Last Updated on October 1, 2026
A chair-renting hairdresser is a one-person business that can still take a lot of cash. The account has to be built for a sole trader and cheap to pay cash into.
We priced a standard year at 15 UK business accounts on 1 October 2026 for a self-employed hairdresser renting a chair, with £2,000 of cash a month paid in eight times. For our model chair-renting hairdresser, a standard year of banking cost £96 at Monzo Business Lite and £520.80 at NatWest Standard Tariff.
The accounts that suit hairdressers
- Monzo Business Lite, £96 a year. £1 per cash deposit; open to sole traders.
- Virgin Money M Account, £216 a year. No monthly fee, free electronic payments and a branch. For turnover under £1m.
- Barclays Business Current Account, £246 a year. £8.50 a month after 12 months; cash 60p per £100.
Two app banks are ruled out by their cash limits: £24,000 of cash a year is over Mettle’s £23,000 cap and over the £20,000 a year Starling’s sole trader page gives. Revolut lists sole traders as unsupported on its UK help page.
The model month
| Each month | Chair-renting hairdresser (sole trader) |
|---|---|
| Payments received | 22 (£5,000 in total) |
| Transfers sent | 6 |
| Direct Debits | 5 |
| Debit card purchases | 15 |
| Cash paid in | £2,000, in 8 deposits of £250 |
What a standard year cost a self-employed hairdresser renting a chair
| Account | Standard year | What drives the bill |
|---|---|---|
| Monzo Business Lite | £96 | £1 per cash deposit; Team plan £25 a month if staff need access |
| Virgin Money M Account | £216 | Cash 90p per £100; turnover under £1m |
| Barclays Business Current Account | £246 | £8.50 a month after 12 free months; cash 60p per £100 |
| Tide Free | £307.20 | 20p per transfer in or out after 5 a month |
| Co-operative Bank Business Bank Account | £360 | Cash £1.50 per £100 |
| HSBC UK Small Business Banking | £360 | Post Office cash 1.5% (tariff from 14 December 2026) |
| Tide Smart | £397.08 | £12.49 a month, 30 transfers included |
| Santander Business Classic | £419.88 | £9.99 a month after 12 free months; counter cash £1.25 per £100 |
| Lloyds Business Account | £504 | £10 a month after 12 free months; counter cash £1.60 per £100 |
| NatWest Standard Tariff | £520.80 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Starling | Sole trader cash limit £20,000 a year on Starling’s sole trader page; this model pays in £24,000 |
| Mettle (NatWest) | Cash cap £23,000 a year; this model pays in £24,000 |
| Revolut Business Basic | Takes no cash |
| Countingup | Cash fee not published |
| ANNA Free | Cash fee not on its pricing page |
What matters for hairdressers beyond the fee
Chair rent and product
Chair rent often goes out as a standing order to the salon owner. Monzo and the high street accounts we read charged nothing for standing orders, except NatWest’s Standard Tariff (35p); Tide counts them among its 20p transfers after five a month.
Cash
Paying in £2,000 a month costs very different amounts: £96 at Monzo (eight deposits of £1 a month) against £360 at HSBC UK at 1.5%. Fewer, larger deposits help on per-deposit fees; they make no difference on a percentage.
Keep it separate
Gov.uk sets no business account rule for sole traders. HMRC still expects records you can explain. One account for the chair, one for home, makes Self Assessment quicker.
Before you open
- Check the account is open to sole traders.
- Count your cash deposits for a month.
- 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 hairdressers: the hairdresser hub and hairdresser software and tools. Every trade we priced: business banking by trade.
A one-chair business that takes cash should pick on the cash fee and the cash limit, in that order.
Questions
What is the best business bank account for hairdressers?
In our model of a self-employed hairdresser renting a chair, priced from published fees on 1 October 2026, the cheapest standard year was Monzo Business Lite at £96, then Virgin Money M Account at £216 and Barclays Business Current Account at £246. The cheapest high street bank was Virgin Money M Account at £216. Your own mix of payments and cash decides the answer.
Can a self-employed hairdresser open a business bank account?
Yes. Monzo, Starling (Sole Trader Account), Mettle, Tide and the high street banks we read all open accounts for sole traders. Revolut’s UK help page listed sole traders as unsupported when we read it.
