Relay

Relay is an online business banking platform for small businesses and their accountants, offering fee-free business checking with up to twenty individual accounts per business.

How accounting firms use it

The feature firms value most is not a banking feature at all: accountant-level access that does not require the client’s login. Requesting statements monthly is a recurring administrative cost, and the common workaround — the firm holding client banking credentials — is a security exposure and a liability question most practices would prefer to avoid entirely.

The multi-account structure supports cash allocation methods firms already recommend. Advising a client to set aside tax and payroll into separate accounts is straightforward advice that often fails at the point where opening accounts at a traditional bank takes weeks.

Key features

Up to twenty checking accounts per business at no cost, with automatic percentage-based allocation of incoming deposits across them.

Accountant access is granted at defined permission levels without credential sharing, giving firms real-time visibility of client account activity.

Transaction sync to QuickBooks Online and Xero includes categorisation, reducing reconciliation work. Payments cover ACH, cheque, and card issuance with per-card spending controls, and integrations connect to Gusto and Bill.com.

Who it’s best for

US firms advising small business clients on cash flow discipline, particularly those recommending Profit First or similar allocation methods, and practices that want to stop chasing bank statements.

It is banking rather than accounting — clients still need QuickBooks or Xero for their books. Firms wanting corporate cards with spend management rather than a bank account should look at Ramp or Brex.