How long does a current account switch take in the UK?

Seven working days. A UK current account switch runs through the Current Account Switch Service (CASS), operated by Pay.UK and supported by more than 40 bank and building society brands. You agree a switch date with your new provider, and on that date your Direct Debits, standing orders and incoming payments are moved across, your balance is transferred and the old account is closed. The process is free and backed by a guarantee.

What happens on each of those seven days?

The seven working days are counted from when your new provider begins the switch, not from when you first fill in the form. Roughly:

1. You apply to the new bank and pass its identity and eligibility checks. This part is not inside the seven days — the clock starts once you are accepted and the switch is instructed.
2. You choose the switch date. It must be a working day, so avoid weekends and bank holidays, and allow the seven working days from the start of the process.
3. The two banks exchange your payment arrangements behind the scenes.
4. On the switch date, your Direct Debits and standing orders go live on the new account, your balance moves across, and the old account closes.

The practical implication of step 1 is that "seven working days" is the switching window, not the whole journey. Application checks add time at the front, and how much depends on the provider.

What moves, and what does not?

Moves automatically	Does not move
Direct Debits	ISAs and savings accounts
Standing orders	Non-sterling payment accounts
Incoming payments (salary, benefits, transfers)	Credit cards and loans held at the old bank
Your remaining balance	Anything held at a provider outside the service

Because incoming payments are handled for you, you do not need to contact your employer, your pension provider or anyone who pays you. Payments accidentally sent to the old account are redirected to the new one, and the sender is contacted and given your new details — which is what quietly catches the accounts you had forgotten about.

Redirection is not a short courtesy period. The service redirects misdirected payments for a minimum of three years, and longer where needed.

What does the Switch Guarantee cover?

The Current Account Switch Guarantee is the promise that makes the process worth using rather than moving everything by hand. In substance it covers:

• the switch completing on your agreed date, with all your payments moved across;
• redirection of payments sent to the old account;
• refund of any charges or interest you incur on either the old or the new account as a result of something going wrong with the switch.

Two limits are worth being clear about. The guarantee is about the mechanics of switching — it does not oblige any bank to accept you as a customer, and it does not extend to account types outside the service. Whether you receive anything beyond a refund of charges is at your new bank's discretion.

What should you check before you press go?

• Confirm both providers are in the service. Most are, but not all — and if either is outside it, the seven-day guarantee does not apply.
• Decide what to do about an overdraft. An arranged overdraft does not automatically come with you; the new bank decides whether to offer one and on what terms. If you are using one, sort this out before switching, not after.
• Watch payments due around the switch date. Nothing should break, but leaving a small buffer in the account over the changeover is a cheap precaution.
• Check what a switching incentive requires. Cash offers usually come with conditions — a minimum number of Direct Debits, a minimum pay-in, or a period you must stay. Read those before you switch, because they are the part people fail.
• Keep your old statements. The old account closes, so download anything you may need for a mortgage application or tax return first.

In short

Seven working days from the start of the switch, on a date you choose, with payments moved for you and misdirected payments redirected for at least three years. The Switch Guarantee refunds charges caused by errors in the process. Sort out any overdraft and check the small print on incentives beforehand — those are the two things that actually cause problems, not the switch itself.

If you are switching in order to spread savings across providers, check how much of your money is FSCS protected at each one first.