• Banking

3 Accounts Every Business Owner Should Have

6 min. read24.01.2022
By Team Zeller

Each account is a financial tool with an important role to play.

Money management is a skill that can take time to master. However, no business owner can afford to let this one slip through the cracks. Keeping a close eye on your incomings and outgoings from the outset is critical to keeping doors open.

One of the simplest and most effective techniques to effectively manage your money is to set up three separate accounts:

  1. operating account

  2. tax account

  3. profit account.

Each account has its own purpose.

By keeping your funds in separate accounts, you will always have enough money on hand to carry you through quieter periods, take care of your tax obligations, or spend in case of emergencies.

When you sign up for Zeller, you get a free Zeller Transaction Account. Setting up multiple Zeller Transaction Accounts is simple, and can be done in seconds.

What is a business bank account?

A business bank account is a facility that protects a business’s capital while enabling it to spend its funds. You’ll use a business account to receive payments from customers, fulfill invoices, track business expenses, and generally keep your accountant happy.

A business bank account is not a personal account. For tax and bookkeeping purposes, banks, accountants and payments providers strongly recommend that merchants separate personal from business funds in separate accounts.

To open a business account, business owners used to need to gather their documentation together, visit a bank branch in person to meet with a representative, and then send various forms via fax, postal or electronic mail. Eventually, you’d receive a card and checkbook in the mail.

Instead, you can sign up for a free Zeller Transaction Account in minutes. A Zeller Terminal can be purchased from the online shop, with free express shipping and same-day dispatch. Funds accepted via Zeller Terminal will be available in your Zeller Transaction Account for spending, the very next day, or you can simply use Zeller as your primary financial services provider without taking payments through Zeller Terminal.

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When comparing business accounts, it’s important to spend time on working out what’s important to you and which features your business needs. Read our blog about opening your first business account.

3 important accounts to open

There are three basic business accounts you should consider opening. Of course, there are more sophisticated ways of managing your funds; you could be pouring over your budget every day. However, for simple and straightforward money management, keep reading.

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Zeller merchants can set up multiple sub-accounts to tailor their funds management to fit their unique business set-up. Not only does this give you a better overview of your business's finances, it also gives you the ability to more easily manage your money — with quick and seamless transactions between your main and sub-accounts.

Here are the three accounts every small business owner needs.

1. Operating account

The first account you’ll need is your operating account. Your operating account is where you run the day-to-day operations of your business.

It’s where you:

  • receive your income

  • pay your bill

  • pay your wages

and so much more. Basically, all your day-to-day cash inflows and outflows go through this account. Most businesses should have one of these accounts already. For most Zeller merchants, this will be your Zeller Transaction Account.

Funds are collected from your Zeller Terminal, settled and cleared into your Zeller Transaction Account overnight — so they’re available for spending the very next day. It’s the fasted way to get access to your takings and speed up your cash flow.

Sign up for Zeller and you could have your Business Transaction Account in less than five minutes. Once your account is set up, stop using cash and do all your transactions electronically. If you’re paying suppliers in cash, it’s easy to lose track of the payment. If you pay electronically, you can always find a record of the transaction — ensuring you don’t miss out on claiming GST (if you are registered for it), or other tax deductions.

Bigger businesses may choose to use a traditional bank for their operating account, because they offer overdraft facilities (subject to approval). These banks likely charge a monthly fee for the service.

2. Tax account

The second account that you’ll need is your tax account. Your tax account is where you start putting money aside for tax. By separating it from your operating account, you will be less likely to spend it.

It's easy to accumulate funds in your account, forgetting that at some point down the line there's tax to pay. Entrepreneurs and business are legally obliged to pay a number of different taxes, such as sales tax, trade tax, income tax, and wage tax.

When you first start trading, you’re not paying tax on your earnings. But the year after you lodge your first tax return in net profit, you get a tax bill for that year — plus all of a sudden you also have to pay PAYG installments. Depending on which type of tax you pay, you will be required to make specific quarterly or monthly payments in advance to tax authorities. These advance payments help your business to budget and plan ahead, by spreading the business’s tax burden over the entire year.

If you set aside money in a sub-account on a regular basis, it can help to make sure that you have sufficient financial resources available to pay your taxes on time. Each week or each month, start to put money aside money that will cover your obligations such as:

  • Good and Services Tax (GST)

  • Pay As You Go Tax (PAYG)

  • superannuation

  • income tax, and so on.

3. Profit Account

Finally, the third account you’ll need is a profit account. This is where you put money aside for the profits of your business. So, as your business makes a profit, simply put a portion of that money aside.

