The Tide business account, explained

Built for the way modern businesses run

Tide combines a business account, payments, invoicing, expense capture, accounting connections and savings in one focused app. That makes it a compelling starting point for sole traders, contractors and limited companies that want to spend less time on admin and more time building the business. Tide is a business financial platform. Tide itself is not a bank. Tide offers ClearBank-powered business bank accounts and some PPS-powered e-money accounts, so account protection depends on which account you hold. That distinction matters because it decides what protection applies to your balance, so it is worth checking which account type you have been issued when you open one. Our full explanation is on is Tide a bank?

Tide Platform Limited is FCA-authorised under firm reference 900843 for relevant e-money and payment services, and separately regulated for credit and insurance broking under firm reference 718743.

Tide states that it is trusted by over 2 million sole traders, freelancers and limited companies worldwide.

How your money is protected

ClearBank-issued accounts: Eligible deposits held with ClearBank may be protected up to £120,000 per eligible depositor, aggregated across deposits held with the same bank. Because cover applies per banking licence, any other deposits you hold with ClearBank — including through another fintech that uses ClearBank — count toward the same limit.

PPS-powered e-money accounts: Funds in PPS-powered e-money accounts are safeguarded rather than FSCS-protected. Safeguarding is not the same as FSCS deposit protection. Safeguarding means your funds are held separately from the provider's own money, which is a real protection, but there is no compensation scheme limit or guaranteed payout timescale behind it. See is Tide safe? for the detail.

Start free, then scale with the tools you need

Tide gives you a practical £0/month route into business banking, then lets you add capacity as the business grows. Free is built for getting started; Smart, Pro and Max add more transfers, 0% card FX, extra current accounts, team cards and stronger savings rates when those tools begin to pay for themselves.

Which plan suits which business

• Free — a sole trader or new limited company making fewer than five outbound transfers a month, spending mainly in sterling, and wanting to keep fixed costs at zero while the business finds its feet.
• Smart (£12.49/month) — a business making up to 30 transfers a month or spending abroad often enough to justify comparing the monthly fee against the published 0% card-FX benefit.
• Pro (£27.49/month) — higher transfer volume, two extra current accounts for separating tax and reserves, and two team cards.
• Max (£69.99/month) — the only tier with unlimited invoicing, plus three extra accounts and three team cards. Worth it mainly if you invoice heavily.

Worked cost examples at realistic transaction volumes are on Tide fees examples, and the full charge list is on Tide fees.

What you get day to day

• Payments. Faster Payments in and out, Direct Debits, standing orders and a contactless Tide card. Included transfer allowances depend on your plan; extra transfers are charged individually.
• Invoicing. Build, send and track invoices from the app. Free, Smart and Pro include three invoices a month; Max is unlimited.
• Expenses and bookkeeping. Receipt capture, transaction categories and integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage.
• Instant Saver. An easy-access business savings account with a variable AER that rises with your plan tier. It is also the account the £125 component of REFER200 is tied to — see Tide Instant Saver.
• Multiple accounts and team cards. Additional current accounts on paid plans let you ring-fence VAT and Corporation Tax; team cards give staff spending access with limits.
• Company formation. Tide can register a limited company at Companies House as part of onboarding, which is why it is a common first account for new businesses.

Who can apply

Tide says applicants must be at least 18, have a UK-based business, provide valid photo ID and upload a selfie. It also says that a non-UK applicant may be considered where they have a UK residential address and phone number and are a director of a UK Companies House-registered company; additional checks can apply. You will usually need your business details and, for a limited company, the company number plus director and PSC information. Tide, not this site, decides whether an application is approved.

Some sectors and structures are outside Tide's appetite, and cash-heavy businesses in particular should check the cost of paying cash in before applying. If Tide is not the right fit, the alternatives page covers where else to look.

Support and switching

Support is in-app chat across all plans, with a dedicated fraud line. On switching: Tide supports the Current Account Switch Service for eligible businesses. A CASS switch is designed to complete in seven working days. That is a meaningful change from older guidance that claimed business accounts were outside CASS — for eligible businesses, the switch moves payments, balances and incoming credits automatically.

Where Tide is weaker

• Cash and cheques. Paying in cash carries a per-deposit charge through partner networks. A cash-heavy retail business will usually be better served elsewhere.
• Free-plan transfer allowance. Five included transfers a month is tight; a busy month can push you into per-transfer charges or a plan upgrade.
• Multi-currency. Tide does not hold balances in multiple currencies. If a large share of your income is in USD or EUR, Wise or Revolut Business will cost you less.
• Account model nuance. Having two account types with two protection models is more complex than a single licensed bank such as Starling.

The current offer

New eligible applicants may be able to enter REFER200 during sign-up for a cashback promotion worth up to £200: £75 for completing £100 of eligible card spend within 30 days of opening, and £125 for depositing £5,000 into Instant Saver within 7 days and holding it for 30 days. The conditions are assessed independently, but Tide controls approval, eligibility and any reward validation. Existing Tide customers should check Tide’s current terms before assuming that the promotion applies.

Full mechanics, deadlines and worked examples are on the REFER200 homepage guide, and the step-by-step sign-up sequence is on how to use REFER200.

Read next

• Tide business account review — Adam Short's full verdict and score.
• Best UK business accounts — how Tide compares to the rest of the market.
• Tide for sole traders and Tide for limited companies.