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SimpleERP for Kenya

Simple ERP for small businesses in Kenya

Invoices with VAT worked out, stock, books, payroll and your team in one login, set up for Kenya from the first screen.

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In short

SimpleERP is simple ERP software for small businesses in Kenya. Choose Kenya at sign-up and it sets up VAT, your KRA PIN, KES, a January financial year and local payroll components.

Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with VAT 16% and the amount in words.

What you get on day one

Pick Kenya when you create the business. Everything below is seeded for you and editable in Settings.

  • VAT rates seeded. VAT 16%, VAT 0% (zero-rated) and Exempt, with VAT 16% as the default.
  • Tax Invoice with your KRA PIN. The KRA PIN is checked for format when you enter it and printed on every invoice.
  • KES amounts, DD/MM/YYYY dates. A total prints as KSh 1,250,000.00, in words as shillings and cents.
  • A January to December financial year. Numbering runs per year: the first invoice is INV-2026-0001.
  • Payroll components ready. Basic salary, House allowance, Bonus, PAYE, NSSF (employee, up to the UEL), SHIF, Housing levy (employee), NSSF (employer, up to the UEL) and Housing levy (employer).
  • Phones with +254. Customer, supplier and employee numbers take the +254 format; you and your team sign in with your email.

VAT

VAT on every line, worked out as you type

Each product carries its VAT rate. Pick the customer, type the item, press Enter: VAT, totals and the amount in words fill in as you go.

  • Output and input VAT posted to their own accounts
  • A tax summary by rate for whoever files your returns
  • Credit notes reverse the tax with the sale

Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.

VAT in Kenya

VAT in Kenya: what you need to know

The rules the product is set up around, in plain words. Your accountant confirms what applies to you. Sources: KRA: value added tax, KRA: what is eTIMS, KRA: validation of income and expenses.

  • Registration. You must register for VAT once taxable supplies reach KES 5 million in 12 months. Below that, KRA can register you voluntarily.
  • Rates. 16% on taxable goods and services. Supplies in the Second Schedule to the VAT Act are zero-rated, and some are exempt. The 8% rate on petroleum products ended with the Finance Act 2023.
  • Returns. VAT returns and payment are due on iTax by the 20th of the following month.
  • eTIMS. Every tax invoice must be generated through KRA's eTIMS. VAT-registered businesses must be on it, businesses outside VAT issue eTIMS invoices too, and expenses without one are not deductible for income tax.
  • Validation. From 1 January 2026 (returns for the 2025 year of income onwards), KRA checks the income and expenses you declare against eTIMS, withholding and customs data.

Price

Priced in KES

Every module is free for 7 days with no card. Premium is then KSh 6,500 per user per month, the fixed equivalent of USD 50, counted on the people who sign in.

Books

Books that keep themselves

Every invoice, bill and payment posts its own journal in KES. Profit and loss, the balance sheet and the VAT summary are ready any day of the January to December year.

Payroll

Payroll set up for Kenya

Salary components for Kenya are seeded when you create the business. Runs build each payslip from the structure and post salary expense and payables when you approve.

  • Basic salary, House allowance, Bonus and PAYE ready to use
  • NSSF seeded at 6% from the employee and 6% from the employer, up to the upper earnings limit
  • SHIF at 2.75% of gross pay, from the employee only
  • Affordable Housing Levy at 1.5% from the employee and 1.5% from the employer
  • Attendance and leave feed paid days
  • Payslips in employee self-service

Illustration of a payslip with Basic salary, House allowance, Bonus and net pay of KSh 56,992.

Honest limits

Honest limits

  • Filing VAT returns or submitting e-invoices to a government system
  • Statutory payroll tax tables: you enter the deduction amounts
  • Prices that include tax: product prices are entered before tax
  • Invoices in a second currency: one currency per business
  • Issuing or transmitting invoices through KRA eTIMS
  • An M-Pesa connection: record M-Pesa payments by hand
  • PAYE returns on iTax

Getting started

Start in three steps

  1. Sign up

    Your name, your email and a password. No card.

  2. Tell us about the business

    Business name, county and your KRA PIN if you are registered.

  3. Send your first invoice

    Add a customer and a product, then bill. The tax invoice is ready to print or share.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Do I need to be registered for VAT to use SimpleERP?

No. Setup asks whether you are registered. You must register for VAT once taxable supplies reach KES 5 million in 12 months. Below that you can apply to register voluntarily. If that changes, switch it in Settings; your KRA PIN prints on every invoice once you add it.

What does a SimpleERP tax invoice show?

Your business name and address, your KRA PIN, the customer, a number from a sequence that never repeats, the date, each line with its VAT rate, the tax by rate and the amount in words. Your accountant can confirm what your business must show.

How much does SimpleERP cost in Kenya?

Every module is free for 7 days with no card. After that Premium is KSh 6,500 per user per month (KSh 78,000 per user per year), the fixed equivalent of USD 50, counted on the people who sign in. See pricing.

Does SimpleERP file my VAT returns?

No. It keeps the records and gives you a tax summary by rate and the sales and purchase registers, all exportable to CSV, for whoever files your returns.

Does SimpleERP send invoices to eTIMS?

No. SimpleERP is not connected to KRA's eTIMS, so your invoices still need to be issued through eTIMS (the eTIMS portal, eTIMS Lite or a certified system). Use SimpleERP for stock, books and payroll, and record the eTIMS invoice number in the invoice notes.

How do I record M-Pesa payments?

Record a receipt with the bank transfer method against the M-Pesa till or paybill account you add as a bank account, and the customer's balance and your books update. There is no automatic M-Pesa feed.

Where is my data stored?

In a PostgreSQL database on the hosted service, where row-level security keeps each business to its own rows. Ask us where the service is hosted and how it is backed up, and export your reports to CSV whenever you like.

Related

Run your business in Kenya from one simple place.

Seven days free. No card. Then KSh 6,500 per user per month.

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