Again, if you leave it in your operating account, it’s far easier to spend. But if you put it aside in your profit account, it will be available when you want to make any changes in the business. This could be things like:

  • paying out dividends

  • purchasing new tools or assets for your business

  • reinvest in the growth of your business

  • giving all your staff a bonus

  • investing in additional COVID-safe measures.

The beauty of starting to manage your money this way is that you’ll be able to start choosing where you spend your accumulating profits, rather than your takings being simply absorbed in the day-to-day operations.

Set these three accounts up today and use them frequently — you’ll soon find that you’ll have the money that you’ll need to scale your business. Once your business grows, it’s a good idea to look for a high-interest business savings account. This will let you earn interest on extra funds that you don’t need right now; effectively, it’s another revenue stream as it allows you to make money on business assets.

Introducing smarter business banking

With Zeller, you can accept payments from customers, track spending and manage your business's finances online. It’s an all-in-one solution for merchants looking for the most straightforward way to start or grow their business — no hidden fees or lock-in contracts required.

In Zeller Dashboard, you can see:

  • details of every sale

  • the number and value of sales your business has made at any point on time

  • where business funds have been spent

  • account totals

and so much more. By putting valuable insights at your fingertips, we hope to enable Zeller merchants to be able to make important business decisions with ease.

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Please note this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice.

5 Reasons to Separate Personal From Business Banking

It pays to open a separate account for your business. When you run a business, keeping accurate financial records is essential. One of the easiest things you can do to simplify your life is to choose the right set-up for your accounts from the outset — especially if you have plans to grow your business in future. Depending on your business structure, you may be required to have a separate account to hold business funds. If your business has been set up as a partnership, company or a trust, you are legally obligated to have a separate account for tax purposes. Sole traders aren’t legally required by the ATO to have a separate account, but there are many reasons why keeping your personal finances distinct from business funds is a good idea. Read on to discover the top reasons for opening a business account, and how to choose the right small business account for your circumstances. 5 reasons why you should open a business account 1. Better visibility of the financial health of your business One of the biggest challenges for small businesses is the ability to manage cash flow. Accurate monitoring of spending is vital for cash planning, however managing this can become more difficult when business spending and personal spending are intertwined in the one account. As a sole trader, there’s no legal reason why you can’t use your personal bank account to receive and make payments for your business. Yet when it comes to reconciling your business transactions at the end of each month, you may find that trawling through your personal expenses is a tedious task. If you choose to store business and personal funds in one account, you will need to be extra careful in reconciling your financials. Getting it wrong could land your business in trouble, come tax time. By keeping your business transactions separate, sorting out your legitimate business expenses from your personal spending becomes far simpler. To streamline your bookkeeping even further, you can link your business account to your business accounting software and automate the process of inputting your expenses. The ATO requires you to maintain your business records for five years; having a dedicated business transaction account will make it much easier to manage in the event you are audited. 2. Separated funds ready for tax time Meeting your tax obligations is one of the less enjoyable, yet necessary, elements of running a business. Maintaining a separate business transaction account means that you can keep track of your business income, and better manage your obligations when tax time rolls around. A popular approach for ensuring that there are no surprises at the end of the financial year is to have three business accounts : one for everyday transactions, one for holding your GST and PAYG instalments, and one for storing profit. This way, you won’t be tempted to spend more money than you should, and you’ll have better control over your cash flow. With Zeller, you can open multiple Zeller Transaction Accounts – with different cards attached to each for simple, trackable expense management and you can open a Zeller Savings Account to earn interest on your profit. 3. Easier accounting When tax time rolls around, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss any legitimate business deductions. Keeping your personal and business transactions separate will not only make this easier, but will also help to avoid mistakenly claiming a personal expense as a business expense. You’ll also likely minimise your accountant’s fee, as they won’t have to sift through your personal expenses in order to complete your tax return. Instead, you could ask them to spend time on meaningful tasks that will help to grow your business. The true value of an accountant is in helping you to identify longer-term savings and strategies to grow your business — not identifying which coffees were for a business meeting, and which were for brunch with friends. Haven’t got one? Read  How to Find an Accountant for Your Small Business . 4. Simpler and faster money management Most financial service businesses take the hassle out of making and receiving payments by offering 24-hour online access to accounts. However, by shopping around, you will be able to find smarter solutions that offer far more than round-the-clock access to your funds. Depending on which provider you choose, your business could also benefit from the ability to track things like: the total value of sales on any given day, or month business performance by location the amount of tax payable on your takings, at any point in time. Zeller Transaction Account offers real-time visibility of all of the above, and much more. Most businesses can sign up in under 5 minutes. Take the time to research the features and compare business bank accounts to discover which meet your needs — not only now, but as your business grows. 5. A more professional image If you want your business to be taken seriously, opening a business account is an important first step. Making and receiving payments into a business account helps to create a more professional, trustworthy perception. When you have a separate account for storing business funds, your business name will appear on any invoices and payment paperwork, rather than your personal name. This will help both suppliers and customers to become more familiar with your business' name. Choosing the best transaction account for small business Before opening a new business account, it’s important to take a moment to consider your needs. Your business' operating rhythm, as well as the time it takes to get set up, are two of the most important considerations. Thanks to decades of technological advancements, there are new alternatives to traditional big-4 banking which don’t require you to carve time out of your busy work day to visit a branch, and rely on outdated communications methods — such as fax. Aside from ease of setup, there are a number of other considerations. These include: transaction limits whether you require additional features, such as cheque books availability of merchant facilities, such as EFTPOS terminals fees, including account-keeping and transaction fees how quickly you need access to your funds. If you’re not sure which business account is right for you, consider seeking advice from your accountant or tax agent. They may be able to help you decide what will work best for your financial reporting requirements. The easiest way to set up a business transaction account Zeller has developed a fee-free option specifically for small and medium sized Australian businesses. Our all-in-one solution includes a free business transaction account , linked to your Zeller Terminal. There are no hidden fees, or lock-in contracts. Payments accepted via your Zeller EFTPOS machine are settled into your Zeller Transaction Account at the end of every day, and funds are available for spending via your Zeller Debit Card the next day — which means there’s no waiting for your money. You can pay staff, suppliers, and yourself immediately. However, if you prefer to store your funds elsewhere, your Zeller Terminal can be linked to any third party bank account. Funds will be transferred the very next business day. The Zeller system has been designed to streamline the entire payments side of your business, and provide visibility over your incomings and outgoings at a glance. Zeller Dashboard provides a real-time overview of the money flowing into your transaction account, earning interest in your savings account, and being spent via your business debit card, as well as how your current cash flow compares to previous periods. Still not sure which is the right option for your business? Read up on Best Business Bank Accounts in Australia .

