QuickBooks Self-Employed Review
QuickBooks Self-Employed is tax software with a handful of accounting features designed for freelancers, independent contractors, and other self-employed individuals.
QuickBooks Self-Employed

Total Rating | 4.0 |
---|---|
Pricing | Good |
Features | Good |
Customer Service | Good |
Integrations | Fair |
Reviews | Excellent |
Accounting Method
Cash Basis OnlyPricing
$15-$35/monthBusiness Size
Freelancers or independent contractorsQuickBooks Self-Employed At A Glance
- QuickBooks Self-Employed is tax software with a handful of accounting features designed for freelancers, independent contractors, and other self-employed individuals.
- Some plans integrate directly with TurboTax for easy federal and state tax filings.
- This software makes it easy to track mileage, maximize tax deductions, and separate personal and business expenses.
Pros
- Suited for freelancers
- Good tax support
- TurboTax integration
- Well-designed UI
Cons
- No state tax support
- Limited invoice features
- Unscalable
Table of Contents
- What Is QuickBooks Self-Employed?
- QuickBooks Self-Employed Pricing
- Is QuickBooks Self-Employed Easy To Use?
- QuickBooks Self-Employed Features
- QuickBooks Self-Employed Customer Service
- QuickBooks Self-Employed Integrations
- QuickBooks Self-Employed Reviews
- Is QuickBooks Self-Employed Secure?
- How Does QuickBooks Self-Employed Compare To Other Accounting Software?
- The Final Verdict: Is QuickBooks Self-Employed Worth It?
- QuickBooks Self-Employed FAQs
What Is QuickBooks Self-Employed?
QuickBooks Self-Employed (QBSE) was designed to make the lives of freelancers easier. Instead of being accounting software like other QuickBooks products, QuickBooks Self-Employed is tax software (with a few accounting features thrown in). The software boasts a user-friendly interface and features including a strong estimated quarterly tax calculator feature, expense tracking, deductions, invoicing, a few reports, and the ability to separate personal expenses from business expenses.
However, QuickBooks Self-Employed does have its drawbacks. There is no sales tax on invoices, no estimates feature, and — the big one — no state tax support. Ultimately, QuickBooks Self-Employed has not yet delivered on the promise of being a “complete” freelance tax solution. However, it can still be a good freelancing tool for some individuals. Continue reading to see if you’re one of them.
QuickBooks Self-Employed Pricing
QuickBooks Self-Employed Plans | Price | When To Use |
---|---|---|
QuickBooks Self-Employed | $15/month | Freelancers that need basic tax and accounting features |
QuickBooks Self-Employed Tax Bundle | $25/month | Freelancers that want basic tax and accounting software with free tax filings |
QuickBooks Self-Employed Live Tax Bundle | $35/month | Freelancers that want year-round help and advice from a CPA |
QuickBooks Self-Employed offers three pricing plans. The main distinction between the three is that the two more expensive plans include additional tax support. There are no annual contracts with any of the plans, so you can cancel your subscription at any time. There is a free 30-day trial you can use to test the waters before buying. Intuit is almost always offering a discount on its products, so check out the pricing page to ensure you get the most bang for your buck.
QuickBooks Self-Employed
The QuickBooks Self-Employed plan costs $15 per month and includes:
- Income & expense tracking
- Separate business and personal expenses
- Tax deductions
- Estimated quarterly tax calculator
- Schedule C forms
- Invoicing
- Automatic mileage tracking
- One user, plus one accountant
QuickBooks Self-Employed Tax Bundle
The QuickBooks Self-Employed Tax Bundle costs $25 per month and includes everything from the Self-Employed plan, plus:
- TurboTax integration (includes one federal and one state return filing)
- Ability to pay quarterly estimated taxes online
QuickBooks Self-Employed Live Tax Bundle
The QuickBooks Self-Employed Live Tax Bundle costs $35 per month and includes everything from the Self-Employed Tax Bundle, plus:
- Unlimited help and advice from CPAs
- Final review of your tax return by a CPA
Extra QuickBooks Self-Employed Costs & Fees
QuickBooks Self-Employed Extra Costs | Price |
---|---|
Additional TurboTax Self-Employed Federal Tax Filing | $119.99 |
Additional TurboTax Live Self-Employed Federal Tax Filing | $199.99 |
Additional State Tax Filing | $44.99 |
Subscribers of the QuickBooks Self-Employed Tax Bundle or Live Tax Bundle will receive one free federal and state tax filing. If additional filings are needed, QuickBooks Self-Employed charges fees ranging from $44.99 to $199.99 per filing.
