Business bank account

Ready for business

Powerful and simple. Apply today through Tide to open an FSCS protected bank account provided by ClearBank.infoTide offers bank accounts provided by ClearBank. ClearBank Ltd is Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 754568). Registered Address: 13 Dirty Lane, Borough Yards, London, SE1 9PA.

Open an account
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For companies of all shapes and sizes

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Freelancers

Straightforward business current accounts at no monthly cost to get started for sole traders, consultants and contractors

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Small businesses

Limited companies save time with accounting integration, invoicing directly from the app and Expense Cards for easy expense management

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Scaling businesses

Upgrade to our Plus or Premium memberships when your business needs more support and enjoy exclusive perks

Account plans that scale with your business

Our mission is to save small businesses time and money. That’s why we offer a free business bank account with no monthly fee. Choose the plan that’s right for you now and upgrade any time as your business grows.

Free

£0.00 monthly
  • Your Tide business card Free
  • Expense Cards for your team £5 / month
  • Transfers in & out 20p per transfer
  • ATM withdrawals £1
  • Read access for team members check
  • Scheduled payments check
  • Accounting integrations - Quickbooks, Xero, Sage and more check
  • Multi-business - hold up to 5 business accounts check
  • Create and send invoices for free check
  • 24/7 fraud helpline check
  • Priority in-app support close
  • Phone support infoMembers, on any plan, can call the Fraud Rapid Response team by calling 159. Use +44 20 4587 0366 if you're calling from abroad. Lines are open 24/7. close
  • 24/7 legal helpline close
  • Exclusive member perks close
  • Support with trademark filing and disputes infoDepending on the nature of trademark services, additional fees may be incurred on a case by case basis close
  • Dedicated team of account managers close
  • 0.5% cashback with your Tide card infoTerms apply close

Plus

£9.99 +VAT monthly
  • Your Tide business card Free
  • Expense Cards for your team 1 free expense card included
  • Transfers in & out 20/month free
  • ATM withdrawals £1
  • Read access for team members check
  • Scheduled payments check
  • Accounting integrations - Quickbooks, Xero, Sage and more check
  • Multi-business - hold up to 5 business accounts check
  • Create and send invoices for free check
  • 24/7 fraud helpline check
  • Priority in-app support check
  • Phone support infoMembers, on any plan, can call the Fraud Rapid Response team by calling 159. Use +44 20 4587 0366 if you're calling from abroad. Lines are open 24/7. check
  • 24/7 legal helpline check
  • Exclusive member perks check
  • Support with trademark filing and disputes infoDepending on the nature of trademark services, additional fees may be incurred on a case by case basis check
  • Dedicated team of account managers close
  • 0.5% cashback with your Tide card infoTerms apply close

Pro

star_rateNew £18.99 +VAT monthly
  • Your Tide business card Free
  • Expense Cards for your team 2 free expense cards included
  • Transfers in & out Unlimited
  • ATM withdrawals £1
  • Read access for team members check
  • Scheduled payments check
  • Accounting integrations - Quickbooks, Xero, Sage and more check
  • Multi-business - hold up to 5 business accounts check
  • Create and send invoices for free check
  • 24/7 fraud helpline check
  • Priority in-app support check
  • Phone support infoMembers, on any plan, can call the Fraud Rapid Response team by calling 159. Use +44 20 4587 0366 if you're calling from abroad. Lines are open 24/7. check
  • 24/7 legal helpline check
  • Exclusive member perks check
  • Support with trademark filing and disputes infoDepending on the nature of trademark services, additional fees may be incurred on a case by case basis check
  • Dedicated team of account managers close
  • 0.5% cashback with your Tide card infoTerms apply close

Cashback

£49.99 +VAT monthly
  • Your Tide business card Free
  • Expense Cards for your team 3 free expense cards included
  • Transfers in & out Unlimited
  • ATM withdrawals £1
  • Read access for team members check
  • Scheduled payments check
  • Accounting integrations - Quickbooks, Xero, Sage and more check
  • Multi-business - hold up to 5 business accounts check
  • Create and send invoices for free check
  • 24/7 fraud helpline check
  • Priority in-app support check
  • Phone support infoMembers, on any plan, can call the Fraud Rapid Response team by calling 159. Use +44 20 4587 0366 if you're calling from abroad. Lines are open 24/7. check
  • 24/7 legal helpline check
  • Exclusive member perks check
  • Support with trademark filing and disputes infoDepending on the nature of trademark services, additional fees may be incurred on a case by case basis check
  • Dedicated team of account managers check
  • 0.5% cashback with your Tide card infoTerms apply check

Why Switch to Tide?

