Does PenFed Offer Business Bank Accounts?

Some nonprofits and clubs can create accounts at PenFed, but business owners need to look elsewhere.
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Best overall online business checking account
Bluevine Business Checking
Best overall online business checking account

Bluevine Business Checking

Bluevine Business Checking

at Bluevine, Deposits are FDIC Insured

Best overall online business checking account

Bluevine Business Checking

Best for Earning interest

APY
1.30%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
$300

Requirements to qualify

at Bluevine, Deposits are FDIC Insured

Best overall online business checking account

Bluevine Business Checking

Best for Earning interest

APY
1.30%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
$300

Requirements to qualify

at Bluevine, Deposits are FDIC Insured

Navy Federal Credit Union Business Checking

Best for Military families

APY
0.01%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
N/A

Navy Federal Credit Union Business Checking

Best for Military families

APY
0.01%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
N/A

American Express® Business Checking

Best for Cashless businesses

APY
1.30%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
30,000 points

Requirements to qualify

at American Express National Bank, Member FDIC

American Express® Business Checking

Best for Cashless businesses

APY
1.30%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
30,000 points

Requirements to qualify

at American Express National Bank, Member FDIC

Chase Business Complete Banking®

Best for National business bank

APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$15.00

Waived with $2,000 minimum balance

Bonus
$500

Requirements to qualify

at Chase, Member FDIC

Chase Business Complete Banking®

Best for National business bank

APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$15.00

Waived with $2,000 minimum balance

Bonus
$500

Requirements to qualify

at Chase, Member FDIC

Digital Federal Credit Union Free Business Checking

Digital Federal Credit Union Free Business Checking

4.6

 

Best for Easy-to-join credit union

APY
0.10%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
N/A

Digital Federal Credit Union Free Business Checking

Digital Federal Credit Union Free Business Checking

Best for Easy-to-join credit union

4.6

 
APY
0.10%

With $0 min. balance for APY

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
N/A

Axos Bank® Basic Business Checking

Best for Online bank with ATM access

APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
$400

Requirements to qualify

at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC

Axos Bank® Basic Business Checking

Best for Online bank with ATM access

APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
$400

Requirements to qualify

at Axos Bank®, Member FDIC

First Tech Federal Credit Union Simple Business Checking

First Tech Federal Credit Union Simple Business Checking

4.7

 

Best for Credit union account with unlimited transactions

APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$6.00

Waived with $1,000 minimum balance

Bonus
N/A

First Tech Federal Credit Union Simple Business Checking

First Tech Federal Credit Union Simple Business Checking

Best for Credit union account with unlimited transactions

4.7

 
APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$6.00

Waived with $1,000 minimum balance

Bonus
N/A

Lili Basic Business Checking

Best for Early access to payments

APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
N/A

at Lili, Deposits are FDIC Insured

Lili Basic Business Checking

Best for Early access to payments

APY
N/A

Monthly fee
$0

Bonus
N/A

at Lili, Deposits are FDIC Insured

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Does PenFed have business accounts?

PenFed does not offer business checking accounts. The credit union does have so-called “organizational accounts,” which include both checking and savings options. However, these are only available to certain nongovernmental organizations and clubs — not businesses.
If your company is interested in working with a credit union, you will have to shop around for a different small-business bank.

How to choose a PenFed alternative business account

PenFed was founded to serve government staffers, but membership is now open to anyone. If you want to do your business banking with a credit union, explore your local options as well as those on our list of the best credit unions for business accounts.
Beyond that, if you were interested in a PenFed business account, isolating the features you liked most about that credit union can help guide your search:
  • Do you want access to a branch? If so, avoid online-only options like American Express, Bluevine and Axos. Focus instead on national banks, like Chase and Bank of America, as well as regional banks and credit unions. 
  • Do you prefer a longstanding institution? Traditional banks (online and brick-and-mortar) rarely make sudden changes to their business bank accounts. The same can't be said for neobanks — financial technology companies like Lili and Bluevine that offer banking services via an FDIC-insured bank. Neobanks often pride themselves on innovation and tend to make more frequent changes to their product lineups, fee schedules and software tools.
  • Do you value credit union customer service? Many credit unions are well-loved for their relationship banking. If getting help in person or over the phone is important to you, stick to credit unions and banks that offer branch access. Neobanks vary widely in their customer service offerings — some boast 24/7 or highly rated customer support, but with others, support may be provided mostly via live chat or email. 
  • How many fees can you tolerate? One drawback of brick-and-mortar banks is that they tend to charge monthly fees (though these can usually be waived if you maintain a certain average balance). You’re also more likely to encounter fees for overdrafts, ATM usage, wire transfers, and excess transactions or cash deposits at a traditional bank versus. Online banks and neobanks are more likely to offer free business checking accounts with few additional fees.
  • How often do you deal with cash? Online business checking accounts may charge fees for cash deposits or have low limits on how much you can deposit at one time, although they generally have no monthly limits. Brick-and-mortar banks generally cap free cash deposits around $5,000 per month, though you can deposit more for a fee. 
  • What benefits are most important to you? If you take advantage of PenFed’s member discounts, sticking with a credit union may be your best bet. Brick-and-mortar banks may be more likely to offer sign-up bonuses, which offer cash to new users who meet certain deposit or transaction requirements within a few months. Online banks are more likely to pay high interest rates, and they also tend to have more sophisticated software tools to support tasks like tax planning and invoicing. 
Note on American Express® Business Checking: At Allpoint® and MoneyPass® locations in the U.S., you can withdraw cash and get balance information with no fee. Access to ATMs outside of the Allpoint® and MoneyPass® networks are subject to fees by the ATM owner and/or network. ATM withdrawal limits apply. American Express applies foreign exchange fees to withdrawals in foreign currencies. American Express does not accept ATM cash deposits into your Business Checking account at this time. Visit americanexpress.com/atm-locator to find participating ATMs in the U.S.
Last updated on April 3, 2024

Methodology

NerdWallet evaluates more than 50 business bank accounts from national, regional and online banks. Collectively, these accounts represent the largest banks by assets and the largest credit unions by membership, along with notable and emerging fintech companies and online banks.
We consider more than 20 data points for each account, including services, fees, features and rewards. We gather this information from rates and fees documents, deposit account agreements, financial institution websites and company representatives.
Our editorial team regularly reviews and updates our data to ensure consistency and accuracy. We also update our scoring on an ongoing basis to reflect changing industry norms and business owner needs. For instance, in 2025, we introduced bonus points for notable built-in software features, like the ability to accept tap-to-pay payments from customers using a mobile app.
Final star ratings are presented on a scale of one to five stars, where a five-star score represents the best available product for the largest number of business owners. Learn more about how we rate business checking accounts.