Chase Business Checking: Which One Is Best?

If you’re looking for a traditional, brick-and-mortar bank for your business checking needs, Chase stands apart from the competition. Regardless of which of its business checking accounts you choose, you get an outstanding account with a waivable monthly fee and no required opening deposit or minimum balance requirement. The account best for your business depends on the number of monthly banking transactions you conduct, how much cash you deposit, and the average balance in your business checking account.

Here are Chase’s three business checking accounts and what each is best for:

Chase Business Complete Banking^SM: Best for businesses with very few monthly transactions or less than $5,000 in monthly cash deposits
Chase Performance Business Checking^®: Best for businesses with less than $20,000 monthly cash deposits and at least a $35,000 average daily balance
Chase Platinum Business Checking^SM: Best for businesses with more than 250 monthly transactions and an average daily balance of $50,000 or greater

Chase Business Checking Quick Comparison

	Business Complete Banking	Performance Business Checking	Platinum Business Checking
Required Opening Deposit	None	None	None
Required Balance Minimum	None	None	None
Transaction Limit Before Fees	20, then 40 cents per transaction	250, then 40 cents per transaction	500, then 40 cents per transaction
Automated Clearing House (ACH) Fees	$25 for first 25 items, 15 cents per item above 25 per month, $2.50 return fee
Monthly Fees	$15; waivable if conditions are met*	$30; waivable if conditions are met**	$95; waivable if conditions are met***
Domestic Wire Transfer Fees	Up to $35 for outgoing, up to $15 for incoming	All incoming and two most expensive outgoing wires free each month; up to $35 for outgoing	All incoming and four most expensive outgoing wires free each month; up to $35 for outgoing
International Wire Fees	Up to $50 for outgoing, up to $15 for incoming	Incoming are free; up to $50 for outgoing	Incoming are free; up to $50 for outgoing
ATM Fees	$2.50 per transaction at any non-Chase ATM, plus ATM operator fees	Chase does not charge out-of-network fees; ATM operator fees will apply
Cash Deposited	$2.50 per $1,000 after you deposit $5,000 in a billing cycle	$2.50 per $1,000 after you deposit $20,000 in a billing cycle	$2.50 per $1,000 after you deposit $25,000 in a billing cycle
APY	N/A
Reviews	Read our Business Complete Banking review	Read our Performance Business Checking review	Read our Platinum Business Checking review
Open an Account	Visit Chase

*The $15 monthly fee can be waived by satisfying any one of the following criteria each statement period: 1) maintaining a $2,000 minimum daily balance, accumulating $2,000 in net purchase on Chase Ink^® Business Card, having $2,000 in deposits from Chase QuickAccept^SM or eligible Chase payment solutions; 2) linking a Chase Private Client Checking^℠ account; or 3) providing qualifying proof of military status.

**The $30 monthly fee can be waived by maintaining a combined average daily balance of $35,000 or more in qualifying business deposit accounts.

***The $95 monthly fee can be waived by maintaining a combined average daily balance of either $100,000 or more in qualifying business deposit and business investment balances or $50,000 and linking a Chase Private Client Checking^SM account.

	Business Complete Banking	Performance Business Checking	Platinum Business Checking
Debit Card	Free debit card, mailed within 10 business days of application approval
Physical Checks	Cost varies depending on type of checks ordered
Accounting Software Integration	Integrates with QuickBooks and other leading accounting software
Business Payment Integrations	Integrations available with Chase Merchant Services
Customer Service	Live customer support online or in bank branch locations
Invoicing Products	Integrations available with Chase Merchant Services
Other Products Available	Business savings & certificates of deposit (CDs), lending products, credit cards, merchant services, and collection services
Subaccounts	None	Link up to 999 Chase Performance Business Checking subaccounts	Link up to 99 Chase Platinum Business Checking subaccounts
Reviews	Read our Business Complete Banking review	Read our Performance Business Checking review	Read our Platinum Business Checking review
Open an Account	Visit Chase

When to Use Each Chase Business Checking Account

Choose Chase Business Complete Banking over the other two options when:

You are a startup businesses with very few monthly transactions and limited cash deposits per month as you are limited to 20 free transactions and $5,000 in free cash deposits per month
You send very few wire transfers as Chase charges for all wire transfers at this account level
You have at least a $2,000 average daily balance, $2,000 in purchases on the Chase Ink Business Card, $2,000 in deposits from payment solutions, link to a Chase Private Client Checking account, or have qualifying proof of military service so that the monthly fee will be waived

Go for Chase Performance Business Checking instead of the other two accounts when:

