Where FSB membership saves your business money, in plain English. Seven things every small business deals with: what you can save straight away, and how FSB has your back when something goes wrong.
Our first port of call is to give you a quick cash-flow boost that more than covers your £195 a year (just 53.4p a day) FSB basic membership. There's no VAT to add: FSB has negotiated membership with the government to be VAT exempt.
We can then make the most of all the other savings and support the FSB offers, to help protect and grow your business.
Free from day one. Tap any line for the full details. Figures are typical first-year savings for a business that uses them.
That's nearly eight times your £195 membership, and it doesn't count anything marked "Free", or the up to £100,000 of legal, tribunal and tax investigation cover that comes with it.
The FSB Grants Finder is built for FSB members: small businesses, sole traders and the self-employed.
Find it at grants.fsb.org.uk
Stop paying to keep your own money.
Many business accounts charge a monthly fee, and some charge for payments in and out on top.
With the FSB accounts from Zempler, Co-op or Allica there's no monthly fee, and payments in and out, Direct Debits and cash machine withdrawals are free.
Save on bank charges now.
Your business card spending earns you nothing back.
1% comes back on card purchases with Zempler or Allica. Allica also pays up to 4.08% interest (variable) on its savings pot, including a 0.25% bonus for joining through FSB.
Spend £2,500 a month on the card and get up to £300 a year back.
No credit checks and no minimum balance: they look forward, not back. 1% cashback on eligible card spend (up to £1,000 a month). No fees on payments in or out, Direct Debits or cash machine withdrawals.
Free everyday business banking (cash limits apply). Free cheque paying-in and up to £1,000 cash paid in free each charging period, at a branch or the Post Office. Fee-free overdrafts to support growing businesses.
Your own relationship manager and UK-based customer support. Up to 1.5% cashback on eligible card spend. Manage your account online, any time.
Terms and conditions apply to all three accounts.
| What you get | Zempler | Co-op | Allica |
|---|---|---|---|
| No monthly fee | ✓ first 2 years | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free payments in and out, Direct Debits and cash machine withdrawals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cashback on card spend | ✓ 1% | – | ✓ 1%, up to 1.5% |
| Interest on savings | – | – | ✓ up to 4.08% |
| Your own relationship manager | – | – | ✓ |
| UK branch, phone and business adviser support | – | ✓ | – |
| No credit check, usually open the same day | ✓ | – | – |
| Free card spending abroad | ✓ | – | – |
| Paying in cash | ✓ at Post Offices | ✓ £1,000 a month free, branch or Post Office | – |
| Free cheque paying-in | – | ✓ | – |
| Fee-free overdrafts | – | ✓ | – |
| No minimum balance | ✓ | – | – |
| Two-person sign-off for payments | – | – | ✓ |
| Spending reports, receipt capture and invoicing | ✓ | – | – |
| Links with your accounts software | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free switching in 7 days | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Money protected up to £120,000 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Our recommended account for most businesses, from brand-new start-ups to established firms, and anyone who spends abroad. No credit check and no minimum balance, usually open the same day, 1% cashback on card spend, free card spending abroad, and you can pay in cash at any of 11,500 Post Offices.
Best if you like a bank with branches and UK phone support, or you handle cash and cheques. No monthly fee and no introductory period that runs out. Everyday banking is free, cheques are free to pay in, you can pay in £1,000 cash a month free at a branch or the Post Office, overdrafts are fee-free, and you usually get a decision within 5 working days.
Best if you want a personal service and a return on spare cash. You get your own relationship manager and UK-based support, 1% cashback on card spend (1.5% on monthly spend over £10,000) and up to 4.08% interest on savings, including a 0.25% bonus for joining through FSB.
Co-op cash paying-in: £1,000 a month free, then 80p per £100.
Accounts software: Zempler links with Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and Iris; Co-op with Xero, Sage and QuickBooks; Allica with Xero and Sage.
Zempler is free for the first 2 years (saves £158), then £79 a year.
FSB checks all your insurance policies to find you the best cover at the best price. You also get 10 free credit checks a year (£400 saving), to help protect you against bad debt.
You click "renew" with the same insurer each year and hope the price and cover are still right.
Register free with FSB Insurance Service and their advisers check you're properly covered and not overpaying. If you want new cover, FSB's own broker compares several insurers at member rates, and helps you if you need to claim.
Member rates on the cover your business needs.
A credit check costs around £40 a time, so most owners skip it and hope they get paid.
Save approximately £400 a year with 10 free credit checks.
About £400 a year of free credit checks.
You find your weak spots when a hacker does. If someone locked your laptop and demanded £5,000, what would you do?
The free Cyber Check finds the gaps first. If customer data lives on your systems, the optional Cyber Protection subscription adds an advice line and £10,000 of claim cover.
FSB has its own insurance broker for members. Registering costs nothing and doesn't commit you to buying anything. It's what unlocks the advice and the free credit checks below.
Their advisers look at the policies you already have and tell you, in plain English, whether you're properly covered and whether you're paying too much. It's a review, not a sales call.
