Micro-enterprise: is a professional bank account mandatory?
Micro-enterprise! We hear this word a lot here and there in the mouths of young, ambitious workers. But while this legal status attracts in particular for the reduction of its administrative burdens, its opening is generally accompanied by its lot of questions.
- Is it mandatory to open a professional bank account in a self business?
- What type of bank to choose between traditional banks, Neo banks or specialised actors?
- And, besides, it is rather a current account or a professional account that must be chosen?
What is the most advantageous in the end?
Do I need to open a professional micro-enterprise bank account?
It is customary to think that the micro-entrepreneur escapes certain administrative obligations, thanks to his professional legal status apart.
Concretely, it is NOT mandatory for small low-income activities to open a professional bank account!
If, however, you want to open one, it is important to understand why it is said professional. This bank account dedicated to your activity is strictly reserved for your business operations. It should consist only of transactions carried out in the course of the independent activity. No way, using this pro account for your personal expenses!
That is what the fight against fraud is all about. If micro-entrepreneurs with a turnover of less than €10,000 have no reason to open a business account, it can still be very interesting.
The advantages of a pro micro-enterprise bank account
Opting for the opening of a professional bank account allows first of all to see much clearer in these accounts. The management of the activity is facilitated by direct and legible access to customer/supplier invoices, which also facilitates the reminders of payment of potential latecomers.
Then, during a tax audit, all transactions are thus justifiable, without being drowned in a transaction flow mixing private and pro.
Obviously, bank contributions and fees are necessarily higher in a professional bank account, and traditional banks will tend to prefer to offer a professional account to the micro-entrepreneur for the same reason. Some will even refuse to open a current account to independent, or close a current account that has been used for professional purposes.
Fortunately, today, there are a multitude of bank offers specially designed for independents.
This is also the case with Blank, Qonto, Shine and N26 online offers. These allow a quick view of a company’s financial health and also offer other advantages such as:
- Anticipating the amounts of your social contributions
- Make Forecast Budgets
- Understanding the turnover amount
- Reduce expenses to increase profitability
- Calculate easily, the compensation to be paid to keep business cash in good health.
Opening a professional bank account in a micro-maintenance business also means benefiting from offers reserved only for companies.
The arrangement of the means of payment and collection, via the establishment of a bank card or payment terminal, is thus facilitated and adapted to the activity. These offers dedicated to the professional activity are also adapted to all the specificities of a company. You therefore have the opportunity to access:
- Management by the banking institution of invoices and unpaid payments
- Greater overdraft authorizations
- Access to professional insurance
- Banking advice tailored to the needs of the entrepreneur
- A precious time saving, to be more serene when reporting turnover, whether monthly or quarterly.