Accounting software for freelancers who bill their own clients
Invoice clients, claim every expense you are entitled to, and know the profit figure behind your provisional tax estimate before the deadline arrives. R149 a month.
No card required. Solo plan from R149/month.
What catches freelancers out
Nobody withholds tax on your behalf and nobody chases your invoices. Both are now your job.
Provisional tax arriving as a shock
As a sole proprietor you pay provisional tax twice a year on income nobody withheld PAYE from. LEDGA keeps your income and deductible expenses current, so the profit figure behind your IRP6 estimate is available whenever you need it.
Deductions you forgot to claim
Data, software subscriptions, a portion of your home office, travel to clients. If those are not captured they are not deducted, and you pay tax on money you already spent earning the income.
Business and personal money in one account
Capture only what belongs to the business and categorise it as you go. Your profit figure then means something instead of being tangled up with groceries.
What you get
Everything below is on the Solo plan at R149 a month, apart from the invoice volume and multi-currency limits noted.
Client invoicing that looks professional
Send properly formatted invoices with sequential numbering and, if you are registered, correct VAT. Email them straight from LEDGA or download the PDF.
Expense capture with the receipt attached
Record an expense and keep the supporting document with it. SARS expects you to be able to substantiate a deduction, and a photo attached to the entry is far better than a faded slip.
Profit you can actually see
Income minus deductible expenses, calculated off live data. This is the number your provisional tax estimate is built on and the number that tells you whether your rates work.
A SARS deadline calendar
Provisional tax and other filing dates in one place, so a due date does not pass while you are heads-down on client work.
Who still owes you
Freelance cash flow lives and dies on late payers. Debtor ageing shows exactly which invoices are overdue and by how long, and you can send a reminder from the invoice.
Priced for one person
The Solo plan is R149 a month and covers 5 invoices a month with bank import and VAT returns included. If you invoice more clients than that, Growth at R299 covers 20.
A freelance admin routine that survives a busy month
Three habits. None of them takes longer than a few minutes.
Invoice the client
Raise the invoice when the work is done rather than at month end. It starts ageing immediately so you know when it is late.
Capture the expense the same week
Photograph or record it while you still remember what it was for. Categorise it so it lands in the right place on your profit figure.
Check before each provisional deadline
Review your profit for the period, then use it to prepare your IRP6 estimate on eFiling or hand it to your tax practitioner.
Common questions
Do freelancers in South Africa have to pay provisional tax?
If you earn income that has not had PAYE deducted, such as freelance or contract fees, you generally fall into the provisional taxpayer system and submit an IRP6 twice a year. There are thresholds and exclusions, so confirm your own position with SARS or a tax practitioner.
Does LEDGA submit my IRP6 for me?
No. LEDGA gives you the income and expense figures your estimate is based on, and you submit through SARS eFiling or via your tax practitioner. It is not a substitute for tax advice.
Which plan suits a freelancer?
Solo at R149 per month is built for one person and includes 5 invoices a month, bank statement import, and VAT returns. If you send more than 5 invoices a month, Growth at R299 raises that to 20 and adds a customer portal.
Do I need to be VAT registered as a freelancer?
Only once your taxable turnover exceeds the SARS registration threshold, which most individual freelancers do not reach. You can use LEDGA without VAT and switch it on later if you do register.
Can I invoice overseas clients in foreign currency?
Multi-currency invoicing is on the Professional plan at R699 per month. On Solo and Growth you invoice in rands, so if most of your clients pay in dollars or euros you will want to look at Professional.
What can I actually deduct?
Broadly, expenses incurred in producing your income, which for freelancers often includes software, data and connectivity, professional fees, equipment, and in some cases a portion of home office costs. The rules on home office in particular are specific, so check with a practitioner before claiming.
Worth reading next: deductions South African small businesses miss and what belongs on your invoices.
Spend less of your weekend on admin
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