, founded in 2017 by Clear Books former CEO, designed for self-employed and small business owners. They offer tiered plans with smart money features and integrated accountancy tools to grow with your business.

See our full Countingup business account review and see how they compare with other online business bank account providers.

Countingup pros & cons

Pros of Countingup

  • First 3 months are completely free
  • 2-in-1 banking & accounting app
  • Multiple accounts for varying needs
  • No credit checks needed to open
  • Backed by ING Bank and Sage
  • Rated 'excellent' on Trustpilot
  • Pay cash in at any PayPoint or Post Office branches

Cons of Countingup

  • Not protected by the FSCS
  • App-only with no desktop access
  • No overdrafts or credit facilities offered
  • One card is issued per account
  • Customer support available only be email

Countingup business accounts

Countingup have three business account plans available to sole traders and limited companies depending on the value of deposits made:

  • Starter - while you make deposits less than £750 each month, the account costs £3.
  • Standard - once you've deposited more than £750 in a month the account fee increases to £9. Price increases after deposit value exceeds £7,500.
  • Premium - for businesses that deposit more than £7,500 the account costs £18 per month. An unlimited amount of deposits can be made with this plan.

Here's a summary of all of Countingup's account fees:

Countingup Business Banking FeesStarterStandardPremium
Deposit volume£0 - £750£750 - £7,500Unlimited
Opening accountFreeFreeFree
Free banking period3 months3 months3 months
Monthly fee£3£9£18
Bank transfers30p30p30p
Card purchasesFreeFreeFree
ATM withdrawals£1£1£1
Cash deposits (Post Office)£1£1£1
Cash deposits (PayPoint)3%3%3%
Foreign currency transaction fee3%3%3%

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Countingup business account you must:

  • Be a sole trader or registered business
  • Be a UK resident (all owners must be UK residents, if applicable)
  • Be a UK-based business
  • Be 18 or over
  • Have an Android or iOS device
  • Have a UK phone number

There are maximum balance limits that vary for self employed businesses (£60,000) and limited companies (£400,000).

Opening an account

Here's how to open a Countingup business account:

  1. Download Countingup's app from the App Store or Google Play
  2. Complete their digital application with no credit checks - Countingup will confirm your eligibility
  3. Verify your ID - you'll need to upload a picture ID and a video of yourself
  4. Once approved (usually same day), you can start banking

Countingup reviews

Countingup has a great Trustpilot score of 4.2 stars from over 2,600 reviews, with 80% giving them 5 stars.

While the app on the Apple store gets 4.7 stars based on over 3,000 ratings.

They are also highly rated on Google Play with 4.6 out of 5 stars, from nearly 1,400 reviews.

Information correct as of 9th September 2024.

Frequently asked questions

It's not uncommon to have questions when looking in to business banking, especially for the first time. These are some of the most relevant questions for Countingup:

Countingup is 2-in-1 business app that provides business current accounts and built-in accounting software.

Countingup is free for the first 3 months and then you'll need to pay a monthly account fee, starting from £3.

No, Countingup is not a bank. They are a financial technology company offering electronic money (e-money) accounts provided by PPS.

While Countingup isn't a bank, and therefore not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), they are an agent of PPS who are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), protecting customer money with safeguarding procedures.

Countingup was founded by former CEO of Clear Books, Tim Fouracre, in 2017.