- Invoices, bills and bank feeds
- Day-to-day profit and VAT records
- Often a monthly subscription
- May offer a simple SA filing add-on
Home / vs Bookkeeping
Clear scope
Self Assessment vs bookkeeping software
Self Assessment Software is a tax-return desk — not Xero, FreeAgent or QuickBooks. No invoices or bank feeds. SA100 production and HMRC filing only.
In short
Bookkeeping tools (Xero, FreeAgent, QuickBooks) handle invoices, bank feeds and day-to-day accounts. Self Assessment Software prepares and files the year-end SA100 (and partnership SA800) to HMRC. Most people who trade keep both: bookkeeping for the year, this desk for the return. Prepare free — pay from £39 when you file.
Compare
Side by side
Same customer can need both products. They solve different jobs.
- SA100–SA110 and partnership SA800
- Combined tax calculation and SA302-style reports
- HMRC filing desk — pay per tax year or credits
- No invoices, bank feeds or VAT returns
Popular bookkeeping brands
vs FreeAgent, Xero and QuickBooks
Pick on the job you are buying today — not the brand name.
Strong sole-trader bookkeeping with invoicing and bank rules. Choose FreeAgent when day-to-day accounts are the job. Choose us when the SA100 itself — mixed income, calculation and filing — is the job.
Full ledger and bank feeds for growing businesses and practices. Keep Xero for books. Use Self Assessment Software for dedicated year-end SA production without buying a tax suite.
Bookkeeping and reporting, with Sole Trader tiers aimed at invoices and expenses. We do not replace that. We file the return when the year is closed.
Our job
What you get here
SA100 and supplementary pages, partnership SA800, combined calculation, reports and filing.
Draft with no card. Individuals pay per tax year from £39; practices buy filing credits.
No CT600, payroll, VAT returns or Companies House — so the price stays on Self Assessment.
Also out of scope
What else this desk does not do
Saying this clearly is how the price stays on Self Assessment. Buy the right product for the other jobs — then keep SA here.
No invoices, bank feeds or VAT. Keep FreeAgent, Xero or QuickBooks.
No CT600, iXBRL or Companies House. Use dedicated corporation tax software for that.
Crunch includes a human. This is software. You stay responsible for the figures.
Year-end Self Assessment is included. Quarterly ITSA is a later add-on.
FAQs
Scope — questions answered
Is Self Assessment Software bookkeeping software?
No. It does not create invoices, import bank feeds or lodge VAT returns. It is dedicated UK Self Assessment tax-return software for the SA100 family and partnership SA800, with calculation and HMRC filing.
Do I still need Xero, FreeAgent or QuickBooks?
If you need invoices, bank reconciliation or VAT records during the year, yes — keep a bookkeeping product. Use Self Assessment Software at year end for the return. Many sole traders and practices use both.
Can bookkeeping apps file Self Assessment too?
Some offer a filing path. They are built around the ledger first. Self Assessment Software is built around SA pages, the combined calculation, SA302-style reports and a filing desk — including mixed income and partnership work.
Is this cheaper than FreeAgent?
They are priced for different jobs. FreeAgent is typically a monthly bookkeeping subscription. We charge per tax year when you file (from £39 + VAT) or practice credits — with no bookkeeping included. Compare on the job, not the sticker alone.
What else is out of scope?
Corporation tax (CT600), payroll, VAT returns, Companies House filings and MTD quarterly Income Tax updates. Year-end Self Assessment is included now; quarterly ITSA is a later add-on.
Who should buy Self Assessment Software?
Individuals filing their own SA100 (from £39 / £49 / £69 + VAT per tax year) and accountants who want a practice SA desk with unlimited logins and filing credits — without buying a full practice suite.
Clear scope
Need the return, not the ledger?
Start free, prepare your SA100, and pay only when you file. Keep bookkeeping where it already works.