You are a startup business but need more monthly free transactions or more monthly free cash deposits than Business Complete allows; Performance Business Checking allows up to 250 free monthly transactions and up to $20,000 in free cash deposits each month
You use out-of-network ATMs regularly as Chase doesn’t charge out-of-network ATM fees on either Performance or Platinum Business Checking accounts; third-party ATM operator fees may still apply
You have an average daily balance of at least $35,000 in qualifying business accounts to waive the $30 monthly fee

Select Chase Platinum Business Checking rather than the other two options when:

You have either an average daily balance of $100,000 in business deposit and investment accounts or $50,000 and a link to a Chase Private Client Checking account, which will waive the $95 monthly fee
You have more transactions and cash deposits than are allowed for free at the Performance Business Checking level; Chase’s Platinum Business Checking allows up to 500 free transactions and up to $25,000 in free cash deposits monthly
You send wire transfers regularly as Chase provides incoming wire transfers and your four most expensive outgoing wire transfers for free each month

When to Use an Alternative

While Chase offers three outstanding checking products to choose from, there may be times when you need an alternative business banking provider. You might want to consider that if:

You want a business checking account that draws interest: None of Chase’s business checking products earn interest. If you want to earn interest on qualifying deposits, Bluevine is a great option as its business checking earns a high-interest yield.
You withdraw money from ATMs outside the Chase ATM network frequently: While Chase doesn’t charge fees for out-of-network ATM withdrawals with its Performance and Platinum business checking products, you may still pay third-party ATM operator fees. If you go out of network regularly, Novo is a good alternative, as it refunds all ATM fees at the end of the month.
You want a basic checking account with more free monthly transactions or a higher free cash deposit limit: Bank of America’s basic account offers up to 200 free transactions monthly. It also has a free cash deposit cash limit of $7,500 for nearly the same monthly fee as Chase’s Business Complete Banking—and that fee can be waived as well. For more information, read our comparison of Bank of America vs Chase Business Accounts.

Chase Business Checking Accounts

Chase has three business checking products that scale as your business grows. As your business needs more monthly transactions, deposits more cash each month, and has higher average daily balances, you can move up Chase’s banking tiers to find the right fit. It’s why we consider Chase the leader in our roundup of the best small business checking accounts. It also offers a $300 bonus for opening a business checking account, which is one reason it earned a spot in our list of the top-recommended banks for startups.

However, you can only earn the new checking account bonus every two years from the last enrollment date and only once per account. You also have to meet the following criteria:

Visit a branch or Chase’s website and open a new Chase Business Checking^SM account
Deposit a total of $2,000 or more in new money into your new checking account within 30 days of offer enrollment
Maintain at least a $2,000 balance for 60 days from the offer enrollment; the new money cannot be funds held by your business at Chase or its affiliates
Complete five qualifying transactions within 90 days of offer enrollment

There are no ATM fees at any one of more than 16,000 Chase ATMs. At the two highest tiers, Chase doesn’t charge out-of-network ATM fees, although third-party fees may apply. You can also stop by one of more than 4,800 Chase locations throughout the United States.

In addition to its excellent checking products, it offers a full range of services to support your business—such as business savings, certificates of deposit (CDs), and credit cards. You can also receive cash back perks with a Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card.

Chase’s wide range of business products is why we named it one of our leading banks for small businesses. What’s more, it offers outstanding merchant services and collection services, along with access to retirement services through J.P. Morgan. This makes Chase a top-ranking business checking account for limited liability companies (LLCs) as well.

It even provides many commercial lending products, including business lines of credit, business loans, and commercial real estate and Small Business Administration (SBA) loans—which is why it landed at the top of our best banks for real estate investors list.

Requirements

Depending on how your business is organized, you may need different documents to set up your checking account. General requirements for documentation are similar regardless of how your business is organized.

For a downloadable PDF with specific information about which documents you’ll need for your business type, click the link that corresponds to your company structure:

Chase Business Checking: Account Overviews

	Business Complete Banking	Performance Business Checking	Platinum Business Checking
Best For	Businesses with few monthly transactions or less than $5,000 in monthly cash deposits	Businesses with less than $20,000 in monthly cash deposits and at least a $35,000 average daily balance	Businesses with more than 250 monthly transactions and average daily balances of at least $50,000
Opening Deposit	None	None	None
Interest on Balances	None	None	None
Bank Network & ATMs	$2.50 per transaction at any non-Chase ATM, plus ATM operator fees	Chase does not charge out-of-network fees; ATM operator fees will apply	Chase does not charge out-of-network fees; ATM operator fees will apply
Accounting Software Integrations	Integrates with QuickBooks and other leading accounting software	Integrates with QuickBooks and other leading accounting software	Integrates with QuickBooks and other leading accounting software
Business Payment Integrations	Integrations available with Chase Merchant Services	Integrations available with Chase Merchant Services	Integrations available with Chase Merchant Services
Reserve Accounts	None	Link up to 999 Chase Performance Business Checking subaccounts	Link up to 99 Chase Platinum Business Checking subaccounts
Open an Account	Visit Chase

