...let’s look at the pros & cons of setting up a separate bank account for your sole trader business.
Pros:
It simplifies your bookkeeping: When you have a separate business account, your money records become simpler. You won't have to search through your personal spending to find your business expenses, or wonder whether the money that just dropped into your bank account was from your latest invoice or a refund for a personal item.
Separating funds: Having a different bank account for your business makes it clear which money is for your business and which is personal. This is useful for when it comes to tax time for instance; it might be easier to see how much cash you’ve got to pay your tax bill.
It also, helps on the personal side, as you can see what you’ve got to live on (when looking at your personal bank account, as no business funds will be mixed in).
It helps you stay on top of your tax obligations: If you have a business account, it's easier to keep track of how much money you make and spend. This makes preparing your Self Assessment tax returns - and staying on the right side of HMRC - easier.
You’ll get access to business banking services: Many business bank accounts offer services made especially for sole traders. You might get access to offers for business loans, payment processing solutions and other merchant services that aren’t available to regular accounts.
The Cons:
More complexity: Managing an additional bank account requires a bit of extra time and effort. For some sole traders with small businesses, maintaining both personal and business accounts might seem unnecessary or not worth the hassle.
Higher costs: Some business bank accounts come with monthly fees and transaction charges. If you’re just starting out as a sole trader or only have minimal transactions, these fees might be a bit of a burden.
You’ve got to spend a bit of time setting it up: Opening a business bank account often involves paperwork and compliance checks, which may put some sole traders off.
Some transactions might overlap: Sole traders who deal with a high volume of transactions or have business expenses closely intertwined with personal spending might find it a challenge to keep these transactions separate.
When deciding whether you’re going to open a separate account, there are a few factors that you might want to consider. Your decision might depend on what your growth plans are for your business; do you want to grow or stay as you are?
It might also depend on your number of transactions. If you’ve only got a small number of higher value clients, then perhaps it won’t make sense to you to open an account.
My advice:
My advise to my self-employed cleaner clients, is normally to open a separate bank account. I would normally hold back on opening an account though, until you’ve got a small number of clients.