Swap your Business Bank for a Zeller Transaction Account

Discover a better way to store and spend business funds. Zeller Transaction Account is a powerful business transaction account that makes keeping on top  of your spending, transactions, payments, settlements and invoices, and making managing your business financial health simple and straightforward. When you sign up for Zeller, you get a free Zeller Transaction Account instantly  — there’s no paperwork or need to visit a bank. Some business bank accounts are outdated. Many are simply a secure place to store funds. With Zeller Transaction Account, you can replace your outdated business bank account with next-gen technology that gives you one place to see your incoming and outgoing transactions in real time, understand customer and business spending, and track payments across your entire business — right from your computer or smartphone. New enhancements make the Zeller Transaction Account the most powerful transaction account for any business stage or type. Whether you operate a start-up or a scale-up, sell face-to-face or online, or manage contractors as part of an agency, Zeller has the right financial services solution for you. Zeller Transaction Account can be used together with other Zeller products, or as a standalone Transaction Account for businesses that: need a place to settle funds to don’t have an established banking history, yet need a transaction account fast want solutions to help manage expenses across a wide range of employee or contractor types, without the fuss. Keep reading to discover how Zeller Transaction Accounts work. An all-in-one solution Zeller’s suite of products support all of your business’ financial needs. Funds accepted via Zeller Terminal are settled to your Zeller Transaction Account nightly, 365 days a year, and then instantly available to spend with your Zeller Debit Card . Plus, with your own Account Number and BSB, you can invite customers, clients and other third parties to transfer funds directly to your account when paying your business for invoices. Alternatively, Zeller Transaction Account can be used as a standalone business account to store, save and manage your funds. Meet your new Transaction Account Zeller Transaction Account is an all-in-one business account for growth-minded merchants. Complete with BSB and Account Number, it’s packed with all of the tools you need to manage, categorise and spend business funds. Instant setup Create your Zeller Transaction Account in a few simple steps online , with no lengthy paperwork or need to visit a bank branch. In fact, it’s the fastest and simplest way to sign up for a business transaction account, anywhere in the world — most business owners can be set up with a new account in under 5 minutes. You can create as many free Transaction Accounts as your business needs — whether that’s one for every business location, one for saving and another to store petty cash for employees to spend with their Zeller Debit Cards , or any other setup. No matter your business stage or type, Zeller can support the way you run your business. Real-time and unlimited transfers Outdated business banks will make you wait days to receive your funds — and even longer on weekends and public holidays. With Zeller Transaction Account, funds are transferred in real-time. Powered by the New Payments Platform, Zeller enables faster, simpler, smarter payments for every business. With your Zeller Transaction Account, you can send and receive funds in real-time for instant cash flow. All businesses need fast cash flow. Whether you're a market merchant needing their funds settled to buy fresh produce, an agency wanting to pay its contractors faster for completed work, or an online seller needing to pay a drop-shipper to release the goods so you can fulfil orders — Zeller’s nightly settlement gives you the fastest way to access your hard-earned money. Instant, fee-free spending Create and issue virtual Zeller Debit Cards, or order physical cards, online in an instant. Then, connect your card to one of your Zeller Transaction Accounts so you and your staff can spend business funds to make purchases in-store and online. Simple expense management Zeller Transaction Account is the most powerful account for modern businesses. That means you have the ability to upload receipts, add notes, categorise transactions, and assign contacts to transactions so you better understand the customers spending with your businesses as well as the businesses you’re purchasing from. Powerful business insights Real-time transaction lists and reporting, available in both Zeller Dashboard and the Zeller App (coming soon), empower you with the insights you need to run a successful business. Plus, funds settled to and withdrawn from your account are easily accessible, from wherever business takes you. Xero Bank Feeds integration Rely on Zeller’s up-to-the-minute integration with Xero bank feeds to reduce the admin load of manual transaction uploads and reconciliations. When funds are settled to your Zeller Transaction Account, transaction information appears in your Xero organisation instantly. Secure access can be granted to third parties like your bookkeeper or accountant, ensuring you’re working as efficiently as possible from the exact same data. Get started today Zeller Transaction Account gives you complete oversight of your finances to help you make smarter business decisions. Having the ability to see your true financial position at any point in time enables you to identify opportunities for business growth and see where savings could be made. Open your free Zeller Transaction Account online in minutes today.

