How to Create a TikTok Ad Account: Two Paths, Step by Step

Accounts opened this way live inside TikTok Business Center: first you need a BC, then you create ad accounts under it. AdRate's onboarding center connects directly to TikTok's official API, so the BC and the ad account exist the moment you submit the form. Here is how it works.

Step 1: Sign up for AdRate and open the onboarding center

Register for AdRate with your email (the free plan is enough). After logging in, find Onboarding Center under TikTok Authorization in the left sidebar. The whole flow happens on that single page: pick an authorization, pick or create a BC, create the ad account. The three steps are stacked vertically and unlock one after another.

Step 2: Add a TikTok authorization with a brand-new TikTok for Business identity

Click Add Authorization and you will be taken to TikTok's authorization page. If you want the new advertiser ad credit, register a brand-new TikTok for Business account here instead of logging in with one that has already run ads. When authorization completes you are redirected back to the onboarding center with the new authorization pre-selected.

Step 3: Create a Business Center

In step two choose Create BC and fill in:

• BC name and company name
• Registered region: 25 countries and regions are currently supported, and picking one pre-fills the default timezone, currency, and phone country code
• Timezone and currency: the currency must match the registered region, and the ad account you create later is locked to the same currency
• Contact name, email, and phone: TikTok requires complete contact information on the BC, otherwise no ad account can be created under it
• Industry: pick a secondary industry from the cascading dropdown

The BC is created as soon as you submit and the onboarding center selects it automatically.

Step 4: Create the ad account under the BC

Click Create Ad Account and enter the account name, company name, industry, and registered area. Currency is locked to the BC's currency; timezone defaults to the BC's and can be changed. Contact details are carried over from the BC. The account is created immediately and appears in the onboarding records table.

Step 5: Add billing information so the account passes review

A newly created ad account starts in a "contract pending" state. Don't worry — that is not a rejection. TikTok requires billing information (an invoice address) on the BC before the account becomes active. In the onboarding center's records table you will see a "Set billing info" link next to every account under review. Click it to go straight to the TikTok settings page, fill in the state or province, city, street address, and postal code, and save. The account usually flips to Approved right away. You only do this once per BC; every account you open under it afterwards is active immediately.

Permissions for the new account take two to three minutes to reach AdRate, and the onboarding center's background worker refreshes review status automatically. From there you can top up and build campaigns directly inside AdRate.

The second path is a self-serve TikTok Ads Manager account. You don't need a BC or a business license; an email address or phone number is enough. It suits solo sellers and teams that want to start with a single account.

Step 1: Open the TikTok for Business signup page

Use the Sign up on TikTok button on this page to reach the TikTok for Business signup form. You can register with an email or phone number, or log in with an existing TikTok account. Again, to qualify for the new advertiser credit, sign up with an identity that has never run ads.

Step 2: Fill in your business details

After registering, TikTok asks for account information:

• Country or region and industry
• Business or store name (solo sellers can simply use their shop name)
• Contact phone and email
• Timezone and currency

Timezone and currency cannot be changed once set. Pick them for the market you will actually advertise in rather than accepting the defaults.

Step 3: Set up payment

Inside Ads Manager, go to Payment and choose a billing mode: automatic payment (charged after spend) or manual payment (top up first, then spend). Then add a credit card or another supported payment method and complete the billing address. The account is only ready to deliver ads once payment is set up.

Step 4: Create your first campaign

From the Ads Manager home page click Create, choose an objective, set a budget, upload creatives, and submit for review. Once ads start spending, everything spent within 30 days of signup counts toward the ad credit earning window.

Step 5: Authorize the account to AdRate (optional but recommended)

A self-serve account can be connected to AdRate with a one-click OAuth authorization on the TikTok Authorization page. Once authorized, automation rules, bulk copying, and GMV Max e-commerce automation all work exactly as they do for accounts opened through AdRate.

The ad credit is TikTok's official incentive for new advertisers: ad spend within 30 days of signup earns credit by tier — spend $200, get $200; spend $1,000, get $750; spend $4,000, get $3,000; spend $10,000, get $6,000. You receive the coupon for the highest tier you reach, so it is not all-or-nothing. The tiers are identical for accounts opened through AdRate's onboarding center and for self-serve signups.

Timing: accounts that hit the top tier receive their coupon within 1 to 3 business days; accounts that don't receive theirs the day after the 30-day window closes. Coupons are valid for one month after issuance, can only be used for delivery in TikTok Ads Manager, and cannot be withdrawn as cash.

These are the most common reasons people don't receive the coupon. Check each one before you open the account:

• The account has advertised in TikTok Ads Manager before: the incentive is only for advertisers who have never run ads
• Another account under the same TikTok for Business login or the same BC has already claimed a coupon: new accounts under it cannot claim again. Businesses that already have a BC should pay attention to this rule, and it is why we recommend registering a brand-new identity when you open the account
• The new account is highly similar to an existing account: TikTok runs similarity checks and may rule it ineligible
• One redemption per advertiser, and the account must be registered locally
• Risk-control holds: coupons can be suspended by risk control and appealed through TikTok support

One more thing that is easy to miss: if the promotion banner has disappeared from TikTok's page before you sign up, the program has ended or paused in your region and the new account will not receive credit. The tiers you can actually earn are whatever the Coupon Progress page inside your TikTok account shows.

Opening the account is the easy part; running it every day is where the time goes. AdRate's onboarding center is not a standalone signup tool, it is wired into the rest of the platform:

• Direct connection to TikTok: both the BC and the ad account are created through TikTok's official API and are live as soon as you submit
• Two-phase audit trail: every onboarding action is recorded in AdRate, so BC and account ownership stays traceable
• Automatic review polling: a background job refreshes each new account's review status, and approved, pending, and rejected states all show up in the records table with rejection reasons
• Connected on creation: the account syncs into your ad account list right away, ready for automation rules, bulk copying, and GMV Max e-commerce automation

The same applies to self-serve accounts: finish signup on TikTok, come back to AdRate, and complete a single OAuth authorization to bring the account into the same management layer. If you run several accounts, stores, or markets, the time saved by managing them from one dashboard instead of switching between TikTok back offices quickly outweighs the account creation itself.