TikTok business account: how to switch and what changes

What a TikTok business account is

A TikTok business account is the account type for brands, shops and service businesses that use TikTok to market what they sell. TikTok's Help Center now calls it a Verified Business Account, and its Business Help Center gives the older name, Registered Business Account. The Help Center says you can choose to have a General TikTok Account, Verified Business Account, or Organization Account.

TikTok's advice on who needs one is short: Anyone whose primary goal on TikTok is to promote their business (a product or a service) should use a Verified Business Account. TikTok for Business describes it as your free Business Account, and you change account type from your settings in the app.

Three things change when you switch: the music you can use, the tools you see, and what you can show on your profile and attach to posts. TikTok for Business, the ads side, and TikTok Shop, the selling side, are separate accounts covered further down.

TikTok business account vs personal account

TikTok's Business Help Center sorts every account into three access levels: General TikTok Account, TikTok Account with Advanced Access, or Verified Business Account. Personal accounts, which TikTok calls General TikTok Accounts, sit on the first level. Linking one to a TikTok for Business account moves it to the middle level, and business verification moves it to the top. The Business Suite, TikTok's web and mobile hub for business tools, is open only to a TikTok Account with Advanced Access or a Verified Business Account.

Business verification is different from the blue-checkmark profile indication, which TikTok reserves for high-profile accounts such as celebrities and major brands. A verified business gets a Verified badge in the Business Suite instead, inside the TikTok app.

Commercial music on a business account

A personal account can use the general music library and Commercial Music Library (CML). A business account loses the general library, because those songs aren't cleared for commercial use and are restricted to personal entertainment use only.

What a business account keeps is the Commercial Music Library: a pre-cleared library of 1 million songs, free for businesses to use. Brands can use it without obtaining licenses on their own. TikTok's licensing rule for brands is plain: businesses cannot use the general music library for commercial usage.

For sounds outside the library, such as another user's original sound, TikTok's advice is to consult your legal team to ensure you have obtained a proper license.

The music rule reaches paid posts too. A post you boost with Promote must use original sound or sounds that can be used for commercial purposes, so a post set to a song from the general library does not meet the rule. If you plan to promote a post later, pick its sound from the Commercial Music Library when you make it.

Creating a TikTok business account: how to switch

The switch happens in the TikTok app and runs through business verification. TikTok has moved the option before, so older guides may name a different menu.

1. Open the settings

   In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom, then the Menu button at the top, and select Settings and privacy.

2. Tap Account, then Business verification

   Tap Account, then Business verification, and follow the steps to switch your account type. TikTok for Business's own sign-up page names a different route: Manage account and select Switch to Business Account. If your app shows that menu instead, use it.

3. Add basic business details

   Agree to the terms, then select your business's country or region. Phone, website and industry are optional at this step.

4. Verify the business

   Business verification is for users aged 18+. You need a valid business license that matches the region where the business operates, and additional documents may be required depending on your country. Upload the document, enter your Legal business name and Business license ID exactly as they appear on it, then confirm your identity by SMS or Voice Call.

5. Wait for the review

   Review typically takes 1-5 business days. Once it is approved, your company name and category details will be added to your Business Profile. You can also verify through the Web Business Suite, Mobile Business Suite, or by linking your account to a verified Business Center.

6. Fill in the profile and post

   Verified Business Accounts can post a website link on their profile. Business information can include your business address, email, or phone number. Post publicly before you look for numbers: analytics need at least one public post.

Verification, switching back and keeping the account

Verification unlocks the top level of business tools. TikTok's Business Help Center says business verification is optional, so an account can stay General, and that TikTok accounts of all types and sizes can apply. It is offered in the United States of America, among other markets.

Some uses depend on verification. Only Verified Business Accounts are eligible to post content featuring regulated goods and services, and only in approved industries and countries.

Switching back costs you the verification. TikTok advises against moving between a business and a personal account, because your verification won’t be saved and you would need to verify the business again.

A business account can also lose its tools. If TikTok asks an existing business account to verify and it does not, the account may automatically be converted into a General TikTok Account. If a manually verified account loses its status over Community Guidelines violations, it enters a 30-day trial period during which it must have 0 violations to be re-verified.

TikTok for Business account: the ads side

TikTok for Business is TikTok's site for advertisers, and a TikTok for Business account is the login for Ads Manager. It is a separate account from the account type in the app. On its signup page you can choose Sign up with TikTok, and from then on you use your TikTok login credentials to reach TikTok for Business. You can't use an Organization Account to sign up.

Linking the two also moves your app account to Advanced Access, with the automatic messages, link tools and post scheduler from the table above.

Ads Manager asks for your Legal business name to verify the business for legal and billing purposes, and most account reviews take less than 24 hours. Daily budgets have floors: at campaign level the budget must exceed $50, and at ad group level it must exceed $20.

Promote is the lighter option inside the app. To use it you must be at least 18 years old and be a creator or have a Business Account. You can only promote content that is public, and Promote is not available for Story. The total cost depends on the duration and budget you set.

When a TikTok Shop seller account is the right account instead

Buying inside TikTok, from videos, LIVE or the Shop Tab, runs through TikTok Shop, so a seller needs a TikTok Shop seller account, opened in Seller Center, on top of the TikTok account. TikTok Shop has no setup fee and charges a referral fee of 6% per order in most categories.

You can sign up using your TikTok account. A US individual seller must be at least 18 years old and reside in the USA, and gives details such as the Social Security Number (SSN, last 4 digits), or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if they have no SSN.

Linking is where the two accounts meet. A shop can link one official account and at most 4 marketing accounts. A TikTok account will automatically be upgraded to Business Account once the link is made, so you do not have to switch it yourself first. The account needs to pass identity verification before it can link, and linking your official account creates a dedicated Store Page on your profile. The follower minimum for posting product-linked content from these accounts is 0.

Without a linked account, the shop is limited to only the Shop Tab sales channel, with no selling through videos or LIVE. An official account can only be linked to a single TikTok Shop at any one time, and you can unlink only 24 hours after the initial linking.

Seller Center is also where a team gets a shared account. TikTok says you can only create an Organization Account from certain business platforms, such as the TikTok Shop Seller Center, and that this account type isn't available everywhere. With one, a brand can create accounts and maintain them with multiple people at a time.

Which TikTok account to open

Pick by what you need to do on TikTok.

• You post as yourself or as a creator: keep the personal account. It keeps the general music library, and Promote is open to you if you are a creator or have a Business Account.
• You market a product or service and want the Business Suite, lead tools and business details on your profile: switch to a business account.
• You want ads with your own targeting and budget: open a TikTok for Business account and link your TikTok account.
• You want buyers to check out inside TikTok: open a TikTok Shop seller account and link your TikTok account, which will then automatically be upgraded to Business Account.
• You post both personal and business content: TikTok recommends using two separate accounts.

Where Nation fits

Questions about TikTok business accounts