By: Money Navigator Research Team
Last Reviewed: 03/02/2026
FACT CHECKED
Quick Summary
Tide Accounting add-ons are subscription products with published monthly prices (which can differ by business type and by bundle), billed on a monthly cycle with pro-rata charging when you start part-way through a billing period, and cancellation that typically takes effect from the next billing period rather than immediately.
Invoices and transactions can look “off” when a pro-rata first charge, VAT treatment, bundles, or switching timing is involved.
This article is educational and not financial advice.
What counts as a “Tide Accounting add-on” (and why pricing varies)
Tide uses “accounting add-ons” to describe subscription tools that sit alongside the bank account and unlock accounting/admin features.
The key options described in Tide’s help centre are Tide Accounting (standalone), Invoice Assistant (standalone), and bundles such as Admin Extra (which combines Accounting with Invoice Assistant).
Pricing can differ for sole traders vs limited companies, and bundle prices can differ from the sum of standalone items. For Tide’s current published list prices, see What accounting add-ons do Tide offer, and how much are they?
A common source of confusion is mixing up membership plans (for example, paid plans such as Smart/Pro/Max) with add-ons.
They can have different VAT treatment, different billing rules, and different “what happens when you cancel” outcomes.
If the question is “is this charge for my plan or for an add-on?”, it helps to compare the charge name and the timing against your plan billing rules and your add-on renewal rules (our general plan billing explainer is here: Tide membership billing: monthly fees, VAT, billing dates and invoices).
Tide accounting add-on pricing (Tide’s published list prices)
Tide’s help content describes two accounting add-ons (Tide Accounting and Admin Extra), and notes that Invoice Assistant is also available separately.
Here are the prices shown:
| Add-on | Sole traders | Limited companies | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tide Accounting | £13.99 + VAT / month | £19.99 + VAT / month | Standard accounting features |
| Admin Extra | £17.99 / month | £24.99 + VAT / month | Bundle combining Tide Accounting + Invoice Assistant |
| Invoice Assistant (separate) | £5.99 + VAT / month | £5.99 + VAT / month | Available on its own |
These are add-on subscription charges, separate from Tide membership plan fees and separate from any costs that relate to making payments (for example, salary transfers) or statutory payroll costs.
Source pages: What accounting add-ons do Tide offer, and how much are they? and What is Invoice Assistant and how much does it cost?.
How the billing cycle works for Accounting add-ons
Tide’s Membership and Product Terms describe subscription charging for Tide Accounting and related admin offerings. In summary, the monthly period is treated as a subscription period, with:
a pro-rata charge when you start part-way through a billing period (so the first amount can be smaller than the headline monthly price), and
a monthly in-advance charge for the next period, collected on or around the start of the month (with timing described as roughly within the first few days).
See the relevant subscription billing provisions in Tide Membership and Product Terms (2 February 2026)
Why the first payment can be “odd”
If you activate an add-on on (say) the 20th, a pro-rata amount can be taken to cover 20th to month-end, and then the next full month is billed shortly after at the start of the next billing period. That can look like “two payments close together” even though they relate to different periods.
This is also where switching and cancellations create timing surprises: cancelling may stop the next renewal, but it does not always reverse a charge already taken for the current period (the terms set out when fees are not reimbursed, and the limited situations where pro-rata reimbursement may apply).
The practical “what happens next” for plan changes is also discussed in our plan-change guides: Upgrading your Tide plan: when new pricing starts and what’s pro-rated and Downgrading a Tide plan: what changes immediately vs at renewal.
VAT on Accounting add-ons (and why it may appear even if your plan is VAT-exempt)
Tide explains that VAT applies to some paid services, and also notes that from 1 October 2025 VAT is no longer charged for certain products (including some paid plans). That does not automatically mean VAT is removed from every add-on or admin tool. Tide’s own explanation is set out in Why do you charge VAT?
Where VAT is charged, it is at the standard rate described on VAT rates (GOV.UK). Practically, VAT is one of the reasons an invoice total may not match a headline “per month” figure you remember seeing in-app – especially if you compare a VAT-inclusive total to a VAT-exclusive price label.