There are two primary differences in this section. First, Chase doesn’t charge out-of-network ATM fees in either the Performance or Platinum tiers. Third-party ATM fees may apply in all tiers, as the ATM operators charge them.

The other difference is subaccounts. No subaccounts are available at the Business Complete tier, but you can link up to 999 Performance Business Checking subaccounts or 99 Platinum Business Checking subaccounts at each tier. This is a great way to separate funds that might be needed for large upcoming expenses or tax bills.

Chase Business Checking: Account Costs

	Business Complete Banking	Performance Business Checking	Platinum Business Checking
Monthly Fee	$15; waivable if conditions are met	$30; waivable if conditions are met	$95; waivable if conditions are met
Transaction Limit Before Fees	20, then 40 cents per transaction	250, then 40 cents per transaction	500, then 40 cents per transaction
Automated Clearing House (ACH) Fees	$25 for first 25 items, 15 cents per item above 25 per month, $2.50 return fee	$25 for first 25 items, 15 cents per item above 25 per month, $2.50 return fee	$25 for first 25 items, 15 cents per item above 25 per month, $2.50 return fee
Cash Deposit Fee	$2.50 per $1,000 after you deposit $5,000 in a billing cycle	$2.50 per $1,000 after you deposit $20,000 in a billing cycle	$2.50 per $1,000 after you deposit $25,000 in a billing cycle

As mentioned before, each tier has a different amount of free transactions and free cash deposits before fees apply. You should consider how many transactions and how much cash you’ll deposit monthly before deciding on a banking tier.

The key factor in each tier is whether you can get the monthly fee waived. Each tier has a different set of requirements to get that fee waived.

For Business Complete Banking, you can have that fee waived by meeting any of the following criteria in each statement period:

Maintain a $2,000 minimum daily balance
Accumulate $2,000 in net purchases on your Chase Ink® Business Cards
Have $2,000 in deposits from Chase QuickAccept^SM or other eligible Chase Payment Solutions transactions
Link a Chase Private Client Checking^SM account
Provide qualifying proof of military status

For the Performance Business Checking, the $30 monthly fee can be waived by maintaining a combined average daily balance of $35,000 or more in qualifying business deposit accounts.

For Platinum Business Checking, the $95 monthly fee can be waived by maintaining a combined average daily balance of either $100,000 or more in qualifying business deposit and business investment balances or $50,000 and linking a Chase Private Client Checking^SM account.

Chase Business Checking: Account Sample Scenarios

	Business Complete Banking	Performance Business Checking	Platinum Business Checking
Average Monthly Balance	$40,000	$40,000	$40,000
Number of Transactions	200	200	200
Cash Deposited In Month	$15,000	$15,000	$15,000
Possible Monthly Fees	180 extra transactions = $72 $10,000 over limit in cash deposits = $25 Total = $97	Monthly fee waived Under the limit on transactions & cash deposits = $0	Monthly fee = $95 Under the limit on transactions & cash deposits = $0
Out-of-Network ATM fees	Five transactions x ($2.50 + $3.08*) = $27.90	Five transactions x $3.08* = $15.40	Five transactions x $3.08* = $15.40
Possible Total Fee	$124.90	$15.40	$110.40

*The average ATM surcharge from the ATM owner in 2021 was $3.08, per Bankrate’s 2021 checking account and ATM fee study.

In this example, you have too many transactions and cash deposits for Business Complete Banking to make sense—and this shows that the lowest-tier account isn’t always the cheapest option. With the scenario, we see that Performance Business Checking is the account in the sweet spot, as it has a high enough average balance to waive the monthly fee but not enough transactions or cash deposits to pay a fee. Business Complete Banking would be the most expensive option because of the extra fees you’ll pay.

Bottom Line

If you are looking to open a business checking account at a traditional bank, Chase is a fantastic choice, as all three of its business checking accounts are excellent. Its Platinum Business Checking stands out as the best business checking account on the market—as long as you can waive the monthly fee. The combination of its standout business checking accounts with its business product offerings makes it a great choice for a bank that can help your business grow and succeed.