solobuild
If you went looking for QuickBooks Self-Employed recently and found something called QuickBooks Solopreneur instead, you are not alone. Intuit replaced one product with the other in 2024, kept the old one running for existing customers, and has since started selling the same tier under yet another name. For a one-person business that just wants to track income, expenses, and taxes, that leaves a confusing set of questions about what to buy and whether to switch. This guide explains what changed, what each product does and does not do, and how to decide, with every detail checked against Intuit's own pages in October 2026.
What happened to QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed launched in 2015 as a simple tool for freelancers and sole proprietors. It focused on separating business and personal spending, tracking mileage, and estimating quarterly taxes, which made it popular with gig workers and independent contractors. On February 21, 2024, Intuit introduced QuickBooks Solopreneur and described it as built on what it learned from serving Self-Employed customers. In practice, Solopreneur became the product Intuit sells to new customers, and Self-Employed stopped being sold.
Intuit's own help pages are clear about the current status. If you already subscribe to Self-Employed, you can keep your subscription, but new customers are directed to Solopreneur and other QuickBooks plans instead. The Self-Employed mobile app was removed from download on March 24, 2024, although people who already had it installed can keep using it. Intuit has not published an end date for Self-Employed, so existing users are not facing a forced deadline today.
The switch is also not automatic. An existing Self-Employed user starts the move from inside their account, under Settings, then Upgrade, then Choose plan. Once you choose to switch, your data is copied across, but Intuit warns that you will not be able to access the old Self-Employed account after the upgrade is complete. That single detail is the main reason to read the rest of this guide before clicking anything.
Solopreneur, Lite, and Free: what the names mean now
The naming has shifted again since the 2024 launch. As of October 2026, Intuit's page for solopreneurs shows three plans side by side: Free, Lite, and Simple Start. The plan that sits in the Solopreneur price slot, at $20 a month, is now labeled Lite on that page. Intuit's help articles and its main products page still call it QuickBooks Solopreneur, so you will see both names depending on where you look, and they describe the same tier.
The Free plan is new and very limited. It allows two invoices a month, two receipt uploads, five mileage trips, and one contractor, which is enough to try the software but not enough to run a business on. Lite lists at $20 a month, and at the time of writing Intuit was showing it at $10 a month for the first three months, after which you pay the then-current price. There is also an annual option listed at $216 a year with a first-year discount.
Lite is the tier most former Self-Employed users will compare against. It adds unlimited invoices, receipts, and mileage, up to three contractors, the mobile app, automated sales tax, and app integrations. It also includes Expert Assisted Tax powered by TurboTax, where you pay only when you file. Throughout the rest of this guide, Solopreneur and Lite mean the same product.
What QuickBooks Solopreneur does well
Solopreneur covers the core jobs a one-person business needs from bookkeeping software. It connects to your bank, sorts transactions into business and personal, and lets you photograph receipts and attach them to the right expense. Mileage tracking is built in, which matters for anyone who drives for work and wants the deduction without keeping a paper log. You can send invoices and estimates and accept payments through methods like PayPal, Venmo, and Apple Pay.
It is also a step up in one area that Self-Employed users sometimes overlook. According to Intuit's comparison, Solopreneur supports both simple single-entry tracking and double-entry accounting, which is the method accountants use and the one that keeps your books balanced. It produces a profit and loss report and handles sales tax automatically, with a sales tax report. For a sole proprietor who sells taxable products, that sales tax handling is a real improvement.
Taxes are where Intuit is clearly steering the product. Solopreneur is designed for Schedule C filers, which is the form sole proprietors and single-member LLCs attach to their personal tax return. Filing is built into the product through TurboTax, rather than exported to it as a separate step. If you want your books and your tax filing to live in the same place, that is the main appeal.
What Self-Employed users lose when they switch
The trade-offs are where most of the frustration in Intuit's community forums comes from. The biggest one is quarterly tax estimates. Self-Employed calculated how much you should set aside and pay each quarter, and Intuit's own comparison lists that feature as not included in Solopreneur. For freelancers who relied on that number to avoid underpayment penalties, losing it is a real step backward.
Several other features from Self-Employed are also missing or do not carry over. Intuit's comparison lists export to TurboTax, tags, recurring payments, a vendor list, and a balance sheet as not included in Solopreneur. The migration article adds that third-party connections such as Etsy, Uber, and Amazon do not transfer, and neither do tags or vendors. Intuit says rules and quarterly tax estimates are planned for migration in the future, but there is no date attached to that.
