Accounting software for self-employed business owners and sole traders

You don’t have to be a finance or bookkeeping pro to use Sage Accounting. Our easy-to-use cloud software is perfect for freelancers, contractors and sole traders because it makes managing your finances simple, from sending and creating invoices, to reviewing cash flow and reducing admin. Use Sage Accounting to :

• Quickly raise quotes and invoices to get paid faster
• Control cash flow with accurate forecasting
• Create a digital paper trail and file VAT returns to stay compliant
• Record expenses on the go with AutoEntry to snap and capture receipts
• Give bookkeepers and accountants permission to review finances and collaborate with you in real-time
• Pay employees on time, every time with Sage Payroll
• Manage finances from anywhere with our mobile app

Yes, you can set up Sage Accounting to apply the correct VAT rate to your services. Then, you can submit an accurate VAT return to HMRC as often as required.

Sage Accounting software is useful for recording income and expenses quickly, a plus for sole proprietors, contractors and freelancers on the go. For example, if you travel to meet a client, you can snap and capture a fuel receipt into Sage Accounting. You can also sync it with your bank account using bank feeds. Before a self-assessment deadline, you can then hand over all of this information to your accountant, who can submit a self-assessment return on your behalf.

You can collaborate securely with your accountant online from anywhere on a return. Sage Accounting software is trusted by thousands of accountants around the UK. We work directly with accountants to ensure our software is always up to date.

Yes, simply save your Excel file as a .CSV file. You can then upload it into Sage Accounting and match up your bank accounts and transactions. To correctly format your Excel file for different actions inside of Sage Accounting, for example VAT rates, our help resource will provide more information: https://help.accounting.sage.com/en-gb/accounting/importing/extra-quick-entry-import.html

There are plenty of ways you can save time with Sage Accounting. Here are some examples:

Automate manual tasks

By automating tasks, you can cut down the amount of time you spend on manual data entry to save money and focus on the areas of the business that need the most attention.

• Set up recurring invoices to avoid starting from scratch each time
• Add invoices in bulk to save time
• Get Google Drive integration to get automatic copies of invoices and quotes online
• Connect your bank and let transactions flow into Sage Accounting for easy reconciliation
• Make sure that you’ve always got the right amount of stock - quickly view your inventory and create reorder levels and quantities
• Get inventory reports to see stock information in seconds

Purchase Automation and AutoEntry

Spend less time on admin and more time on your work with a paperless way to manage receipts. Simply snap, scan or email a photo of your receipts, bank transactions, invoices or other documents for your Sage accounts using Purchase Automation and AutoEntry. Then categorise, publish and share them with your accountant through Sage Accounting. AutoEntry captures tax summaries and full line item details including description, quantity and unit price so it’s an easy way to log the information you need, when you need it.

Other ways to save time:

• Use dashboards to view your financial data instantly
• Use real-time data to collaborate faster with accountants or bookkeepers
• Create and send invoices, easily follow up with clients on outstanding invoices and track the health of your business in real-time from anywhere with the mobile app
• See a live running total of your tax liabilities, plan ahead and submit to HMRC
• View cash flow forecasts in real-time to make faster business decisions