  • Get all your business admin done in one place effortlessly by switching your existing business bank account over to Tide with the Current Account Switching Service.

  • It’s free, easy and we’ll handle all of it for you.

  • Simply fill out your old bank details and the switch will be done automatically, reliably and hassle-free.

Switch to Tide today

Switch to Tide

Trusted by 575,000+ UK businesses

Protect yourself from fraud

Fraud is on the rise, so we’ve put together some tips to help you stay ahead of scams.

Understanding the key information on our fraud page - such as that Tide will never ask you to share your details or move funds to another account - can help keep your finances safe.

If you need support, call our Fraud Rapid Response team 24/7 on 159 (supported by Stop Scams UK).

Protect yourself from fraud

Register your limited company and open a Tide account all in one go

  • It’s FREE

    We pay the incorporation fee on your behalf and give you a free business account.

  • It’s fast

    Apply within minutes and get set up all in one go.

  • It’s safe

    We’re an approved formation agent with a secure Companies House integration, so you’re in good hands.

Get started

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Tide App timeline

More than just an account

Our business current account is packed with features which save you time and money:

  • Auto-categorisation

    We automatically tag your income and spending. Customise the labels to suit your company.

  • Easy expenses

    Upload receipts, auto-match them to transactions, add a note if you like and it’s all stored digitally.

  • Sync with accountancy software

    Link your account to software like Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and more.

  • Send, pay and track invoices

    No need for a separate system, keep on top of your invoices directly in our app.

Easy account access

Desktop access

Manage your finances in a way that works for you, whether it’s in the palm of your hand, or from your computer.

Read access for your team

Invite business partners, colleagues or your accountant to view and download transactions.

Export CSV files

Download all your payments, attachments and notes, then upload them to any accounting software.

Sync up with your accounting software

Forget uploading CSVs – connect your account to Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage, KashFlow and Reckon.

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Contactless Mastercard

We’ve made it easy to manage your Tide card so you stay in control.

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Plus everything else you might need

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Rapid setup

Get a sort code and account number in minutes.

security

Protected and trusted

Instant card freezing and real-time notifications – used by 575,000+ members.

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In-app support

Our Member Support team are available to help 24/7, 365.

Frequently asked questions

Who can open a Tide account?

We offer business accounts to directors of limited companies or sole traders.

If you’re a director of a limited company, your company must be registered with Companies House. If you haven’t done this yet, we can register your company and even pay the Companies House admin fee for you.

If you’re a sole trader or freelancer, you must have a valid UK home address and be registered with HMRC. To register with HMRC, you just need to get in touch at gov.uk and follow the site navigation to let HMRC know you’re now self-employed.

We welcome everyone to apply for a Tide account. Our mission is to empower diverse and often under-represented small and medium business owners who lack access to financial services. We don’t discriminate against anyone on the basis of political beliefs, religion, race, or any other characteristic protected by law.

However, we can’t provide services for everyone.

When someone wishes to join Tide, we calculate their risk factors. These risk factors include what type of business they have, how their business makes money and which industry it operates in. If this risk is too high for us to support, we won’t accept their application.

This is to make sure that we keep Tide members safe, that we have the resources to fully support them and their businesses in line with our regulatory requirements.

As a result, we can’t accept anyone whose business is funded fully or in part by regular donations, as these carry specific risks that we are not currently able to service. This is especially true if we or the business owner is unable to trace where these funds are coming from.

We are also unfortunately unable to accept businesses in the following industries:

  • The holding, managing and/or controlling of a third party’s (client’s/customer’s) funds in the Tide account. This includes using the funds on behalf of other individuals Insurance companies (incl. insurance brokers)
  • Trading of cryptocurrencies
  • The wholesale of precious metals and stones
  • Investments (incl. real estate investments)
  • Money services (such as foreign exchange, loan providers, money transfers)
  • Casinos, prize draws and other betting or gambling activities
  • Sale of unlicensed pharmaceuticals
  • Sale or trade of cannabidiol (CBD) products
  • Trading of weapons, explosives or armaments
  • Unlicensed trading and processing of scrap metal
  • Unlicensed waste management
  • Sale, import and export of used vehicles or heavy machinery
  • Escort services and other services in the adult industry
  • Bidding fee auctions
  • Non-profit organisations, including charities CICs and CIOs

We understand that this won’t be good news for some people. But we have to do this so we can fully support the financial strength and safety of our new and existing members.

You’re always welcome to get in touch with us at hello@tide.co if you have any questions or comments about this.

Is my money safe with Tide?

Yes.

If you have a ClearBank account, like most of our members, then eligible deposits up to £85,000 are protected by the UK Government’s deposit guarantee scheme, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). You can tell whether your account is a ClearBank account, if its sort code is 04-06-05.