Two migration details deserve attention before you switch. Transactions copy over for up to three years only, so older history stays behind in an account you will no longer be able to open. And once you move up from Solopreneur to a larger QuickBooks plan, Intuit says you cannot downgrade back. Neither rule is a dealbreaker, but both are easy to miss and impossible to undo after the fact.
Handling quarterly taxes without the estimate feature
If you switch and lose the quarterly estimate, the job does not disappear, it just moves to you. The simplest habit is to move a fixed share of every client payment into a separate savings account the day it arrives, so the money is already set aside when a payment is due. The right share depends on your income, deductions, and state, so ask your accountant for a number or base it on last year's return. The point is to decide once and then follow it without thinking.
The IRS publishes Form 1040-ES each year, which includes a worksheet for calculating estimated payments and the payment vouchers. Estimated payments are generally due four times a year, in mid-April, mid-June, mid-September, and mid-January of the following year, with dates shifting when one lands on a weekend or holiday. Putting all four on your calendar at the start of the year removes most of the risk of an underpayment penalty. If doing this by hand sounds unpleasant, that is a fair sign that staying on Self-Employed or adding a tool with built-in estimates is worth it for you.
Should you switch now or wait
If you are already on Self-Employed and it still works for you, there is no deadline forcing a move today. The strongest reason to stay is the quarterly tax estimate, especially if you pay estimated taxes and do not want to calculate them yourself. The second reason is any connection you depend on, such as an Uber or Etsy feed, since those will not come with you. Staying put is a reasonable choice as long as you accept that Intuit is no longer developing the product.
Switching makes more sense if the features Solopreneur adds matter to you. Built-in tax filing, automatic sales tax, estimates, and double-entry books are all improvements for a business that is growing past simple tracking. If you sell products and charge sales tax, the switch is easier to justify. If your accountant has asked for cleaner books, double-entry support is a meaningful upgrade.
Whichever way you lean, prepare before you click. The steps later in this guide take about an hour and protect you from losing the parts of your history that do not migrate. That hour is worth spending even if you decide to stay, because it gives you a clean backup of records you would struggle to rebuild.
When to skip straight to Simple Start
Solopreneur has firm limits, and some businesses will hit them on day one. It allows one user with no accountant access, so if you work with a bookkeeper or accountant who needs to log in, it will not fit. It does not include a balance sheet or a custom chart of accounts, which is the list of categories your books are organized under. Intuit staff have also confirmed that it does not support managing more than one business under the same account.
QuickBooks Online Simple Start is the next plan up and covers those gaps. It lists at $38 a month, with Intuit showing a discounted price for the first three months at the time of writing, and it includes access for two accountants. It adds a balance sheet, cash flow projections, a custom chart of accounts, recurring payments, bill pay, and the option to add payroll. If you pay yourself through payroll, or you are an LLC taxed as an S corporation that does not file Schedule C, Simple Start or a higher plan is the better starting point.
The practical rule is simple. Solopreneur fits a sole proprietor or single-member LLC that files Schedule C, works alone, and does not need an accountant inside the books. If any one of those conditions is false, start on Simple Start rather than upgrading later, since moving up is permanent anyway.
Alternatives worth a look
QuickBooks is not the only option for a one-person business, and a few alternatives fill gaps that Solopreneur leaves open. Wave has a free Starter plan for invoicing and basic bookkeeping, and its Pro plan costs $19 a month or $190 a year. It suits a sole proprietor who mainly needs to send invoices and track spending on the lowest possible budget. The trade-off is fewer automation features than QuickBooks.
FreshBooks is built around invoicing for service businesses that bill clients for time or projects. Its Lite plan is listed at $23 a month and was showing a heavily discounted first-year price at the time of writing, with a limit on how many clients you can bill. It is a good fit if invoicing and client management matter more to you than tax filing. Its pricing climbs quickly as you add clients, so check the limit before committing.
Found takes a different approach by combining business banking with bookkeeping. Its free tier includes real-time tax estimates, Schedule C generation, mileage tracking, and receipt capture, and its Plus plan costs $35 a month or $315 a year. For former Self-Employed users who miss quarterly tax estimates, Found is the most direct replacement for that feature. The catch is that it works best if you move your business banking to it as well.