Is QuickBooks Self-Employed Easy To Use?
QuickBooks Self-Employed is cloud-based software that is easy to navigate, and the new UI makes the software even more of a joy to use. There’s no confusing accounting jargon or unnecessary features crowding your dashboard, and setting up your account takes very little time. There’s also built-in support if you need extra help setting up and navigating the software.
QuickBooks Self-Employed Features
QuickBooks Self-Employed Features | Availability |
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Budgeting | |
Tax Support | |
Invoicing | |
Estimates | |
Client Portal | |
Contact Management | |
Expense Tracking | |
Bank Reconciliation | |
Chart Of Accounts | |
Accounts Payable | |
Inventory | |
Time Tracking | |
Project Management | |
Number Of Reports | 5 |
QuickBooks Self-Employed is tax software with a few light bookkeeping tools added to the mix. For the average freelancer, QBSE offers a good, basic feature set, but for business owners wanting full accounting capabilities, QuickBooks Self-Employed might not cut it. If that’s you, check out our top-rated accounting software reviews instead.
Here’s an overview of the features you can expect with QuickBooks Self-Employed.
QuickBooks Self-Employed Customer Service
QuickBooks Self-Employed Support | Availability |
---|---|
Phone Support | |
Email Support | |
Support Tickets | |
Live Chat | |
Dedicated Support Representative | |
Knowledge Base or Help Center | |
Videos & Tutorials | |
Company Blog | |
Social Media |
QuickBooks is generally notorious for poor customer support. However, although QuickBooks Self-Employed is missing phone support, QBSE is trying to break the mold and offer decent, quick support options. There is a built-in live chat feature that is incredibly helpful, as well as other support options and resources. The help center is also well-organized and makes it easy to find the answers you’re looking for.
QuickBooks Self-Employed Integrations
In the past, QuickBooks Self-Employed had incredibly limited integrations. Now the software connects directly to Etsy and PayPal, and there are new Amazon and Coinbase integrations as well. In addition to PayPal, users can use the QuickBooks Payments integration to accept online invoice payments, and the Tax Bundle and Live Tax Bundle plans come with a built-in TurboTax integration.
While QBSE may not have as many integrations as other full-on accounting programs, these offerings are a vast improvement and are fitting for freelancers and online sellers. However, the lack of a QuickBooks Online integration (or even more developed export options) keeps QBSE from being a scalable business solution.
QuickBooks Self-Employed Reviews
Reviews for QuickBooks products are always a mixed bag, but the overall consensus is generally pretty positive. QuickBooks Self-Employed is no exception. While there are some negative reviews online, QuickBooks Self-Employed receives overall favorable reviews, boasting 4/5 stars on Software Advice (based on 60+ reviews) and 7/10 stars on TrustRadius (based on 40+ ratings). Far more impressive are the product’s mobile apps. QBSE receives 4.7/5 stars on the Apple App Store (based on 78,000+ reviews) and 3.7/5 stars on the Google Play Store (based on 31,000+ reviews).
