Halifax business account: there isn't one
Halifax does not provide business banking, so there is no Halifax business account to open. Its own business banking page states it plainly and sends you to Lloyds Bank or Bank of Scotland instead, both part of the same group. On top of that, the Halifax brand itself is being folded into Lloyds. So if you came here to open one, the five minutes below will save you the afternoon you were about to spend looking.
What Halifax actually says
The wording onHalifax's own business banking page leaves no room for interpretation: "At Halifax, we don't provide business banking services, but Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland (who are both part of the same group as us) do." There is no application form, no tariff and no business current account. Halifax handles personal current accounts, savings, mortgages and credit cards, plus business insurance, which is the one business product it does sell and the likely reason some searches land on a Halifax page at all.
The brand is going too
Halifax is retiring the brand into Lloyds. Itsbrand change page says the Halifax name is moving to Lloyds over the coming months, that the Halifax app and online banking are closing, and that customers will be invited to move across to the Lloyds app. Features and benefits are not changing at the point of the switch. For a business decision this matters less than it sounds, because there was never a business account to migrate, but it does mean that any guide still telling you to walk into a Halifax branch for business banking is describing a world that is closing.
The same-group answer: Lloyds or Bank of Scotland
If what you wanted from Halifax was a large bank with branches, a counter for cash and a name your customers recognise, then Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland are the direct replacements and sit in the same group. Bank of Scotland is the Scottish arm of the same operation. Both take business applications, and both work the way high-street business banking generally works: an introductory free period, then a tariff that charges per transaction and per £100 of cash.
That last part is the bit worth understanding before you pick any high-street account. A free banking period is not a free account, it is a deferred one, and the published tariffs underneath show what it defers to. NatWest charges no monthly fee but takes 35p on every automated payment and 95p per £100 of cash once its two free years end. Santander's Business Current Account Classic is £9.99 a month after twelve free months, allows £1,000 of cash a month at its machines, then charges £1.25 per £100 above that. Both were read from the banks' own published tariffs on 7 August 2026.
Run that against your own month. A business making 100 payments and banking £2,000 in cash pays about £54 a month at NatWest's standard rate and roughly £22 at Santander, against £0 at a free account that does not charge per payment. That is the real question behind the branch, and it is worth answering before the free period makes it feel free.
The cheaper answer, if the branch is not the point
Most small businesses that go looking for a high-street business account are not actually attached to the branch. They want an account that works, from a name they trust, that does not quietly cost them money. Seven of the ten accounts we track charge no monthly fee at all, several are licensed banks with the sameFSCS protection a high-street account carries, and the free ones do not charge per payment.
The honest test is cash. If you bank notes and coins regularly, counter access has real value and you should compare cash rates carefully, because that is where the money goes. If you take card and bank transfer like most businesses now do, a branch is a habit rather than a requirement, and paying a monthly fee plus a charge on every transaction for one is an expensive way to keep it.
What to do next
- If you want the branch: apply to Lloyds Bank or Bank of Scotland directly. They are the Halifax group's business banking, and they are where Halifax itself points you.
- If you want it cheap: start with the accounts that charge no monthly fee, then check the cash rate against how much cash you actually handle.
- If you are not sure: the four-question quiz matches you against every account we track on structure, cash, credit file and what you need the account to do.
Figures and provider positions on this page were checked on 7 August 2026 against Halifax's own business banking and brand change pages.
Questions people actually ask
Can I open a Halifax business account?
No. Halifax does not offer business banking and does not accept business account applications. Its own business banking page says so directly, and points people to Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland, which are part of the same group. If you are searching for a Halifax business account you are looking for a product that does not exist.
Why do people think Halifax does business accounts?
Because Halifax is a large high-street bank with branches, so it looks like it should, and because plenty of comparison pages still list it. Halifax handles personal current accounts, mortgages and savings. Business banking inside Lloyds Banking Group sits with Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland instead.
Is the Halifax brand disappearing?
It is changing to Lloyds. Halifax says the brand is moving to Lloyds over the coming months, the Halifax app and online banking are closing, and customers are being invited across to the Lloyds app. Account features are not changing at the point of the switch. That makes opening anything new in the Halifax name a poor bet even where you can.
What should I open instead of a Halifax business account?
If you want a branch and a counter, Lloyds Bank or Bank of Scotland are the direct equivalents inside the same group. If you mainly want the account to be cheap, seven of the ten accounts we track charge no monthly fee at all, and several are licensed banks with FSCS protection. Cost and cash handling should decide it, not the name over the door.
Does Halifax do anything for businesses?
Business insurance, yes. Banking, no. Halifax markets business insurance products, so a Halifax page about business does not always mean a bank account is available.
Figures checked 7 August 2026 by S5 editorial against each provider's own published pricing. Confirm details with the provider before applying.