Get started with 30 days free on Sage Accounting
search icon

Save time to focus on your business

Accounting software for self-employed business owners and sole traders

You've put your big ideas into action, now you need to stay in control of your finances. Get paid faster and manage your money with Sage Accounting software.

Get business moving with quick quotes

Start seeing money coming into your business.

  • Create quotes with ease
  • Convert quotes quickly into personalised invoices
  • Use our mobile app to send your invoices from anywhere, any time.

Organise your accounts with ease

Connect your bank to Sage Accounting for self-employed freelancers and sole traders with ease.

  • Import transactions automatically
  • Save time inputting data
  • View your accounts in real time

Plans to support you and your business

- Get Accounting and start your 30-day free trial

Get full access to your product, and upgrade or cancel at any time. No long-term contracts, commitments or hidden fees.
Monthly
Annual
Accounting

Start

R2 400 incl. VAT per year

Ideal for sole traders, freelancers, and micro businesses.

  • Create invoices in seconds
  • Track what you're owed
  • Work from anywhere
  • Get started quickly and easily
  • Supports 1 user
Accounting

Standard

R4 440 incl. VAT per year

Ideal for sole traders, freelancers, and growing businesses.

Supports all features of Accounting Start plus optional add-ons:

  • Take care of bookkeeping
  • Calculate VAT returns
  • Add up to 5 users
  • Our base package includes 2 Users and 1 Company
  • Add additional users for R65/month
  • Add additional companies for R345/month
  • Add Inventory for R355/month
  • Add Debtors Manager for R250/month
  • Add Time Tracking for R140/month
  • Take payments with multiple currencies for R140/month
  • Storage (1GB) for R15/month
  • Collaborate with your accountant (optional)
Accounting Standard PLUS Payroll

Bundle

Only purchased on annual subscription
R4 150 incl. VAT per year

Enjoy all the standard features of Accounting with the additional benefits of Payroll (for start-ups and small businesses).

  • Run monthly, fortnightly and weekly pay cycles
  • Get pre-defined legislative and payroll reports
  • Email payslips
  • Provide UIF declaration
  • Take care of leave management
  • Make ACB payments
  • Get real-time calculations
  • Connect with Sage Accounting
  • Add additional companies for R4,140/year
  • Add additional users for R780/year
  • Time Tracking included on Option 3
  • Multi Currency included on Option 3
  • Add Advanced Inventory for R4,260/year
  • Add Debtors Manager for R3,000/year
  • Storage (1GB) for R180/year

**We want you to be fully happy with our software and try it without worry. If you purchase the software but decide it isn't a right fit for your business, let us know within 30 days and we'll give you a full refund.

Sole trader accounting software FAQs

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 calculate and create VAT returns that can be uploaded to SARS 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 calculate and create accurate VAT returns 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 on a return with your accountant online from anywhere. Sage Accounting software is trusted by thousands of accountants around South Africa. 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 you with more information.

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

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 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 instantly view your financial data
  • 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 cellphone app
  • See a live running total of your tax liabilities, plan ahead and submit to SARS
  • View cash flow forecasts in real-time to make faster business decisions

Sage Marketplace

Get added functionality with our partner apps that integrate directly with Sage Accounting, giving you more time to focus on your business.

See what our self-employed customers have to say

“Now that I've done it, I can't believe how smooth and straightforward Sage Accounting is, and how much more I can achieve with it.”

Jane Turley
Founder, Atlas Bookkeeping and Consultancy

“The client clicks on the button in the invoice and makes the payment – now that’s it taken care of.”

Bruce Coates
Transvercia Chauffeur Drive

“Sage Accounting means you don't have to spend any time on accounting. You don't need to worry about it. It's just happening for you. So I can focus on delivering a great customer experience and service to my customers.”

Janice B. Gordon
Owner, Scale your Sales

Sage Advice for self-employed business owners

Sage Advice

Get the most out of your accounting software with articles, guides and expert tips, so you can focus on running your business.

Creating a thriving business ecosystem

Creating a thriving business ecosystem

Create a thriving business ecosystem and move to a cleaner, greener future says Tim Smit, Executive Vice-Chair & Co-founder of the Eden Project.

Read More
Read More
10 Ways to boost monthly and annual recurring revenue with AI and ML

10 Ways to boost monthly and annual recurring revenue with AI and ML

Maximise your business revenue with AI and ML. Discover 10 proven ways to boost your monthly and annual recurring revenue.

Read More
Read More
Collaborating to drive sustainable change

Collaborating to drive sustainable change

Ready to start your business' sustainability journey? Head of Sustainability at Interface, Jon Khoo, explains how to collaborate and drive sustainable change.

Read More
Read More
How to understand and prepare for cyber security threats to your small business 

How to understand and prepare for cyber security threats to your small business 

Keeping your business safe from cyber security threats is important, so discover what you can do to make that happen.

Read More
Read More
How to understand and reduce the carbon footprint of your business

How to understand and reduce the carbon footprint of your business

Want to know how to reduce the carbon footprint of your business? Professor and Author, Mike Berners-Lee, gives his how-to tips.

Read More
Read More
When to hire an accountant and reclaim your passion 

When to hire an accountant and reclaim your passion 

Find out everything you need to know about hiring an accountant so you can make an informed decision when seeking support.

Read More
Read More
How we built a sustainable, mission-led business​

How we built a sustainable, mission-led business​

Find out how Paula Quazi, Co-founder of smol, built a sustainable, mission led business to make a difference and how you can too.

Read More
Read More
Why doing good is good for business​

Why doing good is good for business​

Hairstylist and founder, Joshua Coombes, explains why all businesses should give their time to do good and give back to the community.

Read More
Read More

World-class Easy Cloud Accounting

Complete the form below to start your free trial.

Are you a student? Click here to sign up for the educational version.

Give Feedback