The real cost of idle money in UK business accounts
10.06.2025
2 min read
What are more proactive businesses doing instead?
They start by looking:
- What’s sitting unused for 30+ days?
- What interest, if any, is it earning?
- Could that part of the balance be working, without reducing access?
What can you do?
1. Check your balance over time
- How much sits untouched for 30+ days?
2. Split your funds into two buckets
- Working cash (what you need for bills) vs parked cash (what’s just waiting).
3. Check your current interest rate
- Many instant-access business accounts still pay 0–0.1%.
- Inflation in the UK remains above 2% - that gap is where you lose value.
4. Ask your provider direct questions
- “Do I earn anything on idle funds?”
- “Is there a way to earn without locking money away?”
Is your account paying you 0.1% or 0%? If part of your money isn’t moving, it should be earning.
