Expected to find Sheffield Credit Union or LASER? You've come to the right place. We're now called South Yorkshire Community Bank. Read more about our name change

Budgeting Accounts

Our Scuba budgeting account is designed to help you keep on top of important bills.

Simply pay your benefits, wages or other income into your Scuba account and we'll pay your important bills automatically.

Join now

Why choose a Scuba budgeting account?

  1. Pay bills automatically

    Your important bills are paid before you get your money

  2. Save automatically

    You can choose to pay some of your money into your savings

  3. Know where you are

    Each pay day, you know exactly what you have left to spend

How does it work?

  • Your benefits, wages or other income are paid into your Scuba account.
  • Your Scuba account automatically splits you your money:
    • Your important bills get paid, on time, every time.
    • Some of your money can go directly into your savings. Helping you to build good habits. You decide how much.
    • The rest of your money goes into your bank. So you know exactly how much you have left to spend each pay day.
Four empty jam jars, labelled 'Gas', 'Phone', 'Electricity', 'Water'.

How much does a Scuba account cost?

A Scuba account costs £5 per month.

Some housing providers may pay the fee for you, if you pay your rent through Scuba. Including:

  • Sheffield City Council
  • Great Places
  • Whitehornes
  • Some other private landlords/lettings agents.

You may not be eligible for this, even if your housing provider is listed. Check directly with your housing provider, or get in touch to find out.

A person holding out a folded £5 note

What our happy members say

“I have a Scuba account and it stops me from accidently spending my rent money as it is paid directly to my landlord.”

Anita J

“I have memory issues and my budgeting account pays my bills so I no longer need to worry about them.”

Joy P

How to apply for a Scuba account

  • Join and then complete Scuba application form and submit to us by post or email, or in person at our office.
  • Provide ID and Proof of address.
  • You will need to have an active bank account*.
  • You are responsible for making the arrangement for the initial/regular income to be transferred to your South Yorkshire Community Bank account.
  • You will need to agree to the terms and conditions of the Scuba account.
  • Your Scuba account will be set up and ready to make the payments once we start receiving your income.

*Don’t have an active bank account? Most high street banks offer basic bank accounts for people with limited ID.

Terms & Conditions

Setting up a Scuba

  • I will arrange for my income to be paid directly into my South Yorkshire Community Bank account, and I will ensure it is least the amount required to pay my bills. If I incur any fees or charges as a result of my income being insufficient to pay my bills, South Yorkshire Community Bank will not be liable.
  • South Yorkshire Community Bank will make the regular bill payments speciffied on my application form from the funds in my Scuba.
  • I am responsible for providing correct payment details, including references, for all of my bills. If I lose any money, or incur any fees or other costs, as a result of errors in the details I provide, South Yorkshire Community Bank will not be liable.

Managing a Scuba

  • I cannot withdraw from my Scuba unless the balance of the Scuba is higher than required to pay my bills.
  • I will not receive a dividend on the money in my Scuba.
  • I will inform South Yorkshire Community Bank as soon as possible if I expect my income to change or stop.
  • I will pay a monthly management fee of £5, which will be deducted from my income. If my Scuba is sponsored by my housing provider, I will not pay a fee.
  • If I have agreed to allow South Yorkshire Community Bank to share information about my account with my housing provider, this will be limited to information directly related to the payment of my rent. South Yorkshire Community Bank will not share information about my savings or loan account(s).

Changes to bills

  • I will request any changes or cancellations to my bills in writing, giving at least one payment period’s notice (e.g. for a weekly bill, one week’s notice; for a monthly bill, one month’s notice).
  • The first 5 change requests in a 12 month period are free, subsequent changes are chargeable at £1 per request (a request can include amendments to more than one bill).

General terms

  • I have the right to cancel this account within 14 days of applying. If I do, all deposits and payments will be refunded, minus any administration fees, fees for services, and funds which have been used to pay a bill.
  • The maximum balance I can hold across all of my South Yorkshire Community Bank accounts is £25,000.
  • These terms may be varied from time to time, and I understand that I can find the current version, as well as the Credit Union Rule Book which details other requirements of membership here. I can also request copies of these documents via phone, email or post.

In addition to these terms, more details on how we will manage your account, including the dormancy process for unused accounts, can be found in the Privacy Policy and FSCS Information Sheet.