Why a personal bank account and a business bank account should be kept separate?

a year ago   •   .4 min read

.By Laine Redpath
.Table of contents

If you're like most business owners, you probably have a personal checking account and maybe even a business checking account. However, the more businesses you own or run, the more likely it is that you'll need to set up additional accounts for each one. This can be confusing because some financial institutions only offer one type of business banking account: either an individual or a joint account. In this article, we'll explain why having separate accounts is important in order to keep your finances organised and safe from outside parties who might try to steal from or sue your company. We'll also discuss some of the advantages of having separate personal and business bank accounts so that you can make informed decisions about what kind of banking relationship suits your needs best!

Reasons to separate personal and business bank accounts

A personal bank account is for personal use, while a business bank account is used for business purposes. Separate accounts help you keep your finances organised and protect your personal assets from liability. The bottom line is that having separate accounts is important for banking, recordkeeping, liability protection, taxation benefits and financial security.

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1. Banking.

A personal bank account is a basic checking account that you can use for your day-to-day spending. It comes with the added benefit of being able to access it from anywhere and pay bills online, so even if you don't have a business debit card, you can still get things done. Business accounts are great too because they allow you to keep your personal finances separate from your business finances. This is helpful if one of those goes bankrupt or loses money in some other way. You won't have to worry about losing both accounts simultaneously! Personal accounts also tend to be more flexible than business ones; while most businesses have strict rules about what their employees can and cannot do with their funds (think: no eating out during lunch), personal ones usually let people spend as they wish (as long as they make payments on time). On top of this, personal accounts are usually less expensive than business ones because they don't come with all the bells and whistles—which means fewer fees coming out of your paycheck every month!

2. Recordkeeping.

In order to keep track of your personal and business transactions, it’s important that you separate the accounts and keep a record of all transactions. This way, you know how much money is in each account so you can budget accordingly (for example, if there’s a lot of cash in your personal account and no debt). You should also keep receipts for all income and expenses—even if they are small purchases like coffee or gum—so that you can keep accurate records for tax purposes.

3. Liability Protection.

You can separate your personal assets from your business assets. You can protect your personal assets from any potential legal action against your business. You can protect your business assets from any potential legal action against you personally.

4. Taxation Benefits.

The second reason you should keep your business and personal banking separate is that tax rules treat them differently. If you have a business bank account, it's considered a sole proprietorship or partnership. This means that any income from the business is taxed on your personal income tax return. You can then deduct all of your expenses against this income, which includes things like the cost of supplies and materials; the interest paid on loans used for operating expenses; depreciation on equipment; and most other outlays associated with running a company (including travel costs).

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5. Financial Security.

Financial Security. If your business fails, or if you get sued, or if you get robbed, or even if your business gets hacked (and it will eventually happen), there's no guarantee that the funds in your personal account will be enough to cover the losses. By keeping them separate, you can protect yourself from financial ruin—and keep doing what you love!

In conclusion, banks offer many benefits that can help you manage your money more efficiently. Having separate personal and business accounts is one way to get the most out of these benefits while staying on top of your finances.

So there you go! We’ve covered everything from banking to recordkeeping, liability protection and tax benefits. It might seem like a lot at first but it really isn’t that hard once you get into the habit (and just think how much time it will save).

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