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What is a Cash ISA?

What is a Cash ISA?

Cash Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) are a type of savings account exempt from income tax, making them a tax-efficient way for sole traders to grow their wealth.

Tide’s Cash ISA, available for sole traders, gives you freedom, with instant access to funds and no penalties on withdrawals or balance top-ups.

The current Cash ISA limit is £20,000 shared across all your ISAs – and renews annually on 5th April. 

Understanding your Cash ISA tax-equivalent rate

 When you save in a standard savings account, income tax can eat into your interest earnings. Because a Cash ISA is tax-free, the interest you earn is often worth more than a higher "headline" rate on a taxable account.

To help you compare, here is what a standard savings account would need to pay for you to match Tide’s 3.25% tax-free yield:

A tax-free, flexible Cash ISA perfect for sole traders

Quick and easy setup 

Open a sole trader business account in minutes and set up your Cash ISA straight away.

Business account integration

Get an all-in-one view of your finances on one platform, making finance management seamless.

Tax-free savings

Don’t let taxes eat into your interest. Move beyond standard savings and protect your returns with our high-yield Cash ISA.

Instant access to money

The Tide Cash ISA provides instant and flexible access to funds with no penalties for withdrawals at any time while keeping your annual ISA allowance intact.

FSCS-protected

Gain peace of mind knowing deposits of up to £120,000 are protected by the FSCS.

No need to switch apps

Manage your holdings under one roof. No need for multiple apps and accounts, no faff.

How to open a Tide Cash ISA

  1. Download the app

  2. Tell us about your business and verify your identity

  3. Your account is approved and ready to go in minutes – your card will arrive in a couple of days

  4. In the Tide app, go to Accounts > Cash ISA to get started

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With over 1.5 million freelancers, contractors, and scaling businesses trusting in Tide worldwide, we’re committed to building you the best business bank account to help you set up your business smoothly. 

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Am I eligible for a Tide business bank account?

Applying for a free business bank account with Tide is quick and easy, whether you’re a sole trader or running a limited company. There’s no hard credit check and it’s all done within minutes in the app.

You must be over 18

Have a UK-based business

Show valid photo ID

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Considering switching your business account provider? We’ll make the move effortless.

  • Wave manual admin goodbye and use the Current Account Switching Service to move your existing business account

  • Switching is completely free and only takes 7 working days from the date you choose to switch

  • All we need from you is your old bank details, the rest is handled automatically, securely and fuss-free

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What members say about Tide

Cash ISA Summary Box

The information provided in this summary box includes the key features of the account only and is not intended to be a substitute for reading the Tide and ClearBank terms applicable to your account (all available under tide.co/terms). We generate a new version of this summary box whenever any of the information contained herein changes. Download Summary box here.

Last updated: 11th March 2026

The interest rate applicable to your Tide Cash ISA is a variable rate and is equal to the published Bank of England Base Rate (gross) minus a certain percentage. The current percentage can be found in the table below. The currently applicable Bank of England Base Rate is 3.75% (gross). The applicable Bank of England base rate can be found here: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk.

As part of your Tide Membership you receive a preferential interest rate on your Tide Cash ISA deposit as per the table below:

Interest Rate p.a.

3.25% AER / 3.20% gross

0.55% gross below Bank of England Base Rate

AER” stands for Annual Equivalent Rate and illustrates the interest rate if it was paid and compounded once each year. “Gross” is the basic annual interest rate without considering compounding.

Interest is calculated daily, based on the balance available on your Tide Cash ISA  at the end of the day, and paid monthly into your Tide Cash ISA on the first day of the month following the month in which the interest is earned.

In exceptional market conditions, interest rates may become negative. If this happens, money could be deducted from your account instead of interest being paid. We will give you advance notice if a negative interest rate were to apply.

Yes. As the interest rate is variable it can move up or down. The interest rate can change at any time for the following reasons:

1. Tide can change the Tide Margin at any time and this will impact the interest rate you receive. Please also refer to the Tide Instant Saver Terms.

  • If we decide to increase the Tide Margin and your interest rate will decrease as a result, we will give you at least 14 days’ notice in writing before the change takes effect.

  • We don’t have to give you prior notice if your interest rate increases because we decrease the Tide Margin. However, we will notify you about the change within 30 days of it taking effect.

