Register a limited company and open a business bank account, all in one go, for FREE

Yes! Tide pays the £12 registration fee to Companies House on your behalf.

You’ll need these items:

1. Your unique company name
   Use our search tool above and we’ll instantly tell you if your company name is available.
2. Personal information
   You’ll need personal information such as your address, date of birth, and nationality.
3. Registered office address
   You can choose your home address or your business address (if you have a separate trading address). You can also use a virtual business address if you have one.

Yes. We’re an authorized formation agent of Companies House, and we’re securely integrated with them, so you can trust us to register your limited company.

Once you’ve brainstormed and chosen your company name, simply use our search tool at the top of this page, and we’ll instantly tell you if it’s available. When you’ve settled on a name that’s available, we’ll register it for you as part of the simple four-step process.

Currently Tide will only accept names that don’t require additional documentation. In other words, if you apply directly with Companies House then it’s possible to register a name such as “Kim’s Doctors Surgery”, however, you would need to provide additional information to Companies House to prove that you are indeed a registered doctor. Tide doesn’t currently offer the ability to send accompanying documentation, and so only phrases that require no ‘proof’ can be submitted.

Your name, nationality, occupation, month and year of birth, the ‘registered office address’ of your business and the ‘service address’ of directors. As you progress through the application, we’ll point out which parts will show on the public record. Your home address will only show on the public record if you choose it as your registered address. You can learn more by looking at the Companies House website.

Yes, you can! With our simple registration process, all you need is the correct information and we’ll register your new company with Companies House for you.

For now, you can only create a limited company, which is limited by shares. You won’t be able to create any other type of registered company.

You can find information on the gov.uk website on how to restrict the disclosure of your information.

Companies House requires limited companies to have either Limited or LTD at the end of the company name. If you don't include LTD or Limited in your search, we will automatically add LTD. There is no difference between the name endings Limited or Ltd, except for how they look.

There is no difference between the name endings ‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd’, except for how they look. Companies House requires limited companies to have either Limited or Ltd at the end of the company name. At the moment Tide is pre-populating all applications with Ltd, but we’ll offer the ‘Limited’ option in the future.

You’ll have yearly responsibilities such as your tax return and annual return plus ongoing tasks like keeping records of the company and keeping a register of PSC’s (People with significant control). Full details can be found on the gov.uk website.

Not on paper – it’s all done online with a digital signature to make things simple. No printing or scanning required!

It depends. In many cases, Companies House will incorporate your company within 1 business day. The majority of businesses are incorporated within 48 hours. Please note that Companies House does not work on weekends so if you send an application on a Friday, it will take longer.

You find the contact details for Companies House at gov.uk/contact-companies-house

Companies House is a government department, like HMRC or DVLA. Tide is authorised by Companies House to make an application on your behalf, meaning we can set up a limited company for you.

No, your registered office must be in the same region as the company you’re trying to create. For example, to create a Scottish limited company you must have a Scottish address as your registered office address.

Yes, you can add or change parts of your company information after registration, by contacting Companies House directly.

Not unless your company turnover exceeds the VAT threshold of £85,000. It can still be beneficial for some businesses to register for VAT even if their turnover is less than the threshold. You can find more on the gov.uk website.

No, it’s not, and for that reason we don’t submit one, but you can always appoint one later by contacting Companies House directly.

Shareholders are the company owners. They own shares in the company, which entitle them to a share of company profits. Most shareholders also have a say in important company issues, like appointing new directors. You can change the shareholders and their shares at any time after the company is registered by contacting Companies House.

Yes, every UK limited company has to have at least one shareholder, and as part of your application through Tide we’ll submit you as the only shareholder.

Anybody who becomes a director or officer of a company must be prepared for some of their details to be publicly available. You can read more about the Companies House public record on their website.

Yes, every UK limited company must have at least one director, which will be you. You can appoint and remove directors at any time through Companies House.

As a director, you’re legally responsible for running the company and reporting to HMRC and Companies House. You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (for example, an accountant) but you’re still legally responsible for your company’s records, accounts and performance. We are currently only able to set up limited companies with a single director (yourself).