How to switch without losing anything
If you decide to move from Self-Employed to Solopreneur, a little preparation protects the parts that do not migrate. Start by downloading your reports and transaction history, especially anything older than three years, since only three years of transactions copy over. Export your profit and loss reports for each past tax year and save them somewhere outside QuickBooks. Those files are your record if a tax question ever comes up about an earlier year.
Next, write down what you rely on that will not transfer. Take screenshots of your categorization rules, your tags, and any connected apps such as Uber or Etsy, so you can rebuild them in Solopreneur. If you use quarterly tax estimates, note the figures for the current year so you can continue calculating them yourself or with another tool. This step feels tedious, but it turns a risky switch into a routine one.
When you are ready, open your Self-Employed account and go to Settings, then Upgrade, then Choose plan, and follow the prompts. After the move, you sign in at qbo.intuit.com or through the QuickBooks Online mobile app, using the same email address you used to confirm the migration. Spend the first week checking that new transactions are being categorized correctly before you trust the reports.
Comparison table
| Tool | Best For | Free Tier | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Solopreneur (Lite) | Schedule C sole proprietors who want books and filing together | Yes, very limited Free plan | $20/mo list price |
| QuickBooks Self-Employed | Existing users who rely on quarterly tax estimates | No, closed to new customers | Existing subscribers only |
| QuickBooks Simple Start | Businesses that need an accountant login, a balance sheet, or payroll | No, 30-day trial | $38/mo list price |
| Wave | Lowest-cost invoicing and bookkeeping | Yes, Starter plan | $19/mo (Pro) |
| FreshBooks | Service businesses billing clients | No | $23/mo list price (Lite) |
| Found | Banking plus automatic tax estimates | Yes, free tier | $35/mo (Plus) |
Prices were checked on each company's own pricing page in October 2026 and change often, so confirm the current number before you buy. Introductory discounts are left out of the table, since they expire after the first few months.
FAQ
Can I still buy QuickBooks Self-Employed? No, not as a new customer. Intuit says existing Self-Employed subscribers can continue their subscription, but new customers are directed to QuickBooks Solopreneur and other plans. The Self-Employed mobile app was also removed from app stores in March 2024. If you see an offer to sign up for Self-Employed today, treat it with suspicion.
How do I log in to QuickBooks Solopreneur after migrating from Self-Employed? Sign in at qbo.intuit.com, the QuickBooks Online login, or through the QuickBooks Online mobile app. Use the same email address you used to confirm the data migration. Your old Self-Employed login will not open the new account, and Intuit says the old account becomes inaccessible once the upgrade is complete.
Does QuickBooks Solopreneur calculate quarterly estimated taxes? Not at the moment. Intuit's own comparison lists quarterly tax estimation as a Self-Employed feature that Solopreneur does not include, and its migration article says support is planned for the future without giving a date. If you pay estimated taxes, you will need to calculate them yourself or use a tool that does it, such as Found.
Is QuickBooks Solopreneur right for an S corporation? Generally no. Intuit designed Solopreneur's tax features for Schedule C filers, meaning sole proprietors and single-member LLCs that report business income on their personal return. An S corporation files its own business return and usually runs payroll, which Solopreneur does not support. Simple Start or a higher QuickBooks Online plan is the better fit.
Can I manage two businesses in one QuickBooks Solopreneur account? No. Intuit staff have confirmed that Solopreneur does not support managing multiple companies under the same account. If you run two businesses, you would need a separate subscription for each, or a QuickBooks Online plan that suits your setup. Keep in mind that upgrading from Solopreneur to a larger plan cannot be reversed.
The recommendation
For a new one-person business that files Schedule C, QuickBooks Solopreneur, now sold as Lite, is a reasonable place to start. It covers bank connections, receipts, mileage, invoices, sales tax, and built-in tax filing for $20 a month at list price. Try the Free plan first if you only want to see how it works, but expect to outgrow its two-invoice limit quickly.
If you are already on Self-Employed and depend on quarterly tax estimates or app connections like Uber and Etsy, there is no rush to switch, since Intuit has not set a deadline. If you need an accountant login, a balance sheet, payroll, or more than one business, skip Solopreneur and start on Simple Start instead. And whichever path you take, download your history before any migration, because the old account closes behind you once you move.