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ANNA business accounts offer sole traders and small business owners a way to manage their finances online. These accounts offer many helpful tools that automate much of the admin associated with the smooth day-to-day running of a business, such as tax return reminders and customised invoices.
Its ‘pay as you go’ account offers a range of features useful to those just starting out, without costly monthly fees and commitments. There is also the option to upgrade to paid accounts with more functionality as and when your business requires.
Promotion
ANNA Money – Pay As You Go
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Monthly FeeFree
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Card Purchase FeesFree
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Bank Transfer FeesFree
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OfferFree VAT and invoicing tools + No account fee for the first month
Learn more about how we bring you our review.
Key features
- Free and paid accountsANNA offers the choice between a free ‘pay as you go’ account, and paid monthly accounts
- 24/7 customer serviceANNA offers 24/7 customer service through its mobile app
- Sole traders, limited companies and LLPsANNA business accounts are currently available to sole traders, directors of limited companies and limited liability partnerships
- Tax remindersANNA will send you tax reminders and estimations, so you can keep on top of your accounts
ANNA business account pros & cons
Pros
- ANNA’s ‘Pay as you go’ business current account has no monthly fee.
- You can open an ANNA business account in as little as three minutes.
- ANNA offers 24/7 customer support through its mobile app.
- ANNA’s mobile app is available on Android and iOS.
Cons
- Since ANNA Money is an e-money account, and not a bank account, your money is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
- ANNA Money does not accept cheques.
- At £14.90 a month, ANNA’s cheapest paid account is more expensive than many competitors.
The pros and cons featured here are chosen by us based on a combination of our expert, research-based opinions and an exclusive survey of UK business owners and decision makers. The survey was conducted on behalf of NerdWallet UK in December 2022 to identify the business bank account features that people feel are most important. They are unlikely to be the only product features and restrictions that you should consider. Pros and Cons are subjective and you should align them to your own personal and business circumstances. Information was correct at the time of publication but may have changed since.
ANNA business account full review
Founded in 2017, ANNA (or Absolutely No Nonsense Admin) offers three types of business current account, with online-only access.
Yet ANNA is not a bank, but an e-money service. This means that any money held with ANNA is not protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), unlike some other digital providers and high street banks. However, under Electronic Money Regulations, ANNA must keep customers’ money in a separate bank account to its own funds and cannot use it to fund or invest in projects.
ANNA aims to appeal to sole traders and small limited companies, and offers a maximum account balance of £10 million.
The only difference between ANNA’s free and paid accounts is the cost per transaction. Features-wise, they are the same and include:
- the ability to create and send invoices
- real-time account access for your accountant
- software integration with Xero
- tax reminders and estimations as you earn
- free direct debits
- receipt scanning
Pay as you go
ANNA’s ‘Pay as you go’ account comes with no monthly fee. Instead, you just pay for what you use, making it suitable for businesses that only need to make infrequent use of their business bank account. While card payments in any country are free, you will pay a transaction fee per local bank transfer, international payment, ATM withdrawal, and cash deposit.
Business
ANNA’s ‘Business’ account costs £14.90 a month, or £149 if billed annually. Apart from the monthly cost, the main difference between ‘Business’ and ‘Pay as you go’ is that you get free allowances for certain transactions, such as local transfers, ATM withdrawals and international payments, per month. Once these have been exhausted, you will then pay a transaction fee.
Big Business
‘Big Business’ costs £49.90 a month, or £499 annually. This account has unlimited ‘free’ local transfers, ATM withdrawal, cash deposits, personal payment links and additional debit cards. However, ANNA does note that some restrictions will still apply, and that it may be possible to create a bespoke plan for your organisation. This means it is suited to businesses with high volumes of everyday banking transactions.
