Business Directplus

A business bank account suitable for businesses of all sizes offering value-added benefits and services.

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Business Directplus current account

Account highlights

New customers benefit from free monthly account fees for 30 months if their balance stays above £1,000. All account holders enjoy UK-based specialist support, a Relationship Manager if eligible, and value-adding partnership services. It’s everything you need: Online. On the phone. On the go.

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30 months

No monthly account fee for 30 months for new customers if your balance stays above £1,000; £7 per month thereafter.

Read our full T&Cs for all tariffs and fees.

Free

Paying in cheques and cash in branch is free for the length of your account holding - limits apply.

Switching

Our Current Account Switch service makes switching fast and free.

Switch your bank account to us

Key information

Our Business Directplus account benefits from:

  • Free software integration

    Integrate your accountancy software like Xero, Sage or Quickbooks within your online banking

  • Free payment request app

    Go Get Paid, the free, simple and secure app to help you get paid on time

  • Free support tools

    Start up guides, articles on the Business Exchange, free webinars and fraud education

  • UK-based help and support

    Specialist business advisers on the phone and The Co-operative Bank Business Help app.

  • Business services

    Partnership service offerings include insurance, sustainability tools, merchant services, HR tools and tech support

  • A choice of ways to bank

    Online and in-person banking including mobile, instant secure messaging, telephone and in-branch

Ready to apply?

Check your eligibility and apply.

Tariffs, fees and conditions

Our Business Directplus account has an introductory offer for new customers who:

  • joined the bank less than 30 months ago
  • keep their account balance above £1,000.

If your balance falls below £1,000 at any point, you will be charged a different tariff for the monthly charging period.

Find out more about these standard charges, non-standard tariffs, and what they mean by viewing our Business Directplus Tariff PDF.

Business Directplus Tariff PDF

Free Banking

When you keep your balance above £1,000.

£7 per month

If your balance drops below £1,000 at any point during the free banking period.

And after the 30 months finishes.

  • Savings

    You can apply for one of our savings accounts during your application for this bank account.

    View our savings accounts

  • Overdrafts

    During your account application, you can also apply for an arranged overdraft for cash flow and short term borrowing.

    More about our overdrafts

How to apply

Please note: Your application is subject to status. This means we’ll assess your financial circumstances and complete credit checks.

If you’ve already started an application you can continue it here.

Before you apply

If you haven’t already, please read these documents before you apply.

To be eligible for the Business Directplus account you and key individuals must be:

  • 18 or over
  • A UK resident with a business address in the UK
  • Free from county court judgements (CCJs), bankruptcy and individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) over the last six years
  • Free from missed payments on any personal credit obligations in the last six months.

You or your organisation must be either a:

  • Sole trader or partnership
  • Limited liability partnership
  • Limited company.

If your organisation is a limited company, the following must be true:

  • The director has never been disqualified
  • The business has never been subject to insolvency or an intention to dissolve
  • The business has not had a negative net worth in the last set of financial accounts.

Your application is subject to status. This means we’ll assess your financial circumstances and complete credit checks.

Not eligible for this account?

You may be eligible for one of our other accounts.

See other accounts

To apply for the Business Directplus account, you’ll need:

  • your business details, including tax information, expected turnovers, existing business current account details (if applicable), funds received by your business, and your Companies House registration number
  • a form of identification, such as your passport or driving license
  • a device (such as a phone with a camera) to take and upload a photo of yourself so we can verify your identity during the application process
  • details of shareholders and other authorised account users
  • change giving requirements (if you’re requesting change giving facilities).

As a provider of UK business bank accounts, we have agreed to a basic set of information we’ll need from you to set up your UK business current account.

Find out what you’ll need to provide using the business banking checklist from UK Finance.

View UK Finance’s guide to opening a business account

Read the following important documents and save copies for your future reference.

Business account terms and conditions PDF

Business Directplus tariff PDF

Standards of lending practice PDF

How we use your personal information PDF

Current account switch agreement PDF

To view information on charging periods and pre-notification dates please visit our account charging page.

Criminals recruit people to help them hide their criminal profits

Never open a bank account in either your name/business name for someone else to use, or agree to move money through your account for someone else – even if they offer you money in return. If you do this, you could be committing a crime with serious consequences.

Learn more

Apply for your Business Directplus account

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Application timeline

  • Less than 45 minutes

    Apply online

    On average completing the application takes less than 45 minutes. You can save it to complete later.

  • Within 5 business days

    Get a decision

    We aim to give decisions within five business days. If approved, your account details will be ready.

  • Within 10 business days

    Set up

    We’ll post your online login information and security token details within seven to ten business days.

Continue a business account application

Continue a Sole Trader or single director application

Continue an application

Continue with a Partnerships, Limited Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships application

Continue an application

Already have a business current account somewhere else?

Our Current Account Switch Service makes switching your account simple, fast and free.

Learn how to switch your business account to us.

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Not found what you were looking for?

Business Current Account

For those who prefer to bank online

Only for Sole Traders, Single Directors or Shareholders; from start-ups to established businesses

No monthly service fee

Charges apply for cash, cheque and other special services

  • Free automated debits and credits, debit card purchases, ATM withdrawals and manual credits

  • Online and in-person banking options

Cash Tariff

For businesses who have a high cash turnover

Benefit from low cash handling fees

£10 monthly fee

  • Lower cash depositing fees

  • Open to any business type

Standard Tariff

For easy, everyday banking

And a simple charging structure

£10 monthly fee

  • Straight forward charging

  • Open to any business type

Financial Services Compensation Scheme

Your eligible deposits held by a UK establishment of The Co-operative Bank plc are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK's deposit guarantee scheme. This limit is applied to the total of any deposits you have with the following: The Co-operative Bank, Britannia and smile. Any total deposits you hold above the limit between these brands are unlikely to be covered.

Please read further information on the FSCS scheme here or visit their website.