2. In addition, each time the Bank of England Base Rate changes, the interest rate applicable to your Tide Instant Saver Account will also automatically change, in line with the increase or decrease in the Bank of England Base Rate. Please note that this might happen in addition to changes due to changes in the Tide Margin.

  • The change will take effect from the day the Bank of England announces the change.

  • We do not have to give you prior notice of the change, but we will notify you about the change within 30 days of it taking effect.

  • The Bank of England Base Rate may be negative, which may result in a negative interest rate applying to your Tide Instant Saver Account.

For Tide Members  the estimated balances after 12 months for deposits of £1,000 and £20,000 are as follows:

Initial amount

Balance after 12 months

£1,000.00

£1,032.47

£20,000.00

£20,649.47

The estimates are based on:

  • the Bank of England base rate being 3.75%

  • no further deposits or withdrawals being made and no changes to the interest rate taking place

  • no further changes in Bank of England rates and the percentage by which the interest rate is below Bank of England Base Rate

* The projections are for illustrative purposes only and do not take into account your personal circumstances.

Account holders must be a UK resident aged 18 or over.

The Tide Instant Saver Account can be opened (a) in the Tide app or on Tide.co by UK-registered sole traders and limited companies who hold a business bank account provided by ClearBank via the Tide Platform (“Tide Business Account”) as well as (b) in the Tide app by UK-registered limited companies who do not hold a Tide Business Account.

To open a Tide Instant Saver Account, you must designate a UK pound sterling current account held solely in the name of your business as your “Nominated Account”.

  • If you hold a Tide Business Account, your Nominated Account will be your Tide Business Account.

  • In case you are a UK-registered limited company who does not hold a Tide Business Account, your Non-Tide Account will serve as your Nominated Account.

You may only have one Nominated Account.

The minimum opening deposit is £1.

You can only add funds into your Tide Instant Saver Account by transferring them from your Nominated Account.

Financial or other quantitative limits might be applied to your Tide Instant Saver Account in accordance with relevant risk assessment and policies. We can change these limits at our discretion at any time depending on our ongoing risk assessment of you or to comply with our regulatory obligations. You can contact our Member Support team at any time to ask about the limits applicable to your account or to request a review and increase of your limits.

Once opened, your account can be managed 24/7 (a) online at tide.co or via your Tide app for Tide Members who hold a Tide Business Account; or (b) via your Tide app for Tide Members who do not hold a Tide Business Account. You can also contact the Member Support team by email at hello@tide.co.

You can close your Tide Instant Saver Account at any time.

Yes. This is an instant access account. No notice for withdrawals is required and withdrawals can be made at any time.

There is no limit on withdrawals.

Withdrawals from your Tide Instant Saver Account can only be made online and into your Nominated Account.

Please note: While withdrawals can be made at any time, making one or more withdrawals in a calendar month during the first six (4) months after opening your Tide Instant Saver Account will cause you to forfeit the 0.5% Tide Year-End Savings Boost Rate for that entire month. See 'What is the interest rate?' section for details.

This version of the Tide Instant Saver Account is available only for new Tide Members who join and open their Tide Instant Saver Account between 28th November and 31st December 2025.

Depending on personal circumstances, you may have to pay tax on the interest to HM Revenue & Customs. Please seek professional tax advice if you are unsure about your tax position.

Changing your Tide Membership Plan would have an effect on the interest rate applicable to your Tide Instant Saver Account. Please see the FAQs for details. You will be presented with a new version of this summary box prior to switching your Tide Membership Plan.

Upon termination of your Tide Instant Saver Account, any interest accrued up to the termination effective date will be transferred to your Nominated Account. Before your Tide Instant Saver Account can be closed, you need to transfer any balance remaining in your Tide Instant Saver Account to your Nominated Account.

If you have set up a Non-Tide Account as your Nominated Account and you close your Nominated Account before or at the same time as your Tide Instant Saver Account, you need to provide us the details of another UK bank account held in your name to which your remaining Tide Instant Saver Account balance can be transferred. Our Member Support team will contact you to confirm where that refund should be made to.

Questions about Cash ISA?

Find answers to all our most frequently asked questions in our Help Centre.

We understand businesses, it's all we do

We understand businesses, it's all we do

Tide is built by business owners for business owners. That’s why we’re trusted by over 1.5 million sole traders, freelancers, and limited companies worldwide.

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