ANNA business account features: at a glance
| Pay as you go | Business | Big Business | |
| Monthly fee | Free | £14.90 a month | £49.90 a month |
| Transaction fees | Yes (local transfers, ATM withdrawals, paying cash in, international payments) | Yes (but with free allowances per month) | Yes (but with free allowances per month) |
| Account management | Via a mobile app | Via a mobile app | Via a mobile app |
| FSCS protection | No | No | No |
| Set-up time | Same day | Same day | Same day |
| Cash deposits | Yes (1% per transaction) | Yes (up to £300, then 1% fee applies) | Yes (unlimited, although some restrictions still apply) |
| Cheque deposits | No | No | No |
| Access to other banking services | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| International payments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customer service | 24/7 in-app support Email: [email protected] Telephone: book a call via its website | 24/7 in-app support Email: [email protected] Telephone: book a call via its website | 24/7 in-app support Email: [email protected] Telephone: book a call via its website |
| Multiple user access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Create and send invoices | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Integration with accounting software tools | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Where ANNA business account stands out
- Free account features: With ANNA’s free ‘Pay as you go’ account, you still have access to the same features as the ‘Business’ and ‘Big Business’ accounts. You just pay for the transactions you make.
- Quick set-up: ANNA says you can set up your business account and receive your sort code in as little as three minutes. ANNA claims that 100% of eligible businesses, willing to provide additional information when requested, opened their account on the same day as their application.
- 24/7 customer support: Through its mobile app, ANNA offers 24/7 customer support from its Cardiff-based team.
- Sole traders, limited companies and LLPs: Unlike some business accounts, limited liability partnerships can apply, as well as sole traders and limited companies.
- FastTrack to Credit: With ANNA’s FastTrack to Credit, you may be able to improve your credit score by paying £9 a month for three months and ensuring that all your business sales go through your ANNA account. After that three-month period, you may be able to access credit worth 30% of your monthly sales income.
Where ANNA business account falls short
- FSCS protection: Since ANNA is an e-money business account, and not a fully-fledged bank, your deposits are not protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
- No branch access: ANNA is an online-only service, meaning you won’t be able to pop to your local branch to make transactions or ask questions.
- Cash and cheques: You cannot pay cheques directly into your ANNA business account. And while you now can make cash deposits at PayPoint locations, this comes with a fee for the ‘Pay as you go’ account.
- Charity accounts: ANNA currently doesn’t offer business accounts to charities.
ANNA business account customer reviews
ANNA Money’s customers have left reviews on a range of sites. Generally, these reviews are positive.
- App Store: 4.5 out of 5, based on over 720 reviews
- Google Play: 4.4 out of 5, based on over 1,100 reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.6 out of 5, based on over 2,300 reviews
This information is correct as of 3 May 2023.
ANNA business account eligibility
If you want to open an ANNA business account, you will need to:
- be a sole trader, director of a limited company listed on Companies House, or a partner in an limited liability partnership (LLP)
- run a business located in the UK
- have a residential address based in the UK
How to apply for a ANNA business account
If you want to apply for an ANNA Money business account, you should follow these steps:
- Download the ANNA mobile app.
- Verify your identity using your driving licence or passport. If you don’t have these forms of ID, you can take a recent photo of yourself to your bank, solicitor or accountant so that they can verify your identity.
- Verify your address using a utility bill, council tax bill, or bank statement from the last three months.
- Submit your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) if you are a sole trader, or your company registration number if you are opening a bank account for a limited company, and answer ANNA’s Know Your Business (KYB) questions. You may need to provide business documentation, such as your website, utility bills or lease agreements, social media profiles, or supplier invoices and contracts.
- Once your details have been checked and registered by ANNA, you will be able to start using your business account. You will receive your debit card within five working days of acceptance.
Review methodology
At NerdWallet Ltd UK we base our reviews on the results of surveys we conduct to understand what key product features are important to those who use them, and align them to the product we review.
Product details reflect the information that was available at that time but may have changed since. We strive to give you a review on as many products as possible but it is likely there are others available that we have not reviewed. The review is our opinion, but it does not constitute advice, recommendation or suitability of your financial circumstances.
You can view our review methodology here.
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