In the article, we will consider how to close a bank account for a legal entity.
Any businessman, opening his own business, hopes that he will work successfully and make a profit. To carry out settlement transactions, legal entities apply to the bank in order to open an account. But sometimes situations arise when an enterprise, for certain reasons, has to break an agreement with a bank for servicing an account. If the head of the organization is not familiar with the nuances of closing a current account, this procedure can cause certain difficulties.
How to close a bank account for a legal entity is described below.
Reasons for terminating bank account service agreements
Not only the client, but also the servicing bank can initiate the closure of the current account. To terminate the contract, the client does not need to warn the bank in advance; you can close the account at any time. In addition, explaining to the bank the reasons for closing the account and terminating cooperation is also optional.
Among the main reasons that you need to close a bank account for a legal entity are the following:
- The desire of several business partners to be served in one banking institution. Payments within one bank are much faster, their cost is lower than external. If an organization has few partners, servicing in one banking institution sometimes can significantly save money, and provides an advantage related to speed of work.
- Poor bank reliability. Quite often, you can predict a license revocation from a banking organization in advance. Many individual entrepreneurs and legal entities in such situations prefer to refuse the services of a troubled bank.
- Inconvenient for the organization of the territorial location of the banking office. Despite the fact that recently there has been an active development of remote services, certain issues can be resolved only by visiting a bank branch in person.
- Bankruptcy of a legal entity, its liquidation. The need to close an account may arise as part of the liquidation procedure. If the company ceases to operate, its owners try to terminate the account maintenance agreement as early as possible so as not to pay extra money for the provision of the service.
- Inability to receive certain services, unsatisfactory quality of service. Quite often, small organizations and individual entrepreneurs start servicing at other banks if they cannot get a loan in the present.
- High cost of services. Often banks change tariffs, as a result of which they become unprofitable for a legal entity or individual entrepreneur. In such cases, organizations have to look for a bank, in which similar services will cost less.
At the initiative of the bank
Also, account closure may occur at the initiative of a banking organization. Banks have the right to unilaterally terminate an account servicing agreement. However, for this they must have reasons regulated by law. The bank cannot terminate the contract with the organization of its own free will.
Banks close accounts of legal entities. persons in the following cases:
- Zero account balance, lack of operations on it. If the client has not been carrying out operations on the account for more than two years, the banking organization will send him a notification that the operation to close the account will be carried out.
- Violation of FZ-115. Banking organizations are required to monitor the operations carried out by each client. If there is a suspicion that the client is laundering money, or terrorist activity is being financed from his account, the bank will request documents confirming the legality of the operations. If the requested information is not provided to the bank within the prescribed period, the banking organization may terminate the contract unilaterally. Also, the bank may close the account if in doubt about the authenticity or legality of the submitted documents.
Another reason for closing the account at the initiative of the bank may be a court decision. However, such situations rarely occur.
Is a banking organization able to prevent termination of an agreement and account closure
How to close a bank account for a legal entity? This is interesting to many. In accordance with the law, banks are not entitled to refuse this to the client. However, there are situations when banks have the right to slow down the procedure for closing an account - if operations on it are suspended or funds are seized on it. In the event that there are no funds in the seized account, banks close it in the standard manner. If the money is present on it, the bank will be able to close it only after the debt has been written off or the decision to arrest is canceled.
So, how to close a bank account in a legal entity. face?
Required documents
To close an account, you should contact the bank with the appropriate statement. In the case of IP, an additional passport will be required. The representative of the organization must prepare a power of attorney, which confirms the authority of the person. In some cases, banking organizations are asked to provide the current Charter. In the event that the bank issued the checkbook in which the unused checks were left, it will need to be returned.
Statement of the need to close the account persons in the bank
The closing statement in each bank has its own characteristics. As a rule, representatives of a credit organization give the client an empty application form and a sample of its completion or dictate what information should be entered.
An application for closing a current account must contain the following data:
- The full name of the legal entity (in the case of IP - F. I. O.).
- Details of accounts to be closed.
- An order to transfer the funds remaining in the account to another account. In this case, it is important to indicate the details of the new account. In addition, there is always the possibility of receiving the remaining funds in cash.
- Information about the checkbooks that will be returned (if they were issued).
How exactly to close an account jur. a person at Alfa Bank, for example?
Procedure for closing a bank account
To close the account, you should prepare and send to the bank a statement, all necessary documents, corporate cards, check books.
The experts recommend that you know the amount of the balance in advance in order to draw up an order to issue money in cash or transfer to a new account. The credit institution will have to close the account no later than the next day.
Then the bank has 7 days left to transfer or issue the balance.
In case of bankruptcy, the account is closed in the same manner. However, the application for its closure and the order to issue or transfer the balance must be filled out by the bankruptcy trustee.
How to close a bank account in a legal entity to a person by proxy?
Proxy account closure
A common situation is to close an account by proxy, especially if the legal entity closes the account. An individual entrepreneur can close an account only if there is a power of attorney certified by a notary. Verification by a notary is not obligatory for a legal entity.
The power of attorney must contain information about the powers of the representative, allowing him to close the account. In some banks, the requirements for powers of attorney differ, so experts advise you to know in advance what exactly needs to be indicated in the power of attorney.
Need to notify tax on account closure
Earlier, when closing an account, the taxpayer was obliged to notify the FSS, PFR, IFTS about this. For this purpose, it was necessary to submit an application to state bodies within 5 days from the moment of closing the account. If a legal entity violated this rule, a fine was imposed on it.
Currently, this requirement is absent in the legislation. Banking organizations independently send all the necessary notifications.
What tax does one have to pay in order to close a legal entity's account with Alfa Bank?
Procedure for tax payment after account closure
In accordance with the law, individual entrepreneurs have the right to pay taxes and insurance premiums from their own accounts (or in cash) at bank branches by filling out a specific receipt. For a long time, legal entities did not have such a right - they could pay only from the current account. However, at the end of 2016, the legislation was changed - at present, the head of the organization, or its representative, can pay taxes through the cash desk of absolutely any bank, be it Alfa-Bank, VTB 24, Tinkoff Bank, Sberbank of Russia or any another banking organization.
We examined how to close a bank account for a legal entity.