If you run a business as a sole proprietor or an independent contractor, have a business partnership, or do business for yourself, QuickBooks Self-Employed may be a great match for you. Quickbooks Self-Employed automatically imports transactions and tracks mileage, exports your Schedule C, and helps you maximize deductions at tax time.
You can track and organize business income and expenses, enter data quickly, track business mileage, run reports, and calculate quarterly tax payments. You can also send data to TurboTax Self-Employed for fast filing at year’s end. You’re covered in so many ways.
You can access your accounts through QuickBooks Self-Employed from both a web browser or mobile app, syncing data easily from both places, though on-the-go tasks make the most sense for the mobile app, such as tracking mileage. Learn more in our comprehensive Quickbooks Self Employed review.
When to Use/When to Use Something Else
- When you’re a sole proprietor or running your own business
- When you don’t mind not having access to advanced features
- When seeking affordable pricing
- When looking for tax tools specifically for freelancers or sole proprietors
- When looking for simplicity
- When you have employees
- When looking for advanced features, like project tracking
- When you want to scale your business
- When you’re looking for more customization
| Price | The Quickbooks Self Employed price is $10 per month for basic bookkeeping tools, $15 per month for the tax bundle, and $20 for the self-employed live tax bundle. |
| Maximum number of users | One company per subscription |
| Ease of sharing with accountants | You can invite an accountant to collaborate with you for free and can work in your account. You can delete access anytime. |
| Scalability | You could move to the live tax bundle of QuickBooks or another version of QuickBooks, such as the Essentials, Plus, or Advanced versions |
| Ease of use | Yes, especially after you learn how to do expense tracking. |
QuickBooks Self-Employed Pricing and Features
What’s the Quickbooks Self Employed cost? Is Quickbooks Self-Employed free? QuickBooks Self-Employed pricing and features include the following, with the Self-Employed bundle, Self-Employed Tax Bundle, and Self-Employed Live Tax Bundle:
- Self-Employed: The Self-Employed bundle has basic bookkeeping tools and costs $10 per month and allows you to separate business and personal expenses, maximize your Schedule C deductions, calculate quarterly estimated taxes automatically, and automatic mileage tracking. (Learn more about mileage tracking with the IRS to ensure you’re remaining compliant.)
- Self-Employed Tax Bundle: The Self-Employed Tax Bundle with Intuit TurboTax costs $15 per month. It does everything the Self-Employed bundle does, plus it allows you to pay quarterly estimated taxes from QuickBooks and transfer information to TurboTax, and one state and one federal tax return filing.
- Self-Employed Live Tax Bundle: This bundle, which costs $20 per month, does the same things as the Self-Employed and Self-Employed Tax bundles. However, it allows you to talk to a real CPA if and when you need to, give you unlimited help and advice all year, and allows a CPA to review your final tax return.
QuickBooks Self-Employed Advantages & Disadvantages
Is QuickBooks Self Employed worth it? QuickBooks Self-Employed has both advantages and disadvantages (don’t forget to consider QuickBooks Self employed pricing!), and it’s also worthwhile to pay attention to what other users have said about the pros and cons of using self employment QuickBooks.
pros
- Easy to use
- Faster and easier to submit and simplify taxes
- Categorizes expenses that align with Schedule C
cons
- Not scalable for organizations; built for smaller companies
- No advanced features, like project tracking or inventory management
QuickBooks Self-Employed Customer Service
There are several ways you can get in touch with customer service. You can click on Help (?) and select “Contact Us.” If using the app, tap the “plus” button and click “Ask QB Assistant.” Enter “talk to a human” and hit “continue.” You can choose how you want to connect. Have QuickBooks call you, begin a conversation with a support expert, or ask the QuickBooks community a question. You can look for responses from others.
The QB Assistant, a bot, can also answer questions and troubleshoot if you want immediate assistance. Go to “assistant” on your browser. If you use the app, tap the “plus” button and choose “ask QB Assistant.”
The customer support number is 1-800-4INTUIT (1-800-446-8848), and live support is available Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Time.
QuickBooks Self-Employed Integrations
Quickbooks Self-Employed online provides app integration with business apps like PayPal, Gusto, and Square. You can look for other Intuit products such as QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Payments, and TurboTax. They could offer a Quickbooks Self-Employed alternative.
Learn more about QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks alternatives, and QuickBooks for Mac on Sifter to learn more about your other QuickBooks options. Review each of these to ensure you’ve chosen the right QuickBooks product for your business.
Is QuickBooks Self-Employed Worth It? The Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a specific set of tasks to check off your to-do list, QuickBooks Self-Employed might appeal to you. However, this is as long as it’s on a small scale.
You can sort, track, and categorize transactions. Connecting your accounts allows you to have a birds-eye view of everything in one place. You can track and categorize expenses, log mileage and calculate deductions, send, create and track invoices. You can also produce business reports, like mileage log, profit/loss, receipts, and tax information.
If you’re a small proprietor, it might be an ideal opportunity for easy-to-track information, especially if you need to manage costs through the Quickbook Self Employed cost.
FAQs
Is QuickBooks Online good for self-employed?
Yes, QuickBooks Online is good for self-employed business owners, but they hit on different purposes. QuickBooks Online works best for those with employees and inventory, while Quickbooks Self-Employed works best for those solopreneurs that want to keep track of their businesses in specific ways.
