Freelancers and consultants
Accounting software for freelancers and consultants in India
Know what the practice earned after costs, what each client still owes, and how much TDS is waiting to be claimed back, without keeping a second spreadsheet for your CA.
In short
SimpleERP is accounting software for freelancers and consultants in India. Invoices, receipts and expenses post their own double-entry journals, TDS deducted by clients moves to a TDS receivable account, and the P&L and trial balance are ready on any date.
Illustration: saving invoice INV-2026-27-0213 moves stock, posts the customer ledger, records CGST and SGST and updates the dashboard in one step.
An accounting day at Saanvi Mehta Studio
It is the middle of December at Saanvi Mehta Studio, and her CA has asked for three things before the advance tax date: the profit so far this year, the TDS her clients have deducted, and the input GST on her software subscription bills.
Last year that meant a weekend with bank statements, a folder of PDF receipts and a spreadsheet where the Pune 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 Pune payment is the TDS the client deducted under 194J.
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 CGST, SGST and IGST | GST you charged | Invoices |
| Input CGST, SGST and IGST | GST on software, travel and the co-working desk | Expenses and bills |
| TDS receivable | Tax clients deducted from your fees | A journal per receipt |
| Software subscriptions, travel, rent | Running costs of the practice | Expenses |
| Bank | Every rupee in and out | Receipts, expenses, payments |
How do I record a payment that came in short because of TDS?
The Pune workshop invoice was ₹1,06,200: a ₹90,000 fee plus ₹16,200 IGST. The client deducted ₹9,000 as TDS on the fee and paid ₹97,200. Record ₹97,200 as the receipt, then a journal debiting TDS receivable and crediting the Pune client by ₹9,000. The client's balance is now nil, and the ₹9,000 waits to be matched against Form 26AS.
- The rate and base are the client's call under the section they deduct under; this is an illustration, so confirm with your CA.
- The journal names the client, so their statement shows the invoice, the receipt and the TDS together.
- One TDS receivable ledger lists every deduction 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.
- GST summary of output and input tax, 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 April to September 2026 with net profit of ₹4,12,800, a GST summary and the lock date.
Can my CA work in my books without me sending files?
Yes. Send your CA an invitation with the Accountant role, by phone number or email, and they see journals, bank registers, the GST 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 the advance 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
SAC-coded GST invoices, advances and milestones, TDS deducted by clients and expenses for one-person practices.
See howGST billing for freelancers
Milestone and retainer invoices with SAC codes, IGST for clients in other states and advances applied to the right bill.
See howPayroll for small consultancies
For the freelancer who has hired one to three people: salary structures, professional tax, 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 rupees
- GST return filing and e-invoicing are not done inside the product
- No TDS computation or Form 26AS import; client TDS is posted with a journal and matched by you or your CA
- No income tax or advance tax calculation for the proprietor
Getting started
Start with accounting
Sign up with your phone
Name, phone number and a password. No card for the seven-day trial, and email is optional.
Tell us about the business
Type your GSTIN and the state fills itself. Accounts, GST rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for you.
Enter opening balances
Enter what each client owed you, your bank balance and any TDS 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 CAs 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 advance 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 CA.
A client deducted 10% TDS on the GST as well. What do I do?
Record what actually reached your bank and post the deducted amount to TDS receivable, as you would for any short payment. Then ask the client to check their deduction, since TDS is usually worked out on the fee before GST when GST is shown separately.
I am moving from Excel 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 TDS receivable to date, add your services, and raise every invoice from that day in SimpleERP.
Related
Keep reading
Freelancers and consultants
SAC-coded GST invoices, advances and milestones, TDS deducted by clients and expenses for one-person practices.
Read moreGST billing for freelancers
Milestone and retainer invoices with SAC codes, IGST for clients in other states and advances applied to the right bill.
Read morePayroll for small consultancies
For the freelancer who has hired one to three people: salary structures, professional tax, 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 GST invoice in minutes.