A sole trader's invoice is a short document with a few non-negotiable bits on it. Get those right and you get paid; get them wrong and you get a customer's bookkeeper emailing you three weeks later asking for a corrected copy, which is three weeks you are not being paid. Most invoicing software is built for a business with an accounts person. This one is built for the person who does the job and the invoice.
What has to be on it
Two things trip sole traders up more than anything else, and they are both on the invoice itself:
- Your ABN. It goes on every invoice. Leaving it off is not a formatting problem — a business customer who cannot see an ABN may be required to withhold a chunk of your payment, and you will be the one chasing it back.
- GST — but only if you're registered. Adding 10% when you are not registered is not allowed. Leaving it off when you are registered means you wear it. Which side of that line you sit on depends on your turnover, and it is worth being certain rather than assuming.
Yamate holds your ABN and your GST setting once, then puts the right version on every invoice after that. If you are not registered, it does not show GST at all — the invoice says invoice rather than tax invoice, which is the correct document for an unregistered sole trader.
Being a sole trader changes what the software needs to do
A company has a payroll, a separate tax return and a director who is technically an employee. You have none of that. Your business income is your income, and the tax on it lands in one return at the end of the year rather than being taken out along the way. That changes what actually matters in an invoicing app:
- Nothing is withheld for you. Every dollar that lands is gross. Setting some of it aside is on you, and it is the single most common thing that goes wrong in a first year.
- There is no accounts inbox. The invoice goes out from you, the chase-up comes from you, and if you are on the tools all day neither happens until the evening.
- You are usually not registered for GST at the start. Software that assumes you are will have you issuing documents you should not be issuing.
Getting the money in
Invoice from the job, not from the kitchen table at 9pm. One tap turns a finished job into an invoice with your PayID and bank details already on it, so the customer pays straight into your account.
When someone drifts past the due date, Yamate writes the reminder text for you — you read it and send it, or switch reminders on and let them go by themselves. Being straight about which is which: payment reminders, quote follow-ups and appointment reminders can be automatic if you turn them on. Quotes and invoices never send themselves — every one goes through preview-then-approve, because a wrong number sent automatically is a worse problem than a slow invoice.
Putting tax aside as you go
Yamate keeps a running estimate of what to set aside as the invoices get paid, so the figure is not a shock in October. It is an estimate to help you prepare — Yamate does not withhold it, does not hold it, does not pay it and does not lodge anything for you. You lodge it yourself, and it is not tax advice. If your situation is at all unusual, a registered tax agent is worth what they cost.
Try Yamate free — built for sole traders →FAQ
What's the best invoicing software for a sole trader in Australia?
One that puts your ABN on every invoice, handles the GST-or-no-GST question properly, and chases late payers without you having to remember. Yamate does that from $19/mo (founder price, until 30 Sept) on iPhone and Android. Our comparison of Australian invoicing apps covers the alternatives with dated prices.
Do I need to charge GST as a sole trader?
Only if you are registered for GST, and whether you have to register depends on your turnover. It is worked through properly on this page. Yamate reflects whichever setting is true for you — it does not decide it for you.
Can I invoice without an ABN?
You can produce a document, but a business customer may have to withhold from your payment when there is no ABN on it, so in practice you want one before you invoice. Applying is free and takes minutes — see how to get an ABN.
Do I need an accountant as well?
Yamate prepares the numbers; it does not lodge anything and it is not a substitute for advice. Plenty of sole traders use it to keep the year tidy and a tax agent to lodge. That is the combination we would suggest.
What if I take on someone later?
The Founder plan covers up to 3 people. Beyond that the Company plan includes 10 people, then $15/month for each additional person, and each one gets their own login so you choose what they can see.
What it is, and what it isn't
Yamate runs the loop a one-person business repeats: quote it, book it, do it, invoice it, get paid. It keeps your GST and tax figures as you go, works with no signal on site, and pushes invoices, payments and customers out to Xero if you use it. MYOB is supported as a CSV export format.
What it is not: a full accounting ledger, a payroll system, or something that lodges with the ATO on your behalf. If you need a general ledger and a balance sheet, you want accounting software alongside this, and we would rather say that here than in month two.
Free tools
General information only, and not tax or legal advice. Tax and GST figures in Yamate are estimates to help you prepare — you lodge it yourself. Yamate does not withhold, hold, pay or lodge anything on your behalf. Check your own circumstances with a registered tax agent.