Replace your Outdated Business Bank with Zeller

Everything you'd expect from a business account — and more. As a business owner, you want to focus on growing your business. Whether your goal is to scale up, increase your profits, or explore new opportunities — our growing range of financial services products enable you to take that next step. We have expanded our product suite to include three new, powerful products that will help more Australian businesses — like yours — to grow. Zeller Debit Card New and improved Zeller Transaction Account Zeller App As with all Zeller products, these new offerings work just as well together as they do with your existing solutions. When used in conjunction with Zeller Terminal, they give you a complete view of your incomings and outgoings — enabling you to get a better handle of your business cash flow. Yet, as part of the exciting evolution of Zeller, you can also opt to use each of these products as a standalone replacement for your current business bank account . Zeller is a new and powerful replacement for your business accounts and cards, enabling you to store, save and spend your money better. Keep reading to learn more about how Zeller is reimagining business banking by developing innovative products to help you run your business better — with no lock-in contracts, monthly fees or need to visit a bank. Reimagining business banking for Australian businesses In 2021, over 3 in 5 Australian business owners reported that they would prefer to manage their business finances through a non-big 4 bank. Tired of the lengthy set-up processes and paperwork, slow settlement, hidden account fees and fine print, it was clear that business owners desired a powerful new alternative. Zeller launched that same year to offer a smarter alternative to outdated business banking solutions serving Australia’s thriving business ecosystem — supporting merchants to grow their cash flow and profitability as they emerged from the pandemic with products that enable them to access their funds faster, gain valuable business insights, manage expenses more efficiently, and sell to their customers in more locations. Now we’ve expanded Zeller’s suite of products to offer a complete financial services solution that’s everything you'd expect from a business bank, but better. The release of these new products marks an important milestone for Zeller in becoming a financial services provider that meets all of your business financial needs — from accepting payments to managing your finances, paying employees and bills, tracking your expenses, reporting on business growth, streamlining bookkeeping and more. With Zeller, you can say goodbye to your outdated business bank. No matter what your financial services needs are, we are developing the solutions to power them — with no monthly fees, no paperwork, no need to visit a branch, and no lock-in contracts. Meet Zeller’s suite of new, powerful financial products Use them all or pick one to plug into your existing tech stack, Zeller offers a suite of financial services products to power up your business — including EFTPOS payments and invoices, accounts and cards, with new solutions for expense management coming soon. Zeller Transaction Account When you sign up for your Zeller Account, you get a free, powerful Zeller Transaction Account that you can use to replace your traditional business bank. Or, simply sign up for your free Zeller Transaction Account and use it without any other Zeller products. It’s the most powerful business Transaction Account for any business stage or type — complete with your own BSB and Account Number. Once set up, you can create as many additional accounts as you like. Zeller Transaction Account comes with features to see a full overview of all of your payments, transactions, expenses, spending and invoices across your top suppliers and customers, and manage expenses in real-time with ease. You can transfer funds to and from your Zeller Transaction Account instantly, then rack all your incomings and outgoings with up-to-the-minute Xero Bank Feeds, to streamline reconciliation. Using your Zeller Transaction Account in conjunction with Zeller Termina l gives you the fastest possible access to your funds, so you can put your money to use. Funds accepted via Zeller Terminal are settled to Zeller Transaction Account nightly, 365 days a year. Zeller Debit Card As you grow your business, you’ll need to purchase stock; pay bills, suppliers and employees; and keep track of it all so your budget is under control. Zeller Debit Card , which replaces Zeller Mastercard, is linked to your free Zeller Transaction Account so you can spend funds as soon as they settle to your account. With Zeller, you can create unlimited, free virtual cards and assign cards to employees in seconds so they can make business purchases in-store