{"id":9082,"date":"2026-09-08T14:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T14:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mintformations.co.uk\/blog\/?p=9082"},"modified":"2026-09-10T14:00:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T14:00:30","slug":"dont-pay-the-100-companies-house-fee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mintformations.co.uk\/blog\/dont-pay-the-100-companies-house-fee\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Pay the \u00a3100 Companies House Fee – But Read What Comes With It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since Companies House increased its digital incorporation fee to \u00a3100 in February 2026, a phrase has appeared in company formation advertising with increasing frequency: “Don’t pay the \u00a3100 fee.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is an attractive headline. \u00a3100 is a real cost. If someone offers to absorb it, that is worth knowing about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the offer is not always what it first appears. Two providers – Tide and 1st Formations – are currently running versions of this campaign. Both absorb the \u00a3100 Companies House fee in certain circumstances. Both have conditions that are worth reading before you decide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post explains both offers plainly, so you can make an informed choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the \u00a3100 Companies House Fee Actually Is<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you register a limited company in the UK, Companies House charges a statutory filing fee. As of 1 February 2026, that fee is \u00a3100 for digital incorporation. It is a government fee, not an agent fee – every company registered in the UK pays it, regardless of who processes the application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some formation agents include this fee in their headline price. Others charge it separately. Either way, it is the same \u00a3100 going to the same place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a provider says they will “absorb” or “pay” this fee, they are not eliminating a cost – they are subsidising it from somewhere else in their business model. The question worth asking is: where is that subsidy coming from, and what does it mean for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tide: \u00a314.99 All-In – Subsidised by Their Banking Business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tide is a digital banking platform. They offer company formation at \u00a314.99 all-in – a price that absorbs most of the \u00a3100 Companies House fee on the customer’s behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a genuine offer. The formation is processed, the company is registered, and the price is \u00a314.99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Tide can offer this price<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tide subsidises formation because it is a customer acquisition tool for their banking business. When you form a company through Tide, you open a Tide business bank account as part of the process. The formation fee is not where Tide makes money. The banking relationship is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not a hidden agenda – it is openly how Tide’s business model works. For founders who want a Tide account anyway, the alignment is fine. For founders who want to choose their bank independently, or who may outgrow Tide’s banking features over time, it is worth understanding what you are signing up for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The structural limitations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the banking lock-in, Tide’s formation service has structural restrictions that many founders only discover after starting the process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n