Lili

Lili is a business checking account for people who are the whole company. What separates it from a plain bank is the tax bucket: a share of what lands is held back automatically, and transactions are sorted into the categories a tax return actually asks for. Dearer plans fold in invoicing, bill pay and a set of books, which is where it starts competing with the accounting tools rather than the banks. Anybody already paying a bookkeeper should check what they would stop paying for.

Lili Core costs nothing and is a working business account: a checking account with a debit card, ACH, cheques and wires, savings at up to 4.00% APY, and FDIC cover up to $3 million through a sweep network. Pro at $15 a month is where the tax work starts, with expenses sorted into tax categories, receipts attached and money allocated toward what will be owed. Smart at $35 adds the accounting software proper, which covers profit and loss reporting, unlimited invoices and bill scanning. Premium at $55 buys a dedicated specialist and a metal card. Every paid plan carries a 30 day trial, and the credit building add-on is priced separately at $30 a month once its introductory period ends.

A sole trader whose income arrives from several platforms and who has never once enjoyed the week before a tax deadline. It suits somebody at the stage where an accountant is not yet worth the retainer but the shoebox of receipts has stopped being funny. A creator with a bookkeeper already, or with a limited company and staff, is buying an overlap rather than a tool.