and online. Then, add notes and upload receipts so you know where your money is going. If your card ever goes missing, it’s simple to lock or cancel the card in an instant via Zeller Dashboard or Zeller App. Whether it’s a round of coffee for staff, or your business’ electricity, you can pay for it with Zeller Debit Card — plus, you’ll get access to exclusive cardholder benefits and rewards with every dollar you spend. Purchases made in Australia are always fee-free, and there are no annual card fees. Zeller App The Zeller App is the only app you need to manage your accounts and cards, EFTPOS and payments, invoicing and expense management, and more. Whether you operate a startup or a scale-up, you can run all of your business finances from your mobile phone, no matter where you are in the world. With Zeller App , you can: transfer funds fast between accounts order and issue, activate and cancel Zeller Debit Cards for you and your team view sales reports view your entire transaction list and details for all your Zeller Transaction Accounts, Zeller Debit Cards and funds settled from Zeller Terminal add notes to your transactions and more. Zeller App is available and free to download from Apple’s App Store  and Google Play . Zeller Terminal Whether you’re accepting payments in-store, on the go or over the phone, Zeller Terminal ensures customers are able to pay for your goods or services quickly and securely. When you’re just starting out, having an EFTPOS machine helps establish legitimacy with customers and affords incredible efficiencies; you don’t want to be sending customers to an ATM or requesting bank transfers. When you’re operating a busy business, an EFTPOS machine that processes customer payments in seconds helps to cut down queues and increase customer satisfaction — ensuring their final touchpoint with your business is a positive one. Make use of intelligent functionality such as: integrations with 600+ point-of-sale systems to streamline payments custom surcharging to pass on your cost of acceptance in full tipping prompts to grow your tips by 30% customisable receipts for additional business branding and much more. With 99.999% uptime and the option to add a Zeller SIM Card so you can process payments when Wi-Fi or personal hotspot isn’t available, Zeller Terminal ensures you’re always ready to sell. In-person payments cost just 1.4% per tapped, dipped or swiped transaction, while over-the-phone payments cost 1.7% to reflect the additional security measures required to keep your business safe. If your business processes over $250K in card payments per year, you may be eligible for a custom rate. Funds accepted via Zeller Terminal are settled to your Zeller Transaction Account overnight, 365 days a year, and available to spend using your Zeller Debit Card the very next day. Zeller Terminal comes in black and white, and is available from Zeller Shop , with free express shipping and same-day dispatch. There are no lock-in contracts, terminal rental fees or hidden charges. Zeller Dashboard Having the ability to see, track and report on your incomings and outgoings is key to running a successful business. Zeller Dashboard provides one convenient location to see your incomings and outgoing in real-time, manage your EFTPOS terminal settings, create reports, keep track of business performance and more — from wherever you are. Understanding where your money is coming from, and then being spent, is key to healthy cash flow. It also makes tax time easier and enables you to find opportunities to cut spending to support business growth. For example, using Zeller Dashboard you can instantly identify which times and days of the week your business is the quietest. With this information in hand, you can make informed decisions about whether to change your opening times, close on public holidays, reduce your staff, and much more. Zeller Contact Directory works hand in hand with Zeller Dashboard, allowing you to better understand the customers who shop with you and get valuable insights about the businesses you spend with. This powerful functionality gives you one place to see every EFTPOS payment, transaction and account transfer processed with an individual or another business — and it’s included free. Make the switch today Whether your business is big or small, Zeller products can help you run more efficiently and meet your next growth milestone. Plus, all Zeller merchants get free access to live support in under five minutes. Our team of experts is on hand to help you with any queries you may have, and are available via phone call or text, email, and social media. Sign up for your free Zeller Account today in under five minutes to get started, or speak to Zeller Sales about a custom package designed to suit your business needs.

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