Negative QuickBooks Self-Employed Reviews & Complaints
- Incorrect mileage calculations
- Poor customer service
- Inconsistency when importing transactions from Etsy & PayPal
- Issues with connecting bank accounts
Positive QuickBooks Self-Employed Reviews & Testimonials
- Easy to learn & use
- Saves money on taxes
- Excellent mobile apps
- TurboTax integration
- Freelancer-specific features
Is QuickBooks Self-Employed Secure?
QuickBooks Self-Employed has a number of safety features in place to keep your data secure. Notable security features include:
- 128-bit SSL encryption
- Multi-factor authentication
- Intrusion & virus protection
- Multiple secure data centers
- Firewalls
- Routine security testing
How Does QuickBooks Self-Employed Compare To Other Accounting Software?
QuickBooks Self-Employed | QuickBooks Online | QuickBooks Desktop Pro | |
---|---|---|---|
Price | $15-$35/month | $30-$200/month | $349.99/year |
Business Size | Freelancers | Small To Medium | Small To Medium |
Number Of Users | 1 | 1 to 25 | 1 to 3 |
Accounting Method | Cash-Basis | Accrual & Cash-Basis | Accrual & Cash-Basis |
Quality Of Features | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
Quality Of Support | Good | Fair | Fair |
QuickBooks Self-Employed has two top competitors, both within the same Intuit family of software products. Users looking for a more robust, full-featured accounting software may find what they’re looking for with QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop Pro. Take a quick glance at our comparisons between these three options, then keep reading to see a breakdown of how QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online stack up against QuickBooks Self-Employed.
QuickBooks Self-Employed VS QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based software that’s best suited for small to medium businesses. QuickBooks Online supports up to 25 users, boasts advanced features, and has hundreds of integrations. With more features, QBO isn’t quite as easy to learn as QuickBooks Self-Employed. Still, the software is extremely user-friendly and most users only encounter a few navigational difficulties. As you would expect, QuickBooks Online has a larger monthly subscription fee. However, if you want full accounting software as you grow your business, you’ll find that QBO is well worth the extra expense.
QuickBooks Self-Employed VS QuickBooks Desktop Pro
If you prefer locally-installed software, Intuit has you covered with QuickBooks Desktop Pro. For years, QuickBooks Desktop has been the gold standard for small business accounting software, and it’s easy to see why. Advanced features, solid reporting, and excellent tax support make this software stand out from the pack. However, Desktop’s annual pricing (and added fees for additional users) make it too expensive for freelancers or very small businesses. But it could be an excellent choice if you decide to expand your business in the future and need full-fledged accounting software.
Easily compare all versions of QuickBooks by checking out “The Complete QuickBooks Versions Comparison Guide.“
The Final Verdict: Is QuickBooks Self-Employed Worth It?
QuickBooks Self-Employed Review Summary | |
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Pricing | $15-$35/month |
Choose If You Need |
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QuickBooks Self-Employed is ideal for freelancers and independent contractors in need of federal tax support. The software offers great tax and tax deduction tools and is incredibly easy to use. Key integrations, such as Etsy and Amazon, make the software ideal for online sellers, and you can’t beat a direct Turbo Tax integration come tax season.
However, for a product that claims to be a tax solution for the self-employed, QuickBooks Self-Employed doesn’t fully live up to its name. While the software is incredibly helpful for calculating confusing quarterly taxes, there is zero state tax support. Unfortunately, you must use another tool or software solution to complete your taxes fully. What’s more, there’s no way to manage contacts or items in QuickBooks Self-Employed, and you can’t send estimates to potential customers. And, if you ever grow beyond freelancing, your data will not transfer.
Ultimately, if you are looking for federal tax support, QuickBooks Self-Employed is a good option. But remember that this service does not include a state tax report, so it won’t be a complete filing solution. Take the software for a spin with the free trial to see if QBSE is a good fit for your freelance needs. If you want to see what other freelance accounting software options are out there, here are the best accounting options for freelancers. Or, if after reading this review, you realize you may need full accounting software instead, take a look at one of our top small business accounting software picks.
