A payroll bureau and an online seller both need a business account, and almost nothing else about their requirements overlaps. These pages set out what the payment side looks like in each case — which rails matter, where the operational constraints sit, and what tends to go wrong.
Paying many employers’ staff from one operation, with each client’s money kept separate. The constraints are the BACS three-day cycle, client fund segregation, and what happens when a run misses its window.
Handling client funds, converting foreign-currency invoices at the rate HMRC expects, and connecting payments to practice software without a manual re-keying step.
Holding balances in the currencies you actually trade in rather than converting on every transaction, and choosing the right rail for each corridor.
Receiving marketplace payouts in their original currency, and keeping conversion out of the path between a sale and your balance.
Not sure which applies, or your situation spans several? The UK business banking comparison works through the choice on features rather than sector, and our free tools cover the recurring jobs — validating an account before you pay it, converting an invoice at the official rate, and working out when a payment will actually land.