Last Updated on October 1, 2026
Roofers take fewer, larger payments than most trades, plus deposits up front for materials. That makes the bank’s handling of large payments and cash matter more than its monthly fee.
We priced a standard year at 15 UK business accounts on 1 October 2026 for a roofing company with 15 payments in a month worth £14,000 and £1,000 in cash. For our model roofing company, a standard year of banking cost £48 at Monzo Business Lite and £457.80 at NatWest Standard Tariff.
The accounts that suit roofers
- Monzo Business Lite, £48 a year. £1 a cash deposit whatever its value; no transfer fees.
- Virgin Money M Account, £108 a year. 90p per £100 of cash, no monthly fee, and a branch. Turnover must stay under £1m.
- Mettle (NatWest), £132 a year. £2.75 a cash deposit, £500 at a time; no transfer fees.
ANNA’s free plan is the trap for this trade: it takes 0.95% of money received above £1,000 a month, which on £14,000 a month would be about £1,482 a year, and its pricing page does not list a cash fee, so it is left out of the table.
The model month
| Each month | Roofing company (limited company) |
|---|---|
| Payments received | 15 (£14,000 in total) |
| Transfers sent | 20 |
| Direct Debits | 6 |
| Debit card purchases | 30 |
| Cash paid in | £1,000, in 4 deposits of £250 |
What a standard year cost a roofing company taking deposits
| 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 | £108 | Cash 90p per £100; turnover under £1m |
| 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 | £174 | £8.50 a month after 12 free months; cash 60p per £100 |
| Co-operative Bank Business Bank Account | £180 | Cash £1.50 per £100 |
| HSBC UK Small Business Banking | £180 | Post Office cash 1.5% (tariff from 14 December 2026) |
| Tide Free | £206.40 | 20p per transfer in or out after 5 a month |
| Santander Business Classic | £269.88 | £9.99 a month after 12 free months; counter cash £1.25 per £100 |
| Tide Smart | £296.28 | £12.49 a month, 30 transfers included |
| Lloyds Business Account | £312 | £10 a month after 12 free months; counter cash £1.60 per £100 |
| NatWest Standard Tariff | £457.80 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Revolut Business Basic | Takes no cash |
| Countingup | Cash fee not published |
| ANNA Free | Cash fee not on its pricing page |
What matters for roofers beyond the fee
Deposits for materials
A customer’s deposit is business money once it lands, but it is spent on their job. Some roofers move deposits into a separate pot or savings space until materials are bought, so the main balance shows what is really theirs.
Large payments out
Check single-payment and daily limits on what you send, such as a large merchant bill. Zempler’s free Business Go plan, for example, caps a single outgoing transfer at £25,000.
Cash on site
Starling also lists “businesses that regularly make significant cash deposits” among those it does not take, and caps business cash at £5,000 a day and £100,000 a year. Each £100 of cash costs 60p at Barclays and £1.50 at HSBC UK. Over £12,000 of cash a year that difference is £108.
Before you open
- Check the single-payment limit against your largest job.
- Decide where customer deposits sit until materials are bought.
- 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 roofers: the roofer hub and roofer software and tools. Every trade we priced: business banking by trade.
Price the account on your largest month. Large deposits and cash expose the fees a quiet month hides.
Questions
What is the best business bank account for roofers?
In our model of a roofing company taking deposits, priced from published fees on 1 October 2026, the cheapest standard year was Monzo Business Lite at £48, then Virgin Money M Account at £108 and Mettle (NatWest) at £132. The cheapest high street bank was Virgin Money M Account at £108. Your own mix of payments and cash decides the answer.
Which bank is best for a roofing business that takes cash?
In our model (£1,000 of cash a month in four deposits), Monzo Business Lite was cheapest at £48 a year in cash fees. Among branch banks, Virgin Money’s M Account was cheapest at £108, for businesses with turnover under £1m.