Invoices vs “invoices”: subscription invoices and sales invoices are different things
In Tide’s ecosystem, “invoicing” can refer to:
Sales invoices you issue to customers (sometimes free up to a limit, then expanded via Invoice Assistant), and
Subscription invoices/receipts for Tide services you pay for (plans, add-ons, tools).
This article is about (2): subscription billing documents (and the transactions that settle them). If the immediate issue is “I can’t reconcile the fee”, Tide’s statements/export tools can help you identify the date, amount and label used for the collection. See Can I export my transactions?
If the issue is “I cancelled, but I still see a charge”, that is usually a billing-cycle question rather than an invoicing-feature question. Tide’s add-on switching/cancellation guidance is here: How do I subscribe to, or switch between Tide’s accounting add-ons?
Summary Table
| Scenario | Outcome | Practical impact |
|---|---|---|
| You activate an add-on mid-month | First charge may be pro-rata | The first payment can be smaller than the headline monthly price and close in time to the next renewal |
| You activate close to month-end | Pro-rata can be very small | It can look like a “token” first charge followed by a larger renewal shortly after |
| You cancel after a period has started | Cancellation is typically effective next period | You may retain access until period-end while still seeing the current period’s fee |
| You switch add-ons | Existing add-on is cancelled first, new one starts next period | You may keep current access until the end of the paid period, then move to the new service |
| You’re on a bundle vs standalone | Bundle pricing differs from standalone pricing | Comparing an Admin bundle to “Accounting + Invoice Assistant” line-by-line can be misleading |
| VAT applies to the add-on | Total is higher than a VAT-exclusive label | The invoice total may not match a VAT-exclusive price you recall |
Cancellation and switching: what changes immediately vs next billing period
Tide’s help centre describes cancelling/switching as an in-app process and notes that after cancelling, access can remain for the remainder of the calendar month already paid for, with changes taking effect from the beginning of the next month. See How do I subscribe to, or switch between Tide’s accounting add-ons?
Tide’s terms also describe renewal and cancellation mechanics for these subscriptions, including how pro-rata billing works at the start, and how cancellation generally takes effect from the next billing period (rather than reversing a period already paid). See Tide Membership and Product Terms (2 February 2026)
If a payment fails
If the account does not successfully pay a due subscription fee, outcomes depend on the product and status (for example, access limits, retries, or suspension until payment). Because “failed fee” handling can look different between a paid plan and an add-on, it helps to separate the two and check which fee failed. For the plan side, see Tide membership fee payment failed: what it means.
Scenario Table
| Scenario-level | Process-level | Outcome-level |
|---|---|---|
| “Two charges happened close together” | One charge relates to a pro-rata partial period; the next relates to the upcoming full period | Charges are different periods, not duplicate charges |
| “The amount is higher than expected” | VAT is applied to some paid services and can be itemised on billing documents | Gross total exceeds the VAT-exclusive headline price |
| “The amount is lower than expected” | Pro-rata charging reduces the first period fee if you start mid-cycle | First invoice/transaction is smaller than the monthly list price |
| “Cancellation didn’t stop the charge immediately” | Cancellation typically applies from the next billing period, not retroactively | Current period fee remains; renewal is what stops |
| “I can’t match the invoice to my bank feed” | Subscription collection shows as an account transaction; exports help reconcile dates and labels | Matching becomes clearer once you align period covered vs collection date |
| “I’m switching add-ons and worried about double-paying” | Switching often requires cancelling the current add-on first, then moving at the next period boundary | Access continues to period-end, then the new service begins |
Tide Business Bank Account
Tide offers app-based business accounts with optional paid plans and optional add-ons (including accounting/admin tools).
The account itself and the add-ons can be billed under different rules (for example, VAT treatment and renewal timing), so it’s useful to separate “bank account fees”, “plan fees”, and “add-on fees” when reconciling charges. Our broader overview is here: Tide business bank account
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Tide describes Accounting as an add-on subscription, which can exist alongside (or independently from) a paid plan. That means the Accounting fee can appear even if your plan fee is different, or if you are on a free plan.