Check a new customer or supplier before you give them credit or take a big order. Works on businesses and individuals. Bought separately, each check costs around £40, so that's about £400 a year saving.
If you need cover, the broker compares several insurers for you at member rates: public liability, employers' liability, professional indemnity, cyber, property, vans and business interruption.
If something goes wrong and you need to claim, the broker helps you through it, so you're not left on your own with the insurer.
A ready-made plan for what you'd do if something stopped you trading for a while. It's the bit most small firms never get round to.
A free scan of your business for security weak spots, such as passwords, out-of-date software, back-ups and scam emails, with a simple written report. Useful even if you've just got a laptop and a phone.
If customer data lives on your systems, this adds a cyber advice line, help if you're hacked, and up to £10,000 of cover if a customer claims against you after a data leak.
A solicitor on the end of the phone, without the bill.
A solicitor typically charges around £250 an hour, and the clock starts with your first phone call.
Phone the FSB legal line free, day or night. They'll tell you where you stand and what to do next, including which form you need and how to fill it in.
Around £250 saved every time you'd otherwise have called a solicitor.
A solicitor can charge around £300 to draw up a single document.
Pick from 1,500+ ready-made documents, kept up to date with the law, and edit them yourself.
One document can more than cover a year's membership.
You pay your solicitor's bill yourself, win or lose.
Up to £100,000 of legal cover per claim, for things like employment tribunals, licence appeals and criminal proceedings. It's real insurance, not just a referral to a solicitor.
Ring a UK-qualified solicitor or barrister any time, day or night, about any business legal question. Call as often as you need. It's run by Markel Law.
Insurance built into your membership. If you're taken to an employment tribunal, need to appeal a refused or removed licence, or face criminal proceedings, it pays the legal costs, including any tribunal award or settlement.
Contracts, letters, policies and forms written by lawyers and kept up to date with the law, across 12 areas including staff, tax, property, GDPR, immigration and cyber. Download, edit and use them, with no watermarks. A solicitor can charge around £300 for just one.
A short monthly update on law changes that affect small businesses, so nothing catches you out.
If you need a solicitor to actually take on a case or job for you, FSB's solicitors look at it first and then quote a member-discounted price.
If something goes publicly wrong, such as bad press, a complaint going viral or someone attacking you online, FSB pays for PR experts to help with press statements, social media replies and even media training. Think of the £10,000 as a pot you can dip into through the year.
If you or a member of staff are called for jury service, this pays up to £250 a day towards wages, up to £2,500 in total.
Get it right before a staff problem turns into a tribunal.
An employment solicitor typically charges around £250 an hour to advise you. If it goes to a tribunal, the legal bill and any award come out of your pocket.
Phone FSB free before you act. They'll tell you what to do, which letter or form to use and how to fill it in. As long as you follow their advice, FSB's insurance covers up to £100,000 of legal fees and awards if it still ends up at a tribunal.
Free advice, plus up to £100,000 of cover if it goes wrong.
You pay a consultant, or guess and hope an inspection goes well.
Phone a health and safety expert any time, including if you're facing an inspection, so you can keep trading. Ready-made risk assessments and policies are included.
You pay for training courses one at a time, and the cost soon adds up.
£80 + VAT per person for the whole year unlocks all 750+ online courses, each with a certificate for your staff files.
£80 per person for the year, which works out at about 11p per course for each person.
Ring a specialist employment solicitor any time, before you discipline, dismiss, make someone redundant, tackle poor performance or recruit. Getting the advice first is what stops most staff problems getting expensive.
If a staff dispute still ends up at an employment tribunal and you followed FSB's advice, the insurance pays the legal fees and any award, up to £100,000.
Ready-made employment contracts, disciplinary letters, grievance replies and staff policies, so you're never starting from a blank page.
Send in your existing employment contracts and they'll check they're up to date and legally sound.
Ring a qualified health and safety adviser day or night. Especially useful if you're facing an inspection, so you can keep trading.
Risk assessments, policies and checklists written for small businesses, plus short training videos you can watch when it suits you.
For bigger jobs, an adviser can come to you. The price depends on the job, and members get a discount.
You send the timesheets and FSB does the rest: pay, PAYE, pensions, sick, maternity and paternity pay, and the HMRC returns. No monthly minimum. Includes workplace pension set-up, and a rescue service if you've fallen behind.
An app that gives you, and each member of staff you add, a 24/7 private GP by phone or video, physio assessments, a 24/7 counselling line and mental health support, plus a discount club. It costs less than losing a good member of staff.
Expert help when a staff health issue affects their work: written reports a tribunal would accept, help getting people back to work, and protection if a health-related dismissal is ever challenged. Pay per case if you have one or two staff, or choose the yearly option if you have more.
One yearly fee per person, not per course. For £80 + VAT, each person you sign up gets 12 months' access to all 750+ short online courses and can do as many as they like. That works out at about 11p per course, per person.
Courses cover health and safety, food hygiene, GDPR, management, finance and mental health first aid. The health and safety material is RoSPA-recognised, and every course comes with a certificate for your staff files, so you can prove training was done if an inspector asks. Some face-to-face courses, such as first aid, are available too.
