Last Updated on October 1, 2026
A cleaning company handles many small payments: forty households paying a few hours a week, and staff paid weekly. Per-payment charges add up quickly.
We priced a standard year at 15 UK business accounts on 1 October 2026 for a cleaning company with 40 customer payments a month, five cleaners paid weekly and £600 in cash. For our model domestic cleaning company, a standard year of banking cost £48 at Monzo Business Lite and £492 at NatWest Standard Tariff.
The accounts that suit cleaning companies
- Monzo Business Lite, £48 a year. No charge for receiving 40 small payments or sending 20 wages; £1 a cash deposit.
- Virgin Money M Account, £64.80 a year. No monthly fee, free electronic payments and a branch. For turnover under £1m.
- Co-operative Bank Business Bank Account, £108 a year. No monthly fee and free electronic payments, with a branch bank behind it.
Tide’s free plan is a poor fit here: 70 payments in, out and by Direct Debit a month, less five free, came to £156 a year in transfer fees alone in our model.
The model month
| Each month | Cleaning company, five staff (limited company) |
|---|---|
| Payments received | 40 (£6,000 in total) |
| Transfers sent | 25 (including 20 staff payments) |
| Direct Debits | 5 |
| Debit card purchases | 20 |
| Cash paid in | £600, in 4 deposits of £150 |
What a standard year cost a domestic cleaning company with five cleaners
| Account | Standard year | What drives the bill |
|---|---|---|
| Monzo Business Lite | £48 | £1 per cash deposit; Team plan £25 a month if staff need access |
| Virgin Money M Account | £64.80 | Cash 90p per £100; turnover under £1m |
| Co-operative Bank Business Bank Account | £108 | Cash £1.50 per £100 |
| HSBC UK Small Business Banking | £108 | Post Office cash 1.5% (tariff from 14 December 2026) |
| Mettle (NatWest) | £132 | £2.75 per cash deposit; one owner can access |
| Starling | £144 | Cash 0.7%, minimum £3, Post Office only; £100,000 a year business cash limit |
| Barclays Business Current Account | £145.20 | £8.50 a month after 12 free months; cash 60p per £100 |
| Santander Business Classic | £209.88 | £9.99 a month after 12 free months; counter cash £1.25 per £100 |
| Lloyds Business Account | £235.20 | £10 a month after 12 free months; counter cash £1.60 per £100 |
| Tide Free | £276 | 20p per transfer in or out after 5 a month |
| Tide Smart | £365.88 | £12.49 a month, 30 transfers included |
| NatWest Standard Tariff | £492 | 35p per electronic item and card payment; cash 95p per £100 plus 95p a deposit |
Left out for this trade, and why:
| Account | Why it is not in the table |
|---|---|
| Revolut Business Basic | Takes no cash |
| Countingup | Cash fee not published |
| ANNA Free | Cash fee not on its pricing page |
What matters for cleaning companies beyond the fee
Many small payments in
Ask customers to pay by standing order or Direct Debit on a fixed day. It cuts chasing, and on accounts that charge per item, a standing order costs the same as a one-off transfer.
Weekly wages
Paying staff one by one costs time, and on per-transfer plans it costs money. Starling sells Bulk Payments for limited companies at £7 a month; Monzo’s Team plan (£25 a month) includes bulk payments of up to 200 at once; ANNA puts bulk payments on its Business plan. Mettle lets only one owner into the account.
Keys, cash and trust
Cash left on the side is still common in domestic cleaning. Pay it in once a week: on a per-deposit fee (Monzo £1, Mettle £2.75), fewer deposits is cheaper.
Before you open
- Count customer payments and staff payments separately, then add them up.
- Check whether you can pay staff in one batch.
- Price your own month: count a month of payments in, payments out, Direct Debits and cash, then use the fees on our best business bank accounts UK page.
- Check protection: who holds the money and whether it shares an FSCS limit. See FSCS protection on business accounts.
More for cleaning companies: the cleaning company hub and cleaning company software and tools. Every trade we priced: business banking by trade.
For a business with many small payments, a per-item fee is the whole bill. Choose an account that does not charge for transfers.
Questions
What is the best business bank account for cleaning companies?
In our model of a domestic cleaning company with five cleaners, priced from published fees on 1 October 2026, the cheapest standard year was Monzo Business Lite at £48, then Virgin Money M Account at £64.80 and Co-operative Bank Business Bank Account at £108. The cheapest high street bank was Virgin Money M Account at £64.80. Your own mix of payments and cash decides the answer.
What bank account is best for a cleaning business?
In our model, Monzo Business Lite cost £48 a year, all of it cash deposit fees, because it charges nothing for UK transfers. NatWest’s Standard Tariff cost £492 for the same year, because it charges 35p per item.
