Simple books for freelancers and small shops, ready for tax time
Enter each sale and expense once on the Ledger and Ledgerfern builds the rest: a month-by-month profit and loss by category, quarterly and yearly totals, open and overdue invoices with days late, a mileage log with the deduction at your rate, and a quarterly tax set-aside at the percentage you choose. Built-in checks flag unknown categories, missing receipts and totals that don't match.
Example file, first quarter (Jan-Mar 2026): P&L summary
| Line | Q1 | Year to date |
|---|---|---|
| Income | $5,162 | $5,162 |
| Expenses + mileage | $1,054 | $1,054 |
| Net profit | $4,108 | $4,108 |
| Set aside (25%) | $1,027 | $1,027 |
Source: The made-up example business in the Ledgerfern example file, P&L and Taxes tabs (built by products/ledgerfern/src/workbook.py; rows in products/ledgerfern/store/listing.json).
Ledgerfern vs the alternatives
Published prices, each checked on the date shown; prices change, so confirm on each site.
| Product | Price | Free | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ledgerfern Bookkeeping Workbook | $14 once | free preview PDF | live |
| QuickBooks Online Simple Start | $38/month ($19/month for the first 3 months) | 2026-10-10 | |
| Wave | Starter $0; Pro $19/month or $190/year | Starter plan | 2026-10-10 |
| Small Business Bookkeeping Template (Aurora Templates, Gumroad) | $10 | 2026-10-10 | |
| Small Business Bookkeeping Spreadsheet All-in-One (Boss to Leader, Gumroad) | $37 | 2026-10-10 |
Why teams pick Ledgerfern
- One payment of $14 instead of a monthly accounting subscription.
- Ledger, P&L, invoices, mileage and tax set-aside are connected: enter a row once and every report updates.
- Checks catch the typos that break other sheets: unknown categories, missing receipts, unmatched totals.
- Categories are editable to match your accountant's chart of accounts; Ledger and P&L export cleanly to CSV.
- Honest limit: no bank feeds, payroll or sales-tax filing. If you need those, accounting software is the better fit.
How it works
- On Settings, enter your business name, year, set-aside percentage, mileage rate and payment terms.
- Log every sale and expense on the Ledger (2,000 rows); add invoices and trips as they happen.
- Check the Dashboard monthly; at quarter end, the Taxes tab shows what to set aside.
FAQ
Why not QuickBooks?
QuickBooks Online Simple Start is $38/month ($19 for the first 3 months) and adds bank feeds, invoicing by email and reports an accountant can log into. For a one-person business that only needs a ledger, P&L, invoices and mileage, Ledgerfern is $14 once.
Why not Wave's free plan?
Wave Starter is free and a good choice if you want online invoicing and bank connections. Ledgerfern suits people who prefer an offline file they own, with no account.
Is the tax figure what I owe?
No. It is a simple percentage of profit that you choose, to help you save. Ask a tax professional what applies to you.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. No macros.
Can my accountant use it?
Yes: P&L and Ledger export cleanly to CSV, and the categories are editable.