For sole traders in the trades

SmokoBooks for sole trader tradies: quotes, invoices, BAS figures and your books on one PC.

For tradies who run the business on their own: one person, one Windows PC, and the paperwork done at smoko instead of on Sunday night. Quote the job, invoice it, log what you spend and see your GST and tax figures as you go. Your books stay on your computer.

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SmokoBooks dashboard for a sample business: cash received, invoiced, outstanding, GST position and the amount set aside for tax

Bookkeeping software for a one-person trade business

SmokoBooks is made for trade work: electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, tilers, landscapers and the like. Alongside quotes and invoices it makes trade job documents (work orders, variations, defect notices, service reports, SWMS) and keeps the cash-book behind them.

If you are a sole trader outside the trades, such as a designer or consultant, it probably is not the right fit.

The Solo plan

$19 a month or $190 a year

One Windows computer, every feature included.
Your books stay in a data file on that PC and are never sent to us, with a backup every day you use it (the last 30 are kept).
Internet needed to activate and for a daily licence check; works 14 days offline.
Add an office PC later: upgrade to Solo + office PC ($29 a month) from inside the app.

Plans, trial and refunds in full

Quote to invoice to paid, without typing it twice

A sole trader invoice app only saves time if the invoice already knows about the quote. Here each step picks up from the last, and every PDF carries your logo and ABN.

1
Quote
Add up to 7 item lines, from your saved price list if you like, and send the PDF. The customer can tick, type their name and sign it in any PDF reader.
2
Job
When they say yes, Mark accepted + create job puts it in Jobs & Invoices with the customer and address filled in.
3
Invoice
Create it from the job: up to 8 item lines, your bank details on it, due in 7 days unless you change it. Deposit, progress and final invoices can each show the amount already paid and the balance due.
4
Paid
Record the payment in Money In, or save a receipt PDF (up to 6 lines) and the payment is recorded for you. Overdue invoices are flagged, and Send payment reminder emails the invoice PDF with a polite note.

Expenses, with the receipt photo attached

Log each purchase with its supplier, category and whether GST is included. Attach a photo of the receipt (an image file on your PC) and it counts as a receipt held.

Set business use below 100% for things shared with home, like the phone or the ute.
Add a job number and it comes off that job's profit.
Needs attention on the dashboard lists expenses still missing a receipt.
If you claim GST credits, an expense's GST only counts once a receipt is held.

Every bookkeeping feature

SmokoBooks Expenses list for a sample business, with categories, job numbers, a phone bill at 80% business use, recurring bills and a No receipt flag

BAS figures by quarter, if you're registered for GST

Not every sole trader has a BAS to do. The ATO says you must register for GST when your GST turnover (gross income from all your businesses, minus GST) is $75,000 or more, within 21 days; below that it is optional. Once registered, you lodge a business activity statement.

Source: ato.gov.au, Registering for GST (opens in a new tab) (last updated 14 September 2026), checked 30 September 2026.

Not registered

Say so in setup. Your quotes, invoices and receipts show "GST (not registered — no GST charged)", the BAS labels stay off, and a GST registration monitor compares your last 12 months of cash received, and a projection for the year, with the $75,000 threshold, warning you from 80%.

Registered

The Tax & BAS screen has a monthly cash summary and a quarterly summary with G1 (total sales), 1A (GST on sales) and 1B (GST on purchases), your GST position (1A minus 1B) and each quarter's BAS due date. SmokoBooks does not lodge: you enter the figures in the ATO's online services or give them to your agent. They are planning figures to confirm with a registered tax agent.

BAS for sole trader tradies: what it is and when it's due

SmokoBooks Tax & BAS screen for a sample GST-registered business: the monthly cash summary and the quarterly summary with G1, 1A and 1B labels

Tax set-aside, TPAR and the vehicle log

What to put aside for tax

The dashboard's Set aside for tax figure is a percentage of profit you choose in setup. The Tax & BAS screen checks it against an income tax estimate (resident rates, the low income tax offset, a flat 2% Medicare levy, other income and PAYG instalments paid) and says whether it is covered. A planning estimate, not your tax bill.

Try the tax set-aside calculator

TPAR, if you pay subbies

The ATO says businesses that pay contractors may need to lodge a Taxable payments annual report by 28 August each year (ato.gov.au (opens in a new tab)). The Subcontractors screen shows the year's contractor payments, total paid and tax withheld as one combined yearly total; the Excel workbook's Reports sheet also totals spend by supplier and contractor for the financial year. Payments missing an ABN, tax invoice or licence number are flagged.

Vehicle log and assets

Log business trips and kilometres, linked to a job if you like. SmokoBooks works out a cents-per-km deduction at the rate you set, capped at 5,000 km a year; check the ATO's rate each July. Assets such as tools and test gear get their own register.

An Excel workbook for your accountant

At tax time, Settings › Backup and data › Export Excel workbook writes your whole cash-book to one spreadsheet with live formulas and your logo: jobs and invoices, money received, expenses, subcontractors, assets, the vehicle log, a Tax & BAS sheet with the BAS labels, and reports. Export documents CSV lists every quote and invoice.

If your subscription ends, the app locks. Your PDFs, data file and daily backups stay on your PC — export the Excel workbook before your plan ends.

What SmokoBooks does not do

Better to know now than after the trial. One person works in the books at a time, and none of these are part of it:

No bank feeds

Nothing connects to your bank. You record payments and expenses yourself.

No payroll

No wages, super or Single Touch Payroll. It is not built for employers.

No lodging

It gives you BAS and tax figures; you or your agent lodge them with the ATO.

No inventory

No stock control. Materials are logged as expenses.

No importer

Nothing comes in from Xero, MYOB or a spreadsheet. You start fresh.

Windows only

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit; no Mac or phone version. The installer is not code-signed, so SmartScreen may ask you to click More info › Run anyway.

Need bank feeds, payroll or your accountant working in the file? See the SmokoBooks vs Xero comparison.

Try before you pay

14 days free on Solo. No charge today.

Solo is $19/month or $190/year for one computer. AENETWORKS is not registered for GST, so no GST is charged. See pricing.

Start your free trial

Questions sole trader tradies ask

Do sole traders need to lodge a BAS?

The ATO says that once you are registered for GST, you need to lodge a business activity statement (BAS). Registering is required when your GST turnover is $75,000 or more, and optional below that. If the ATO has you paying PAYG instalments, ask your accountant how you report them.

Is it only for tradies?

It is built for trade work, so outside the trades it probably is not the right fit. Check for yourself in the browser demo at smokobooks.com.au/try, with no install.

Is there a free trial?

Yes: 14 days free on the Solo plan. You add a card on Stripe's secure page, but nothing is charged until the trial ends, and we email you three days before it does. Cancel before then and you pay nothing. If you buy and it isn't right for you, email us within 14 days of your first payment for a full refund.

What happens if I stop paying?