Takes the panic out of a brown envelope.
Your accountant bills you for every letter, call and meeting with HMRC, whatever the outcome.
FSB pays your own accountant to deal with it, or you can use theirs. An ex-HMRC tax inspector handles HMRC for you.
Up to £100,000 of accountant's fees covered per enquiry.
Every quick question to your accountant can end up on the bill.
Ring the tax and VAT advice line as often as you like.
The new digital rules for Income Tax arrive in 2026 and 2027. Get them wrong and HMRC can fine you.
A free one-to-one session tells you exactly what you need to do. New Xero customers get 95% off for six months to get set up.
Ring tax and VAT experts as often as you like with everyday questions, not just when HMRC writes to you.
If HMRC opens an enquiry into your business, this pays the professional fees to deal with it, up to £100,000 each time. It covers Income Tax, Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE, CIS and IR35, plus your own personal tax where it's linked to the business.
Keep your own accountant (FSB pays them a reasonable rate) or use FSB's. Either way, an ex-HMRC tax inspector deals with HMRC for you.
Making Tax Digital means keeping digital records and sending tax updates to HMRC through approved software. The rules for Income Tax arrive in 2026 and 2027. A one-to-one session explains exactly what you need to do.
HMRC-approved software for Making Tax Digital, with a mobile app and your VAT return filled in automatically.
Get the money you're owed, and borrow on better terms.
You chase it yourself, or pay a solicitor to write the letter.
Free template letters and 24/7 support, plus a calculator for the interest and compensation you're owed by law. 80% of cases are paid before it gets to legal action, and members have recovered over £6 million.
You apply to lenders one by one, and every application leaves another mark on your credit file.
One 5-minute application goes to 130 lenders, and FSB shows you the top three offers. It includes a free company credit check, with no obligation to accept.
One search on your credit file instead of one per lender.
Template letters that get unpaid invoices paid, plus 24/7 support. You can chase invoices up to six years old, even ones from before you joined. 80% of cases are paid before any legal action.
Works out the interest and compensation the law says you can add to an invoice that's paid late.
If a customer still won't pay, FSB's solicitors can take it to court at a member-discounted price.
Fill in one 5-minute form and 130 lenders compete for your business. FSB shows you the best three offers, and only one search goes on your credit file. Covers business loans, commercial mortgages, asset finance, invoice finance, working capital, start-up loans and R&D funding. There's help for first-time borrowers, and no obligation to accept.
See your company's credit score as part of the funding application.
Contacts, support and deals to help you grow.
£30 to £50 for a networking breakfast that may not be worth it.
Most events are free to members, with roughly three happening somewhere in the country every day. Walk into any of them, even on holiday.
£30 to £50 saved every time you go.
You work out customs, VAT and the paperwork on your own.
Step-by-step guides on customs, VAT, paperwork and getting into new markets, all included.
Hundreds of local and online meet-ups, workshops and special-interest groups, such as Women in Business and hospitality. You can go to any FSB event anywhere in the UK, and there are roughly three every day.
Real FSB staff and volunteers in your area who understand local business and will pick up the phone. They also lobby your council and MP on local issues.
Discounts on things businesses actually buy: energy switching, fleet and vehicle leasing, breakdown cover, office supplies and travel.
Step-by-step guides for selling abroad: customs declarations, EORI numbers, VAT, paperwork and getting into new markets.
Advice on buying a franchise or franchising your own business, help finding the funding, and free guides, checklists, workshops and webinars. Hands-on consultancy from Lime Licensing is available at a member discount.
FSB's quarterly digital magazine and podcast, with practical articles on tax, staff, cyber, marketing and money.
FSB lobbies the government for small businesses on late payments, business rates, tax, energy and employment law. You can have your say through the quarterly Small Business Index survey.
For a business that uses them, the first year could look like this:
| Free everyday business banking (typical bank charges saved) | £200+ |
| 1% cashback on card spend (e.g. £2,500 a month on the card) | ~£300 |
| 10 free credit checks | ~£400 |
| One legal document you'd otherwise pay a solicitor for | ~£300 |
| One call to the legal line instead of an hour with a solicitor | ~£250 |
| 95% off Xero for six months (on Xero's starter plan) | ~£100 |
| Total | £1,550+ |
That's nearly eight times the £195 FSB basic membership.
Plus, on top: preferential rates and improved cover on your insurance, a free Making Tax Digital session, free debt collection letters, 24/7 health and safety advice, a free funding application through Capitalise, free franchising guides, and up to £100,000 of legal, tribunal and tax investigation cover.
Current annual membership rates for new members. Charged per business, VAT-free. One membership covers the business owner across multiple companies they own.
Billed yearly, auto-renews. Prices accurate as of October 2026 — always confirm the current rate with your FSB contact before signing up.
FSB membership is VAT exempt. Where an optional add-on carries VAT, it's shown as "+ VAT" next to the price.
"Typical" professional fees (such as around £250 an hour for a solicitor) are examples to help you compare, not quotes. FSB prices and offers are accurate as of October 2026. Always confirm the current terms with your FSB contact before signing up.