In some cases, we will be unable to offer you a business current account. Sometimes, we will already submitted your application to Companies House. In this case, you will have an incorporated company but no Tide account. In other cases, we will withhold the submission to Companies House - in this instance, it would still be worthwhile trying to register a limited company directly with Gov.uk. Please watch your inbox for the status of your application and advisable next steps.

No, you can also set up a Tide business current account if you’re a sole trader, simply open an account.

The company formations service is only available to UK residents at this time. You can apply for a Tide account (without the company formations service) from outside of the UK. In some cases, we may have to complete additional checks in order to process your application to open a business current account.

When you register a limited company through Tide you’re also applying for a Tide business current account. To complete the application you’ll need one of the following: either your passport, drivers licence or ID card.

No. We’ve streamlined the process, so in one simple form, you’ll form your UK limited company and open a Tide business current account. We’ll cover the cost of incorporation with Companies House to help you get started.

Limited by shares is the most common type of company, and is used if owners ever want to take profits from the company. (‘Limited by guarantee’ is different in that it’s widely used for nonprofit bodies like charities and clubs. Profit is rarely given to the owners. It’s usually kept within the company or used for other purposes).

As the only shareholder, you’ll have 1 share and own 100% of the company. You can add more shares after the company is registered by contacting Companies House directly.

Ordinary shares are the most common type of shares, and most companies use ordinary shares in British pounds (GBP). If you need more than one type of share, you’ll need to use a different service to register your company as Tide only offers applications using ordinary shares. Ordinary shares give a shareholder the following rights;

• One vote per share on company decisions
• Receive a share of profits as dividend payments
• Receive a share of capital, for example, if the business closes down

When you register your company through Tide, the nominal value of a share will be set at £1. Share value is not linked to how much the company is worth. You can change the value and number of shares at any time directly through Companies House.

Yes, you can add or change parts of your company information at any time, by contacting Companies House directly.

Yes. If you have an existing Tide account you may still register a new limited company through Tide. You should use a new email address when applying for a second account.

If Companies House rejects your application, then Tide won’t be able to open a business current account for you.

Yes, you’ll need our Android or iOS app to finish the application. Unlike traditional high street banks, you can activate your account from your fingertips, without needing to book an appointment and physically visit a high street branch.

This isn’t possible at the moment – for legal reasons the applicant needs to sign the terms and conditions themselves.

When you register a company, Companies House will automatically inform HMRC. HMRC will send a letter to your registered address with your UTR number. It can take up to three weeks for this letter to be received. If you do not receive your UTR number within 3 weeks, you can contact HMRC directly.

• UK: 0300 200 3410
• Outside UK: +44 151 268 0571

Prescribed particulars form part of the ‘statement of capital’. Tide uses the standard set of prescribed particulars suggested by Companies House, which states that each shareholder will;

• Have one vote per share on company decisions
• Receive a share of profits as dividend payments
• Receive a share of capital.

A statement of capital is a snapshot of a limited company's issued share capital at a given time. Private Companies limited by shares must complete a statement of capital and initial shareholdings as part of the application to incorporate. Tide will automatically create a statement of capital for you when you register your company through our service.

The statement of capital must include:

• The total number of shares of the company
• The aggregate nominal value of those shares
• And for each class of shares:
  (i) Prescribed particulars of the rights attached to the shares
  (ii) The total number of shares of that class
  (iii) The aggregate nominal value of shares of that class

A memorandum of association is a legal statement signed by all initial shareholders agreeing to form the company. It confirms that all parties involved wish to form a company and agree to take at least one share. Tide will automatically create a memorandum of association for you when you register your company through our service. If you have formed a company and are looking for your memorandum of association, it is available on the Companies House register.

All limited companies must have articles of association. These are rules for directors and shareholders about how to run the company. Model articles are a standard set of rules that have been written to suit most companies and Tide will use model articles of association when registering your company. The model articles provided by Companies House may be found here.

We email your documents to you. If you need a printed copy, you can request them directly from Companies House.

Companies House usually create a company within 3-6hrs, but they don’t work on weekends so if you apply on a Friday night you might have to wait a little longer. As soon as it’s created, we’ll send you an email with your certificate of incorporation.

