Is QuickBooks Self-Employed being discontinued?

Yes. Intuit is retiring QuickBooks Self-Employed in 2026 and migrating existing customers to its replacement, QuickBooks Sole Trader, through 2025 and early 2026.

What replaces QuickBooks Self-Employed?

QuickBooks Sole Trader, priced around £10/month, is the direct replacement. It's designed for one sole trader business and includes MTD for VAT and MTD for Income Tax.

Is there a free alternative to QuickBooks Self-Employed?

If you mainly need to capture receipts, track mileage and keep UK tax-ready records, PocketReceipt is free (SA103F mapping, CIS, HMRC mileage, accountant dashboard). For full accounting with invoicing and direct HMRC submission you'll want QuickBooks Sole Trader, FreeAgent or Xero.

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QuickBooks Self-Employed is closing — what to switch to

By Remus Pantea · 16 June 2026 · 6 min read

Quick answer: Intuit is retiring QuickBooks Self-Employed in 2026 and moving customers to its replacement, QuickBooks Sole Trader (around £10/month). If you'd rather not pay monthly just to keep receipts and file Self Assessment, PocketReceipt is a free UK alternative for capturing receipts, mileage and tax-ready records. For full accounting with invoicing and direct HMRC submission, your options are QuickBooks Sole Trader, FreeAgent or Xero.

What's happening to QuickBooks Self-Employed?

Intuit is retiring QuickBooks Self-Employed (QBSE) and replacing it with QuickBooks Sole Trader. Existing QBSE customers are being migrated across through 2025 and into 2026 — QuickBooks can switch your subscription and most of your data automatically. The new product costs around £10/month, is built for a single sole-trader business, and includes MTD for VAT and MTD for Income Tax.

If you were on QBSE, you don't have to accept the default. A migration is a natural moment to check you're on the right tool at the right price.

Your three realistic options

1. Stay in the QuickBooks family (QuickBooks Sole Trader, ~£10/month)

Easiest if you want zero disruption: your data carries over, and you get full sole-trader accounting plus MTD filing built in. The trade-off is a monthly fee for features you may not all use.

2. Move to another full platform (FreeAgent or Xero)

If you want full accounting — invoicing, bank reconciliation, VAT submission — FreeAgent (UK-built, free with some NatWest/Mettle accounts) or Xero are the main alternatives. More powerful, similar or higher monthly cost.

3. Drop to a free capture tool (PocketReceipt) if that's all you need

Many sole traders only ever used QBSE to photograph receipts, log mileage and tot up expenses for Self Assessment. If that's you, you can stop paying monthly. PocketReceipt does that part for free: AI receipt scanning, VAT extraction, HMRC mileage at 55p/25p, SA103F category mapping, CIS support, and its own accountant dashboard. You then file via your accountant or MTD-compatible software.

The honest limit: PocketReceipt is a receipt and expense tracker, not a full accounting platform — it doesn't do invoicing or submit returns to HMRC by itself. If you need those, pick option 1 or 2.

How to choose

Need invoicing, bank feeds and to submit MTD yourself? → QuickBooks Sole Trader, FreeAgent or Xero.
Just need tidy, UK-tax-ready records and your accountant does the rest? → PocketReceipt, free.

Don't lose your data

Whatever you choose, before any subscription lapses, export your data from QuickBooks (transactions and receipts) so you keep your records — HMRC expects you to hold them for at least five years after the filing deadline. If you stay with QuickBooks Sole Trader, the migration handles most of this for you.

Compare the wider field in our UK receipt scanner app comparison, estimate your bill with the tax calculator, or get MTD-ready via the MTD for Income Tax hub.

Sources: QuickBooks Sole Trader transition and pricing per Intuit (quickbooks.intuit.com), as of June 2026 — pricing and timelines change, check current. General information, not financial advice.