BEST OF
12 Best Free Business Checking Accounts
The best free business checking accounts don’t have minimum balance requirements or monthly service fees. Although online banks can be more likely to offer free business checking, these accounts are available from national and regional brick-and-mortar banks as well.
Keep in mind that even though these institutions may offer a free business checking account with no monthly fees, you could still be charged for other actions — such as excess transactions, excess deposits or overdrafts.
NerdWallet looked at some of the biggest national, regional and online banks and compared their business checking accounts. Here are our top options for free business checking. Plus, scroll down to find the best free business checking accounts by state.
The best free business checking accounts don’t have minimum balance requirements or monthly service fees. Although online banks can be more likely to offer free business checking, these accounts are available from national and regional brick-and-mortar banks as well.
Keep in mind that even though these institutions may offer a free business checking account with no monthly fees, you could still be charged for other actions — such as excess transactions, excess deposits or overdrafts.
NerdWallet looked at some of the biggest national, regional and online banks and compared their business checking accounts. Here are our top options for free business checking. Plus, scroll down to find the best free business checking accounts by state.
Summary of Best Free Business Checking Accounts
Bank/Institution | NerdWallet Rating | Monthly Fee | APY | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | at Novo, Deposits are FDIC Insured | |
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC | |
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | at Mercury, Deposits are FDIC Insured | |
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | Read review | |
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | Read review | |
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | Read review | |
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | Read review | |
Not yet rated | $0 | 0.01% With $0 minimum balance | Read review | |
Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | Read review | |
![]() First Citizens Bank Basic Business Checking | Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | |
![]() Bank OZK Small Business Checking | Not yet rated | $0 | N/A | |
Not yet rated | $0 | 1.00% With $0 minimum balance | Read review |
at Novo, Deposits are FDIC Insured
Novo Business Checking
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
Bonus
at Novo, Deposits are FDIC Insured
at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC
Axos Bank® Basic Business Checking
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
Bonus
at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC
at Mercury, Deposits are FDIC Insured
Mercury Business Bank Account
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
Bonus
at Mercury, Deposits are FDIC Insured
Citizens Bank Clearly Better Business Checking®
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
Bonus
Navy Federal Credit Union Business Checking
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
With $0 minimum balance
Bonus

First Citizens Bank Basic Business Checking
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
Bonus

Bank OZK Small Business Checking
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
Bonus
BlueVine Business Checking
Not yet rated

Monthly Fee
APY
With $0 minimum balance
Bonus
How to choose a free business checking account
Consider fees and minimum balance requirements. Look for business checking accounts that have no monthly service fees and no minimum balance requirements. And pay close attention to the fine print — some accounts are free only if you maintain a daily or monthly minimum balance or can meet another qualification to waive the service fee.
Look at transaction and cash deposit limits. Evaluate how many monthly transactions your business makes and how much cash it deposits. Many business checking accounts place limits on transaction and cash deposits (and charge fees for exceeding those limits), so you’ll want to select an account that meets your needs.
Evaluate additional account features. Consider where you can use your business debit card, if an account earns interest and whether it includes online and mobile banking tools. Make sure you understand any features that may incur incidental fees or charges.
Think about how you would prefer to open an account. Some banks provide multiple options for opening a business checking account — online, over the phone, visiting a branch — while others limit the options.
» Want to see the best overall accounts? Check out our picks for the best business checking accounts.
Free business checking accounts by state
If none of the above options are available in your state and you would rather bank in person or you prefer a smaller bank, check out the options below:
Last updated on February 26, 2021
Methodology
To determine the best accounts, we took a close look at about 70 financial institutions, including the largest U.S. banks based on assets, debit card volume, Internet search traffic and other factors; the nation's largest credit unions, based on deposits as well as broad-based membership requirements; and other notable and/or emerging players in the industry. We rated them on criteria including annual percentage rates, minimum balances, fees, digital experience and more.
Financial institutions surveyed include: Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, Alliant Credit Union, Ally Bank, America First Credit Union, American Express, Aspiration, Associated Bank, Axos Bank, Bank5 Connect, Bank7, Bank of America, Bank of the West, Barclays, BB&T, BBVA Compass, Boeing Employees Credit Union, BMO Harris, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab Bank, Chase, Chime, CIT, Citibank, Citizens Access, Citizens Bank, Comerica Bank, Commerce Bank, Connexus Credit Union, Consumers Credit Union, Discover Bank, E-Trade, Fidelity, Fifth Third Bank, First National Bank, First Tech Federal Credit Union, GoBank, Golden 1 Credit Union, GS Bank, HSBC Bank USA, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, MetaBank, M&T Bank, Moven, Navy Federal Credit Union, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, PNC, Popular Direct, PurePoint Financial, Radius Bank, Redneck Bank, Regions Bank, Sallie Mae Bank, Santander Bank, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, Security Service Federal Credit Union, Service Credit Union, Simple, State Employees' Credit Union of North Carolina, State Farm Bank, Suncoast Credit Union, SunTrust Bank, Synchrony Bank, TCF Bank, TD Bank, TIAA Bank, Union Bank, UFB Direct, USAA, U.S. Bank, Varo, Wells Fargo and Zions Bank.
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Summary of the Best Free Business Checking Accounts
- Novo Business Checking
- Axos Bank® Basic Business Checking
- Mercury Business Bank Account
- nbkc Business Account
- BBVA USA Business Connect Checking
- U.S. Bank Silver Business Package
- Citizens Bank Clearly Better Business Checking®
- Navy Federal Credit Union Business Checking
- Huntington Business Checking 100
- First Citizens Bank Basic Business Checking
- Bank OZK Small Business Checking
- BlueVine Business Checking
Frequently asked questions
Free business checking accounts are available from banks nationally, by state and by region.
Some big-name banks that offer free business checking accounts include:
- BBVA: Business Connect Checking. - Bank OZK: Small Business Checking. - Citizens Bank: Clearly Better Business Checking. - Huntington National Bank: Business Checking 100. - U.S. Bank: Silver Business Checking Package. - First Citizens Bank: Basic Business Checking.
Some online banks that offer free business checking accounts include:
- BlueVine: Business Checking. - NBKC: Business Account. - Novo: Business Checking. - Axos Bank: Basic Business Checking.
Scroll up for a state-by-state breakdown of banks that offer free business checking accounts.
Not necessarily. Some banks, like BlueVine or NBKC, allow you to open a business checking account without making an initial opening deposit. These requirements, however, vary based on the bank and the account.
On the other hand, you may find that a bank requires a minimum deposit from $25 to $1,000 or more to open a business checking account.
If you want to open a free business checking account online with no deposit, you can do so with the BlueVine Business Checking account, NBKC Business Account and Huntington Business Checking 100 account.
All three of these business checking accounts have no monthly fees, no minimum deposit requirements and allow you to open an account online.
Although it’s less common, you may also find some regional and local banks that allow you to sign up for a free business checking account online with no minimum opening deposit as well.