Sage Sole Trader

Free plan for non-VAT registered sole traders, or £7/month (currently 90% off for 6 months) for unlimited invoicing and more.

Visit Sage Sole Trader

At a glance

Sage Sole Trader is accounting software built specifically for non-VAT registered sole traders and freelancers, with a genuine free plan and MTD for Income Tax built in from the start.

Free

£7/m

Paid Plan

Sole Trader Plan

This page contains affiliate links. If you sign up via a link on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What is Sage Sole Trader?

Sage is one of the most established names in UK accounting software, and Sage Sole Trader is their dedicated product for self-employed people who aren’t VAT registered. It was previously called Sage Individual before a 2025 rebrand, and it sits below the full Sage Accounting range - deliberately stripped back to the handful of things a sole trader actually needs, rather than a scaled-down version of business software built for VAT-registered companies.

It’s built specifically around Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which means digital record keeping and quarterly updates to HMRC are built into how the software works, not bolted on afterwards.

Key features

Connect your bank account and get transactions automatically categorised
Record and manage income and expenses in one place
Generate an Income Tax Self Assessment summary (SA103S) ready for your return
Create and send sales invoices, including by voice or text on mobile
Work directly with your accountant through shared, secure access
Free mobile app so you can manage things on the go

Pricing

Sage Sole Trader has two tiers aimed at sole traders, plus a third option if you’re VAT registered.

Free plan

The free plan is genuinely free, not a time-limited trial. It’s designed for non-VAT registered sole traders who want to get their records digital without paying anything. It includes:

25 auto-categorised transactions per month
1 connected bank account
Manual entry of receipts and invoices
Up to 5 sales invoices per month
Income Tax Self Assessment summary (SA103S)
Mobile app access

The 5-invoice cap is worth knowing about upfront - if you regularly send more than that in a month, you’ll hit the limit and need to either enter the rest manually or move to the paid plan.

Paid plan - currently 90% off for 6 months, then £7/month (excl. VAT)

The paid plan removes the caps and adds a few features that matter once your business has grown past the basics:

Unlimited auto-categorised transactions
Connect multiple bank accounts
Unlimited sales invoices
Snap and scan receipts using your phone camera, uploaded automatically
10GB of document storage
CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) calculation and management
Access to human webchat support and Sage’s community forum

At the standard £7/month rate, this is one of the cheapest paid accounting products from an established UK provider - and with the current 90% off offer, it works out at around 70p a month for the first six months. For most sole traders who’ve outgrown the free plan’s invoice cap or want multiple bank feeds, the paid plan pays for itself quickly.

This is a current promotional offer, not a permanent price - always check Sage’s pricing page for the latest terms before signing up.

If you’re VAT registered

Sage Sole Trader (both tiers) is built for non-VAT registered sole traders only. If you’re VAT registered, you’d need Sage’s Start plan instead, which includes VAT submission and starts from £20/month after its own introductory offer.

Is Sage Sole Trader MTD compatible?

Yes. Sage Sole Trader is HMRC-recognised and built around Making Tax Digital for Income Tax specifically - both the free and paid plans support digital record keeping and quarterly submissions. Neither plan supports MTD for VAT, since that’s not the audience this product is aimed at.

Pros and cons

Pros:

Free plan is a genuine free plan, not a disguised trial
Backed by an established UK company with 40+ years in accounting software
Paid plan is significantly cheaper than most full accounting packages
CIS support included on the paid plan at no extra cost
Built specifically for MTD for Income Tax, not adapted from business software

Cons:

Free plan’s 5 invoice a month cap will be too restrictive for anyone billing multiple clients regularly
No MTD for VAT support on either sole trader plan
Single user, single business only - not suitable if you run more than one business or need to add anyone else to the account
Newer to the sole trader market than some competitors, so fewer long-term user reviews to go on

Who is Sage Sole Trader best for?

Sage Sole Trader suits a non-VAT registered sole trader who wants straightforward digital record keeping and MTD compliance without paying for features they don’t need. If you send a handful of invoices a month and want to get ahead of Making Tax Digital cheaply, the free plan alone may cover you. If you need more than 5 invoices a month, multiple bank feeds, or work in construction and need CIS support, the paid plan at £7/month is worth the upgrade.

If you’re VAT registered, or you’re running more than one business, Sage Sole Trader isn’t the right fit - you’d be better looking at Sage’s own Start plan or a fuller package elsewhere in our Accounting and Bookkeeping directory.

Get Sage Sole Trader

Frequently asked questions

Is Sage Sole Trader really free, or is it a trial?

The free plan is permanently free with no time limit, though it has usage caps (25 auto-categorised transactions and 5 sales invoices per month). It’s not a trial that expires.

Can I use Sage Sole Trader if I’m VAT registered?

No. Sage Sole Trader is built for non-VAT registered sole traders only. VAT-registered businesses need Sage’s Start plan or another full accounting package.

Does Sage Sole Trader support Making Tax Digital?

Yes, for MTD for Income Tax specifically. It doesn’t support MTD for VAT on either the free or paid sole trader plan.

What happens if I go over the free plan’s invoice limit?

You can still record income manually, but you won’t be able to generate more than 5 sales invoices through the software that month unless you upgrade to the paid plan.

Is Sage Sole Trader the same as Sage Accounting?

No. Sage Accounting (previously Sage Business Cloud Accounting) is the fuller product aimed at VAT-registered small businesses, with plans from £20/month. Sage Sole Trader is the stripped-back product specifically for non-VAT registered self-employed people.

Compare accounting software for sole traders

Sage Sole Trader is one option among several worth comparing. Read our full Sage Sole Trader review for more detail, or browse the full Accounting and Bookkeeping directory to compare it against FreeAgent, Xero, QuickBooks and other options.

Prices and offers correct at time of publication. Always check the Sage website for current pricing and promotional terms before signing up.