You’ll receive your certificate of incorporation via email once registered. Keep this safe. You can request additional documents from Companies House for £1.

Tide's virtual office address service can only be subscribed to when incorporating a company through our company formations service.

The virtual office address can be used as:

• Official contact address (correspondence address) of a company director, secretary, subscribers, person with significant control in a company
• Official registered office address - this is where mail will be sent from Companies House and HMRC. The address will appear on the companies house record

Your plan includes:

• Registered office address:
  86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE
• Correspondence address for director:
  86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE
• Same day mail scanning and email forwarding:
  • All mail will be opened by our provider, Hoxton Mix.
  • Official mail will be scanned and emailed to you on the same day it’s received.
  • Unofficial mail (for example advertising) will be returned to the sender.

The plan does not include collecting or forwarding mail, with the exception of cheques which will be forwarded by mail.

If we successfully incorporate your company, but have been unable to offer you a Tide account, then your virtual office address subscription will be held directly with Hoxton Mix and not through Tide. Hoxton Mix will contact you directly, however you may be asked to change your registered office address and to stop using their service. This is at their discretion.

This is outlined in our virtual office address Key Facts Document (which forms part of the Hoxton Mix Virtual Office Address Terms and Conditions).

• Companies House official registered office address and correspondance address for the director opening the account

• Legal address for HMRC correspondance

• Same day mail scanning to your email

• A professional and stable business address, even if you change office location or move to new regions

• Work from anywhere as long as you need while having same-day access to your mail at your fingertips

• Protect your personal address from being on the companies house record and incorporation certificate

• Choose between monthly and yearly billing

The service is only available to Tide members who register their company and sign up for a Tide account through our Company Formations service.

You can choose between a monthly and yearly billing option. You will be billed for your initial term once your company has been incorporated by Companies House and your Tide account is approved.  If your account can not be billed, we will not start your subscription and you will be required to update your address with Companies House. 

Each term, we will bill the payment method you provided during the onboarding process. You will receive an email confirmation once the payment is made. This means that if you are on an annual plan, you will be charged for the entire year in advance.

If you wish to change the card on file, please look for a billing reminder email from us. This email contains a link to Tide Web where you can update your billing details. This functionality is only available from a computer/tablet.

Note: our billing process has changed and this section applies to members who made purchases on March 29, 2021 or later. Contact us in the app to learn more.

You can cancel your subscription for your virtual office address at any time by messaging us in the Tide app. We’ll email you to confirm we’ve cancelled your subscription. Before we can begin to process your cancellation request,  you must first give us an alternative address for your registered office and correspondence address. It is your legal responsibility to inform HMRC and Companies House of your change of address prior to contacting us.

If you cancel mid-month, you won’t receive a refund for the remainder of the month. Processing your cancellation can take up to three days so to avoid being charged for the following month, please request your cancellation a minimum of four days before your payment date.

From the date you cancel, all mail sent to the virtual office address will be returned to the sender, so you must update your details with Companies House and HMRC before cancelling. If you cancel your subscription, you can’t re-subscribe via Tide. However, you may set up another subscription by contacting our provider Hoxton Mix directly.

Yes, you can cancel your subscription anytime, by messaging us in the Tide app. We’ll email you to confirm we’ve cancelled your subscription. Before we can begin to process your cancellation request,  you must first change your address with Companies House. Then once complete, you will need to give us this new address for your registered office and correspondence address. It is your legal responsibility to inform HMRC and Companies House of your change of address.

No, if you cancel mid-month, you won’t receive a refund for the remainder of the month. Processing your cancellation can take up to three days so to avoid being charged for the following month, please request your cancellation a minimum of four days before your payment date.

To change your registered office address with Companies House, you must complete an AD01 form. You can find details on the Companies House website. You must tell Companies House within 14 days of the change taking place.

VAT is value added tax, which we’re required to add. This is for the value added services associated with your subscriptions and is subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) requirements. This is different to Tide’s standard transactional fees, which are exempt from VAT. If you’re VAT registered you’ll be able to reclaim this back at the end of the accounting period. VAT for virtual office address subscription is the standard 20%.