QuickBooks Self-Employed FAQs
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
QuickBooks Self-Employed ![]() |
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After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see QuickBooks Self-Employed for yourself.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
QuickBooks Self-Employed ![]() |
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After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see QuickBooks Self-Employed for yourself.
Organization Name: 5005664
AVOID QUICKBOOKS SELF EMPLOYED. MAJOR GLITCHES FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS BUT RECENTLY A GLITCH IS NOW REMOVING GST FROM ALREADY SENT OUT INVOICES, COSTING BUSINESSES OWNERS ALOT OF MONEY. THIS SOFTWARE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET. ABSOLUTELY NO PHONE SUPPORT. DATA IS NOT TRANSFERABLE EVEN BETWEEN QUICKBOOKS VERSIONS. WHAT A SCAM THIS IS. IVE BEEN USING IT FOR 2 YEARS BUT WANTED OUT AFTER 2 MONTHS, JUST HAVENT HAD TIME TO TRANSFER ALL DATA MANUALLY WHICH IS REQUIRED. NOW I AM STUCK WITH IT STORING 2 FULL YEARS OF NONTRANSFERABLE DATA WITH A GLITCH THAT MAKES THE PROGRAM USELESS, MONTHLY FEES ARE STILL BEING CHARGED, NO PHONE SUPPORT AVAILABLE. ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Wholesome Wallet
I like QuickBooks self employed. It’s been helping me with the accounting for my business.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi,Please close my account. I registered 75 min ago, linked my credit card, bank account, edited my info, downloaded the app (as told to do). Then, tried to log in online and with the app, doesn’t work even says that I don’t have a plan for the app (I choose the self employed because of the milage tracking… and I can’t use the app ???? ), called to ask questions, being told that only chat is possible, chatted with one guy, told me that it was not the good chat because it was the self employed, got the good chat, chatted with another guy, be told that it was only by email for my account to be send a ticket… well…money back please and close my account. Please send me an email when my account will be close.Thanks
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Simon,
Unfortunately Merchant Maverick can’t do that for you- we wish we could! You’ll need to get in touch of QuickBooks directly to discuss your options. We wish you the best of luck!
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Moda Management LLC
I’ve been using QB products for a year and a half. I have the self employed and QB online versions. The programs are pretty easy to figure out. However if I need to SPEAK to a person on the phone, forget about it. I had a problem with missing transactions in QB. The problem lasted for 3 months due to bad communication. Now I have an issue signing in the program. Again, no one to speak to. both issues could be fixed in minutes instead of days, if i could just speak to a person instead of playing email tag.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
I only just started using Quickbooks self-employed mobile app. I haven’t used all its features yet but I’m having a lot of issues with setting rules for expense transactions; namely they don’t work at all! After having inputted some expenses manually I set a list of rules for categorizing my expenses as well as split expenses for business use of my home, but not a single one worked when I try to input new entries. Not only that but I can’t even manually choose the split option if I try to input my home office expenses. There’s no phone support for QBSE, only email and the guy tells me to do the same thing over and over again, to no avail. I tried reinstalling the app but it did nothing. So for now while it may be convenient for keeping track of my direct expenses it’s very limited due to the problems I am having. The tech support is just terrible by today’s standards.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: PBreefs
I purchased and pay the monthly subscription to keep track of milage.When it works, its dead on.BUT, more often than not, it does not track my miles. Whats the sense of using/paying this app for one reason only, when it only works 35-40% of the time.I originally decided to use it because it integrates with QB so easily, but without the tracking feature working, I have to manually enter each trip… and this could be as many as a weeks worth at a time.I am canceling my subscription, and entering my miles manually now since thats what I am doing with the app most of the time anyways.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Affordable Advertising Solutions LLC