In the past we offered e-money accounts to new customers, which we no longer do. If you still have an e-money account with us, then the funds in your account are stored and protected. With an e-money account, your money is never invested or loaned out, and is safeguarded in line with regulatory requirements. FSCS protection does not apply to the legacy e-money accounts. You can tell whether your account is a legacy e-money account, if its sort code is 23-69-72.

 

What's the difference between an e-money account and a bank account?

With a bank account, eligible deposits will be protected up to £85,000* by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

E-money accounts store your money in electronic form which can be used to make payments. Your money is held in a Safeguarding Account. This means your money is kept separate from the funds we use to run Tide.

*Eligible deposits with ClearBank are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme. This limit applies to the total of any deposits you have with ClearBank. Any total deposits you hold above this limit are unlikely to be covered.

I'm a Tide member. How do I know whether I have a PPS or a ClearBank account?

There are 3 ways in which Tide members can identify if they have a PPS or ClearBank account:

  1. Sort Codes: If the sort code is 04-06-05 – the account is with ClearBank, if the sort code is 23-69-72 – it is with PPS
  2. Statements: The footer of members’ statements will give details of the account provider and terms
  3. By requesting an Account Verification Letter (AVL) from Tide

Does Tide offer bank accounts?

Yes!

We offer FSCS-protected bank accounts provided by ClearBank Ltd.

ClearBank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 754568. Eligible deposits with ClearBank are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme. For further information visit fscs.org.uk.

What ID will I need to open a bank account with Tide?

We’ll be able to verify your identity from most European National ID cards, international driving licences and passports.

Is Tide a bank?

No, Tide isn’t a bank.

Tide is a business financial platform and the leading provider of digital business banking services in the UK! We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and offer e-money accounts, provided by PrePay Solutions (PPS), as well as business bank accounts, provided by ClearBank.

We believe that this model gives us the opportunity to provide a wider range of products and services to our members, helping them to save time (and money) on their financial admin.

How long does it take to open a bank account with Tide?

On-boarding timeframes vary depending on the types of applications we receive, but more than half of our new members this year opened their bank account in less than 10 minutes.

To be exact, 53% opened their accounts in under 10 minutes, 70% in under 60 minutes, and 81% within 48 hours. Even if your business is a bit more complex and we can’t complete your application right away, if you meet our eligibility requirements it’ll still be far quicker than most high street banks!

Saving our members time is at the core of what we do, so we’re always working to optimise and improve wait times. You can read about why we sometimes need a little more information on our blog.

Can a charity open a bank account with Tide?

Unfortunately, registering charities requires us to follow a different set of rules which would take us away from our main mission as a company. We may support these types of organisations in the future, but we’re currently focused on offering the best experience for small and medium-sized businesses.

Do you carry out credit checks?

No! To open a current account, we perform electronic checks (run by third-party services) to verify your identity and comply with UK anti-money laundering regulations. While these checks will not impact your credit score, they will appear on your credit report.

Can I apply from outside the UK?

Yes! However, you must have a UK residential address. Applicants who are not based in the UK may apply for a business bank account, as long as they are directors of a company registered with UK Companies House. In some cases, we may have to complete additional checks in order to process your application.

Don’t forget – you’ll need to switch your App or Google Play store to the UK to download Tide.

Does Tide offer a switching service?

Tide has recently joined the Current Account Switch Service.

You can find out more about this in your Tide app by tapping ‘Support’ > ‘Messages’.

Help, my question isn’t answered here…

Find answers to all our most frequently asked questions and how to contact our Member Support team.

Business tips from our expert community

Getting started is easy

No queuing or appointment required

  1. Download the app

    On play store or app store

  2. Tell us about your company

    Like what you do and any shareholders

  3. Scan your ID and take a selfie

    To securely verify who you are

  4. Most accounts approved in minutes

    Sometimes we ask for more information

  5. check_circle

    You’re up and running!

    Your account is ready to go, we’ll get your card to you in a couple of days

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A business bank account that's free, easy to open, and helps you start doing what you love.

Tide is about doing what you love. That’s why we’re trusted by 575,000+ sole traders, freelancers and limited companies throughout the UK.

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    Independent service quality survey results

    Business current accounts

    Published February 2024

    As part of a regulatory requirement, an independent survey was conducted to ask approximately 1,200 customers of each of the 15 largest business current account providers if they would recommend their provider to other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs*). The results represent the view of customers who took part in the survey.

    Overall service quality

    We asked customers how likely they would be to recommend their business current account provider to other SMEs.

    View full survey results