Freelancers and consultants
Accounting software for freelancers and consultants
Know what the practice earned after costs, what each client still owes, and how much withheld tax is waiting to be claimed back, without keeping a second spreadsheet for your accountant.
In short
SimpleERP is accounting software for freelancers and consultants. Invoices, receipts and expenses post their own double-entry journals, tax withheld by clients moves to a receivable account, and the P&L and trial balance are ready on any date.
Illustration: saving invoice INV-2026-0213 moves stock, posts the customer ledger, records tax and updates the dashboard in one step.
An accounting day at Maya Lindqvist Studio
It is the middle of December at Maya Lindqvist Studio, and her accountant has asked for three things before the next tax date: the profit so far this year, the tax a client abroad withheld from her fees, and the tax on her software subscription bills.
Last year that meant a weekend with bank statements, a folder of PDF receipts and a spreadsheet where a Manila client's payment never quite matched the invoice. This year every invoice, receipt and expense has already posted to the ledger, and the gap in the Manila payment is the tax the client withheld under its local rules.
Which ledger accounts does a one-person practice actually use?
Far fewer than a trading company. SimpleERP seeds a full chart of accounts at sign-up, but a freelancer lives in about ten of them, and most are filled by documents rather than by hand.
| Account | What goes in | Posted by |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts receivable | What each client owes | Invoices and receipts |
| Sales of services | Fees for design, development, workshops | Invoices |
| Output tax | Tax you charged | Invoices |
| Tax to reclaim | Tax on software, travel and the co-working desk | Expenses and bills |
| Tax receivable | Tax clients withheld from your fees | A journal per receipt |
| Software subscriptions, travel, rent | Running costs of the practice | Expenses |
| Bank | Every dollar in and out | Receipts, expenses, payments |
How do I record a payment that came in short because of withholding?
The Manila workshop invoice was $9,000, zero-rated as an export of services. The client withheld $900 under its local rules and paid $8,100. Record $8,100 as the receipt, then a journal debiting tax receivable and crediting the Manila client by $900. The client's balance is now nil, and the $900 waits for the client's certificate.
- The rate and base are the client's call under its own rules; this is an illustration, so confirm with your accountant.
- The journal names the client, so their statement shows the invoice, the receipt and the withholding together.
- One tax receivable ledger lists every withholding for the year in date order.
What should I check at the end of each month?
Ten minutes is usually enough for a practice this size, because nothing waits to be posted.
- Receivables ageing: which milestone or retainer is past due, and by how many days.
- Tax summary of tax charged and tax to reclaim, exported for whoever files your returns.
- Bank register against the bank statement, ticking each line off by hand.
- Lock date set to the month just closed, so nothing changes behind you.
Illustration of a profit and loss statement for Jan–Jun 2026 with net profit of 4,691, a tax summary and the lock date.
Can my accountant work in my books without me sending files?
Yes. Send your accountant an invitation with the Accountant role, by email, and they see journals, bank registers, the tax summary and statements. They can post adjustment entries and export any report to CSV, and your invoices stay exactly as you sent them.
- Every journal links to its document, so a question about an entry is answered by a click.
- Reversals, not deletions: a wrong entry is reversed and both stay on record.
- P&L for the year to date is ready for a provisional tax estimate.
One system
What it connects to
Invoices, receipts, expenses and payroll each write their own journal, so the ledger is current without a separate bookkeeping step.
Freelancers and consultants
Tax invoices, advances and milestones, tax withheld by clients and expenses for one-person practices.
See howPayroll for small consultancies
For the freelancer who has hired one to three people: salary structures, deductions, attendance on the phone and salaries posted to the books.
See howInventory for freelancers
Most freelancers can skip stock. For the few who sell workshop kits, printed workbooks or merchandise, a count per shelf at average cost.
See howAccounting
A double-entry ledger with journals, bank registers, statements and a lock date.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- No bank feeds: bank entries are recorded and reconciled by hand
- No multi-currency; every document is in your base currency
- Tax returns are not filed and e-invoices are not issued from inside the product
- No withholding tax computation or certificate import; withheld tax is posted with a journal and matched by you or your accountant
- No income tax or provisional tax calculation for the owner
Getting started
Start with accounting
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Enter opening balances
Enter what each client owed you, your bank balance and any tax receivable already due on the day you start, then post from there.
Run the trial balance
Every posted document is already in the ledger; the trial balance and P&L are ready on any date.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Should I use a separate bank account for the practice?
It makes the books far simpler, and most accountants recommend it. Add that account as your bank in SimpleERP; personal spending then stays out of the ledger, and money you take out for yourself goes to a drawings account.
Does SimpleERP work out my income tax?
No. It gives you the P&L for the year to date, which is the starting point, but the tax calculation stays with you or your accountant.
A client withheld tax on the whole invoice, tax included. What do I do?
Record what actually reached your bank and post the withheld amount to tax receivable, as you would for any short payment. Then ask the client to check their deduction, since withholding is usually worked out on the fee before any sales tax.
I am moving from spreadsheets in the middle of the year. Where do I start?
Start on the first day of a month. Enter opening balances for clients who owe you, your bank and any tax receivable to date, add your services, and raise every invoice from that day in SimpleERP.
Related
Keep reading
Freelancers and consultants
Tax invoices, advances and milestones, tax withheld by clients and expenses for one-person practices.
Read moreInventory for freelancers
Most freelancers can skip stock. For the few who sell workshop kits, printed workbooks or merchandise, a count per shelf at average cost.
Read morePayroll for small consultancies
For the freelancer who has hired one to three people: salary structures, deductions, attendance on the phone and salaries posted to the books.
Read more
See how accounting works in SimpleERP for freelancers and consultants
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.