I’m one month in to using the self employed version. Syncing and importing transactions from my business checking account went as planned. However, when I synced my business PayPal account and imported transactions it showed quite a few of the payments I received via PayPal as double income deposits. I have thousands of transactions thru PayPal each year.I reached out to their email support and after going back and forth via email for several hours to find out why, they came back with this answer….”I understand, Robert.I am hoping for your understanding that whatever transaction reflected on your Paypal account, those are the same transactions to reflect as well on your QuickBooks Self-Employed account since we are a read only system as mentioned on the previous email. What I can suggest is to Exclude the other amount if these two are the same.”The whole purpose of paying for Intuit Quickbooks was to automate my transaction record keeping to free me up from weeks of preparing my tax info for my CPA. So with this solution I still have to stop running my business and spend days filtering thru transactions so that I’m not being double taxed on inaccurate deposits.If you use PayPal as part of your billing and payment transactions I would not use their Self-Employed solution.I’m still looking for a viable solution to help with this. Any suggestions?Thank you,Robert
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Reith Stripe
I’ve used TurboTax the last few years to do my husband and my’s joint return. We’re both self employed. His business has grown a bit and using Excel spreadsheets to enter info into Turbo is getting more time consuming. If I use this self employed software and it integrates with Turbo for taxes, can I still add my self employed income separately to complete the federal return?
Thanks,
RR
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Rebecca,
I just spoke to Intuit and they said that is definitely possible. They said you would just use QuickBooks Self-Employed with Turbo Tax as usual and when you’re actually filing with Turbo Tax it’ll walk you through how to add his additional income. Turbo Tax should have some support articles in their customer service center that will help with this as well.
I hope that helps and happy filing!
-Chelsea Krause
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Question around who owns your data for the Quickbooks Self employed with Turbo Tax option.
My data is loaded into the cloud. How do I download my data to my PC if I need it for an IRS audit? or if i retire and need to keep it for the next 7 years? What do they charge me? It seems no one at Quickbooks knows the answer or wants to tell me the costs. Quickbooks doesn’t even seem to know after 3 calls into their support teams. Can you help with an answer please?
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Dave,
Thanks for reaching out! I know QuickBooks is not always the easiest company to get a hold of, so I’m happy to help.
Before filing for taxes, you can export data directly from QuickBooks Self-Employed for your records (including Transactions, Miles, and all Reports). Read our post How To Get the Most Out Of Your Accounting Software This Tax Season to learn which reports to save in case of an audit.
You can also use Turbo Tax to download your current and previous tax records so long as you have paid for Turbo Tax this year. Since you are paying for and using QuickBooks Self-Employed with Turbo Tax, you should be able to follow these instructions to access records.
I hope this helps!
Best wishes,
-Chelsea Krause
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Katherine,
Former bookkeeper with a lot of experience with QuickBooks online, but I always worked under supervision of the CPA and almost never actually prepared taxes, payroll, or quarterlies (or very limited experience of these anyway).
I now have a small S Corp doing strictly consulting for one company that I contract to, and basically no invoicing needed.
I don’t mind not being able to reconcile.
What I really need assistance with from the software is quarteries, how I should be doing payroll, and annual tax returns
Cost wise, or otherwise, would you recommend QuickBooks online with TurboTax, or QuickBooks self-employed with TurboTax?
Thank you!!
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Amber,
Thanks for reaching out! My name is Chelsea Krause, and I’ve taken over Katherine’s position as the head of our accounting reviews here at Merchant Maverick.
It sounds to me like QuickBooks Self-Employed might be a better fit for your company. Since you are already familiar with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed should be very easy for you to use and get used to. QuickBooks Self-Employed also calculates your quarterly estimated taxes, supports Schedule C’s, tracks mileage deductions, calculates home office deductions, and allows you to separate personal and business expenses if needed.
