Terms of Use
tide · last updated 10 October 2026
tide is not a bank, and it is not tax software. It sets aside a percentage of each payout you log, so the money is reserved before it can be spent. tide suggests a percentage to start from; you choose the one it actually uses, and you can change it at any time. It does not calculate what you owe, and it does not hold your money.
Using tide
These terms cover the tide iOS app. By using it, you agree to them. You must be at least 13, and old enough to enter a contract where you live.
Not tax advice
- tide applies a single flat percentage to every payout. You set it, and you can change it whenever you like. Changing it re-splits everything you have logged.
- When you first open tide it asks which US state you file in and whether you also have a W-2 job, and suggests a starting percentage from your answers. Both questions are optional and you can skip them. The suggestion is a rough opening position and nothing else: it comes from broad bands rather than tax rates, it knows nothing about how much you earn, your deductions, your filing status or anything else about you, and it is not a projection of what you will owe. Treat it as a place to start, and move it. You can change either answer later in Settings; tide will show you what the new suggestion would be and leave your percentage alone unless you choose to apply it.
- tide does not compute tax liability, tax brackets, deductions or self-employment tax, and it does not work out what you owe.
- It files nothing, pays nothing, and communicates with no tax authority.
- The figures it shows are an estimate of a savings reserve, nothing more. What you actually owe may be higher or lower, often considerably. Talk to an accountant.
- You are responsible for your own taxes. tide is not liable for any shortfall, penalty or interest.
tide holds no money
The tax jar is a number on a screen. No funds move, nothing is transferred, and no account is opened on your behalf. tide is not a bank, is not a money transmitter, and provides no financial, investment or legal advice.
Your data
Your payouts are yours. Without an account they are stored only on your device, and deleting the app deletes them, so tide holds no copy to restore. Sign in and they are also saved to your account, so losing the phone does not lose the history. Either way, keeping your own records is your responsibility; export to CSV if you need one. See the Privacy Policy for what is stored where.
Connecting a bank
Bank connections are provided through Plaid and are subject to Plaid's terms. tide reads deposits so you can choose which are income; it never moves money and never has the ability to. Deposits are shown for you to review, and nothing is logged as income unless you pick it. Bank data can be delayed, incomplete or wrong, so check it against your own records.
tide Pro
- tide Pro is an auto-renewing subscription sold through Apple's In-App Purchase, offered monthly or annually at the price shown in the app.
- Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of that period.
- Any free trial ends the moment you buy a subscription. Unused trial time is forfeited.
- Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
- Refunds are handled by Apple under its own terms, not by tide.
- Logging payouts by hand, the tax jar, the current year and exporting your payouts to CSV are free and are intended to stay free.
Availability
tide is provided as it is, with no guarantee that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that bank sync will always be available, which depends on Plaid and on your bank. Features may change or be withdrawn. If a paid feature is withdrawn during a period you have paid for, contact us.
Liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, tide is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for any loss arising from reliance on its estimates. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded. Where liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the amount you paid for tide in the twelve months before the claim.
Ending
You can stop using tide at any time by deleting it, and delete your account, with everything tide stores for it, from Settings in the app. Deleting your account does not cancel a tide Pro subscription, which Apple bills; cancel that in your Apple Account settings. We may suspend access for misuse, for example attempting to bypass payment or to reach another person's data.
Changes
These terms may change; the date at the top will change with them. Continuing to use tide after a change means accepting it.