Where confusion happens is that both plans and add-ons can use monthly billing cycles, and both can have pro-rata behaviour when you start mid-cycle. When reconciling, it helps to compare the charge against the published list pricing for add-ons and against your plan’s own billing rules.
Tide’s terms describe subscription fees for Tide Accounting and related admin offerings as monthly subscription fees, billed in advance for the subscription period, with timing around the start of the month and pro-rata charging when you start part-way through a period.
A practical implication is that cancelling late in a month may stop the next renewal, but it does not necessarily remove the fee already collected for the current period. That “notice for next period” behaviour is a common pattern in monthly subscriptions.
A smaller first payment can happen when the first billing period is pro-rated because the add-on started after the billing period began. In that case, the fee reflects only the remaining days in the current period.
The edge case is when activation occurs very close to the end of the month: the pro-rata amount can be minimal, and then a full monthly renewal can arrive shortly after at the start of the next period. That pattern is often mistaken for a duplicate charge, even though it relates to two different periods.
Tide explains that VAT is charged on some paid services and that certain products became VAT-exempt from 1 October 2025, but not all paid services are covered by that change. Tide’s published add-on prices and its terms show the accounting add-on pricing as “+ VAT”.
In practice, VAT is one of the most common reasons a billed total is higher than a remembered headline price, especially if the headline price was displayed VAT-exclusive. The standard VAT rate is published on GOV.UK.
Tide’s terms describe collecting subscription fees monthly in advance with collection timing described around the start of the month, and also describe an immediate pro-rata collection when you start mid-period.
This means the “collection date” and the “period covered” can be different. It is possible for the fee to be collected early in the month while covering the whole calendar month, and for a separate pro-rata charge to cover only the remaining days of a partial starting month.
Tide’s help centre indicates that after cancelling an accounting add-on, access can remain for the remainder of the calendar month already paid for, with changes taking effect from the next month.
The edge case is switching: switching between add-ons typically involves cancelling the current subscription first, then selecting the new service at the start of the next month. That can look like “I cancelled, but nothing changed”, when the intended change is scheduled for the next period boundary.
Tide’s switching guidance describes a process where the existing add-on is cancelled before moving to a new accounting option, with continued access until the end of the already-paid month and a new selection at the beginning of the next month.
Where “double pay” concerns arise is when the activation date triggers a pro-rata charge and a renewal close together. That is usually a period-alignment issue rather than two full-month charges for the same period.
For subscription products, a failed payment can lead to restricted access, retries, or service suspension until payment succeeds, depending on product terms and account status. The key is identifying which fee failed (plan vs add-on), because different products can have different consequences.
If you are seeing multiple fee types around the same time (for example, plan fee and add-on fee), separating them by label and timing is often the fastest way to understand what is actually overdue versus what is an expected renewal.
Even where a separate invoice document exists, the charge itself will still appear as a transaction on the account. Tide provides transaction export functionality, which can help with reconciliation and matching to subscription periods.
If the bookkeeping need is specifically to understand VAT, separating:
- The VAT treatment rules
- The invoice/receipt detail
- The transaction entry is important
The VAT element can explain why the gross amount differs from the ex-VAT price label.
Subscription pricing can change over time. Tide’s terms describe how changes to subscription fees are handled and how notice is provided for term changes and subscription-related updates.
A practical implication is that an amount change is not automatically an error: it can be a price update, a bundle change, a VAT treatment difference, or a pro-rata effect from activation/cancellation timing. The correct explanation depends on which of those applies to the specific billing period.
Subscription pricing problems are rarely “random” – they are usually the predictable result of period boundaries (calendar-month billing), pro-rata starts, and renewals billed in advance.
Once those mechanics are understood, most “missing discount”, “wrong amount”, or “cancelled but charged” situations resolve into a small set of patterns: partial-period billing, next-period cancellation, VAT treatment, or bundle vs standalone pricing.
The operational takeaway is that billing documents and account transactions answer slightly different questions.
The invoice/receipt explains what the fee was for (and whether VAT applied), while the bank transaction explains when it was collected. When the two feel inconsistent, it is often because they reference different dates: the service period vs the collection date.
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