The only tax support QuickBooks Online offers is 1099s and Sales Tax Returns. QuickBooks Online is also much more expensive than QuickBooks Self Employed. The cheapest QuickBooks Online plan is $15/mo and you’d have to pay an extra $25/mo for payroll and tax support. In addition, the self-employed version of Turbo Tax is $115, so you’d be looking at $535/year (not including the cost of additional payroll employees). On the other hand, QuickBooks Self-Employed with Turbo Tax is $17/mo, or $204/yr to give you some perspective.
However, if you are running payroll for more people than yourself, I’d definitely take into consideration that QuickBooks Self-Employed doesn’t offer payroll support.
I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any further questions.
-Chelsea Krause
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Chelsea – I’m an accountant and one of my new clients has been using this software and from an accounting perspective, I think it stinks. I can’t find anywhere to reconcile the bank account. Am I missing this or does it not exist?
Thanks, Suzanne
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks for reaching out! You’re not missing anything. There isn’t a bank reconciliation feature in QuickBooks Self-Employed, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of the software. Users can import bank statements or connect to their bank accounts in order to track and categorize expenses–but that’s about it.
Best wishes,
Chelsea Krause
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Thank you for your thorough review of QuickBooks Self-Employed, Chelsea. I really appreciate your comments regarding QBSE being more of a [federal] tax reporting app by making it very easy to categorize expenses as business or personal, and tracking mileage.I’m taking a second look at QBSE and am trying to decide between it and Everlance. Leaning toward the latter because of it’s exporting capabilities. The tradeoff between QBSE and Everlance appears to be the federal tax reporting capabilities and filing if you opt for the QBSE+TurboTax package, versus the data portability of Everlance.Do you have any thoughts on this?Every year I go thru days of exporting spreadsheets for income and expenses from MINT, which I’ve been using since 2009. I find it can do everything I need from an accounting perspective, if you know how to properly setup categories and tags, and are disciplined about categorizing and tagging transactions. I signed up for a QBSE free-trial last April (13th > last minute Larry here!), thinking QBSE would automatically assign personal vs business expenses. Of course this was not the case, and that is what you get when you take a shortcut that leads one down the road to hell rather than the path to salvation…but I digress.Your comments about QBSE support are reminiscent of what I went through when I contacted them for instructions about completely deleting my existing data, essentially doing an account reset, so I could do a fresh import of my now properly categorized 2015 MINT data after tax season, and move forward with 2016. I was told to “ignore” previous transactions, and never got a clear answer on how to delete existing transactions at that time. I concluded that I should just set up a new QBSE account. I didn’t want to do this because I thought MINT and QBSE would link to each other and I would have a complete tax reporting and expense tracking solution. I now know this is not the case, that the import of MINT transactions was a first-time set-up. This feature looks to have been discontinued.Thanks in advance for any feedback!Alexander
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Alexander,
Thanks for reaching out! Since I don’t know whole lot about your business, I’m not sure I can give you a definitive answer about which way to go. But, that won’t keep me from trying so here are my general thoughts about the concerns you brought up.
I have never tested Everlance myself, but from what I’ve seen of the software, you’re right in that you’d be losing tax support, but you would also be losing invoicing and reporting. I’m not sure how important these features are to you or your business. To me, it seems that as long as you are using Mint, you will have to do your fair share of exporting and importing data, as it doesn’t integrate with other software.
If you don’t want to keep doing this, another option could be to move to another accounting software entirely where you can easily manage your personal and business expenses along with tax support. Wave is probably the best software for separating personal and business expense, but its reports and exporting are limited and there is no tax support. FreeAgent might be more up your alley. It offers personal and business expense management, tax support, and a full set of accounting features if you think you’re ready for a full accounting program. So if spending less time on exporting is your main concern, this could be a good solution. But if your main concern is Turbo Tax support, it’s important to know that while other software does offer tax support, QuickBooks Self-Employed is the only software that integrates directly with TurboTax. Ultimately, I would think of which feature is most important to you and I’d choose a solution from there.
I hope some part of this was helpful! Please let me know if you have any more questions.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.