Small Business Banking Account

If you operate a small enterprise, require everyday transactional banking services and multiple ways to access your business account, the Small Business Banking Account is available for these customers*. If you’re a sole trader or single director shareholder business, HSBC Kinetic may be right for you. Find out more here and apply in minutes.

Small Business Banking customers are determined by customer needs, agreed at the start of their banking relationship with us. They’re typically small enterprises (including not-for-profits) with borrowing needs of up to £100,000. Their everyday transactional banking products and needs wouldn’t require the support of a Relationship Manager. (Government lending schemes are subject to different limits).

If your organisation operates as a not for profit, you may be eligible for our Charitable Bank Account.

If your organisation requires lending of above £100,000, visit our Business Banking Account page here.

* Supporting the needs of all our customers – if you need support opening a current account, you don’t have a smart phone or digital account opening isn’t for you, please get in touch using the Need help? or the Chat with us tab on the right-hand side of your screen. If it doesn’t help with your query, you can connect to an agent during opening hours. Alternatively, you can call us on 0800 731 8904. We’re open Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 8:00pm and Saturday, 8:00am to 2:00pm (subject to change over certain periods). Our up-to-date opening hours can be found at business.hsbc.uk/contact-us. To help us improve our service, and in the interest of security, we may monitor and record your conversation.

For other accessible ways to contact us, please visit business.hsbc.uk/accessibility. 

More information on how we support our customers can be found here.

As a Small Business Banking customer, you have a variety of support channels including access to the following:

• Business Internet Banking and Mobile Banking so you can manage your accounts wherever you are
• The secure messaging feature within Business Internet Banking
• 24/7 Need Help? Online assistants to help you with everyday queries
• Our Live Chat function available to Business Internet Banking customers who can support with more detailed account enquiries
• Over 11,500 Post Offices^®, and HSBC UK branches up and down the country where you can deposit and withdraw cash and cheques
• Our UK based Telephone Banking team if you need to discuss your banking with someone in detail
• Our Tomorrow Ready Hub to give you access to insights and resources to help you hone your cash flow management skills and transform your business with digital. View our programme of business events where you can hear from topic experts and learn from the experiences of like-minded businesses. You can also view webinars and articles to help you understand the implications of new ways of working, build your business resilience and explore export opportunities.

If you have borrowing needs of up to £100k, the best way to apply for the Small Business Banking Account is online.

If your turnover is above £6.5m or your business does wish to apply for more than £30,000 in borrowing facilities, start a Live Chat through this website or contact our Business Telephone Banking team and ask to be referred to our dedicated Direct Commercial Team.

To apply you’ll need

Business details:

• full business address, including postcode
• contact details (landline number, mobile number, email address)
• Companies House registration number (for limited companies and partnerships)
• your estimated turnover

Personal details from you, plus any partners or directors:

• full name and date of birth
• telephone number and email address
• current personal address (and previous address if you’ve been there under 3 years)
• account number (if you already bank with us)
• details of your debit/credit cards

After you submit your application, we will try to identify you online. If we're unable to identify you, we'll ask you to provide some proof of your identity and address. You can either do this ia a smartphone or webcam, or by taking the documents to your nearest branch.

We’ll process your application as quickly as possible and we’ll contact you if we require further information.

Even if you’re an existing customer, we’ll need to run an application for your business account. For privacy reasons we can’t reuse the details from your personal account.

Yes. Once your application has been saved, we send you an email with your application reference number. You’ll need it to log back in.

To see how your application is progressing, you can log in and resume your application.

Yes. You need to be able to provide details of other applicants, such as additional directors and shareholders, as part of the application process.

To add another signatory after your account has been opened, please complete a secure online form: Request to Add or Remove Signatories from an Existing Mandate. After you’ve submitted your online form, you simply need to download and print a copy, follow the signing instructions and return the signed form via the freepost address provided.

The Current Account Switch Service makes switching to HSBC easy. All you need to do to get started is open a Business Current Account. Then, you can depend on us to make the switch process simple and straightforward. Once you have opened the account, you decide when you want to start the switching process.

Who is eligible for the new Current Account Switch Service

• Businesses with an annual turnover not exceeding £6.5m and employs fewer than fifty employees.
• Charities with an annual income of less than £6.5m and trusts with a net asset value of less than £6.5m.

Once your account has been opened, switching to HSBC is simple and hassle free using the 'Full' Current Account Switch Service.

Any credits or debits sent to your old bank account will be redirected automatically to your new account, giving you plenty of time to make sure you're happy that everything is as it should be.

If you change your mind

You can cancel the switch service up to the seventh working day before your switch date. After that only certain elements can be cancelled and the closure of your old account cannot be stopped. We will guide you through what will happen if you choose to cancel.

If anything does go wrong, we guarantee to sort it out and cover any losses you might incur.

We’ll arrange everything for you, including transferring any credit balance and the closure of your old account, as well as transferring all your payments (such as any Direct Debits) to your new account with us. We’ll also set up a payment redirection for any credits or debits from your old account to your new one for at least 3 years.

That’s the Current Account Switch Guarantee.

We take care of everything. All you need to do is apply for a full switch.

On the application, you’ll need to tell us:

• Your address history for the past 3 years
• Business details, such as your current business banking details, your registration number, address and the date of incorporation if your business is a limited company
• Your personal details
• Details of financial arrangements, such as mortgages, loans and credit cards.

To identify you, we may ask you to provide proof of your identity and address.

It normally takes just 7 working days to complete the switch. During that period, you’ll be able to use your old account as normal.

If you are switching out of HSBC UK into another UK based financial institution, we will send out a list of your Direct Debits and Standing Orders within 5 working days to your new bank. We will transfer out the balance and close the account on the switch date as confirmed by your new bank.

If your new bank or building society agrees, bank accounts that include an overdraft can switch using the Current Account Switch Service. And if you’d like to have an overdraft with your new bank account, speak to your new bank or building society before starting your switch.

Your new bank or building society will be able to advise if you’re eligible for an overdraft, dependent on their lending criteria and your credit status.

Third Party Provider Permission

If you’ve given permissions to Third Party Providers to make payments on your behalf, or to access your financial data, this won’t be transferred automatically to your new account as part of the Current Account Switch Service.

1. Before you close your old account, check whether you have any of these permissions set up. If so, make a note of who with. You can see the permissions you have via the Open Banking dashboard available in Online Banking or in your Mobile Banking app.
2. Once your new account is open, you can give your permission to the Third Party Provider to access it. You’ll need to contact them directly and provide your new account details.
3. If you’re unsure if your new bank will allow the Third Party Provider to access your account, you’ll need to discuss this before switching. You can also check your new bank’s terms and conditions for more information about Third Party Providers.