The real cost of idle money in UK business accounts

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.