{"id":8720,"date":"2026-06-17T12:26:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mintformations.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8720"},"modified":"2026-06-17T12:26:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:26:35","slug":"tide-company-formation-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mintformations.co.uk\/blog\/tide-company-formation-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Tide Company Formation Review: An Honest Assessment for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

*A note before we begin: Mint Formations works with Tide as a banking partner. We introduce founders to Tide for business accounts when it is the right fit \u2014 alongside Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, ANNA Money, Monzo, Cashplus, Zempler, Countingup, and others. We fast-track bank account applications for all of them. We have no incentive to talk Tide down, and every reason to be accurate. This review is written from our experience as formation specialists who also see, every day, what different types of founders actually need.*<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tide is one of the UK’s most recognised digital banking platforms, with over 1.5 million business account holders. In recent years, Tide has added company formation to its offering \u2014 at a price point that undercuts every traditional formation agent in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are considering Tide for your company registration, this review covers the complete picture: what their formation service includes, what it genuinely does well, a critical limitation that eliminates Tide for a large proportion of founders, and who the service is actually built for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the limitation section before you go any further. It will save you time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Tide?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tide is a digital business finance platform, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as an electronic money institution. It is not a traditional bank \u2014 funds are held by ClearBank, which provides FSCS protection up to \u00a3120,000 for eligible deposits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Company formation is a feature Tide added to support its core banking business. When a founder registers a company through Tide, the intended outcome is that they open a Tide business account and become a long-term banking customer. It explains why the formation price is set where it is \u2014 and it is relevant context when deciding who you want to register your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tide is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), meaning they are authorised to submit formation applications directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tide’s Company Formation: What It Includes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tide offers a single formation package, currently priced at \u00a314.99<\/strong> \u2014 the lowest all-in formation price available in the UK market. This includes the \u00a3100 Companies House fee, which Tide absorbs as part of its customer acquisition model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Included with formation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Limited company registration submitted to Companies House<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Certificate of incorporation, company number, and share documents by email<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Free Tide business current account (basic plan, no monthly fee)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Access to Tide’s app: invoicing, expense tracking, and Making Tax Digital tools<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Registration within one working day in most cases<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optional paid add-ons:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Virtual office address: from \u00a322.99\/month (Central London, mail scanning via third party)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Confirmation statement filing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Company secretary service<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Payroll software<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Tide Accounting (from \u00a313.99 + VAT\/month on lower tiers)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Limitation You Need to Know Before Anything Else<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tide only supports companies with a single director and a single shareholder.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are starting a business with a co-founder \u2014 even one other person \u2014 Tide cannot form your company. You must look elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not buried in Tide’s small print, but it is not prominently communicated either. Many founders only discover it mid-way through the registration journey, after they have already invested time in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be clear about what this means in practice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Two co-founders splitting a business equally?<\/strong> Tide cannot form your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– A family business with a spouse as co-director?<\/strong> Tide cannot form your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– An investment structure with a silent shareholder?<\/strong> Tide cannot form your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Any company where more than one person holds shares?<\/strong> Tide cannot form your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A significant proportion of UK limited companies are formed by more than one person. For all of them, Tide’s formation service is simply not available \u2014 regardless of which plan they choose or how attractive the \u00a314.99 price is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a co-founder or any other shareholder, stop here and look at a specialist formation agent. Tide is not an option for your situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Else Does Tide Reach Its Limits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

UK residents only<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tide’s company formation service is restricted to UK residents. If you are based outside the UK \u2014 whether you are an international entrepreneur, an expatriate, or a foreign national \u2014 Tide cannot register your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-UK residents<\/a> can open a Tide business account, but they cannot use Tide to form the company in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LTD companies only<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tide supports private limited companies limited by shares, and only this structure. The following cannot be formed through Tide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n