Self-employed · sole traders · one-man operations
Tradesman Software for Self-Employed UK Sole Traders
If you work for yourself — one van, your own tools, your own customers — WrkGenie is built around how you actually work. Quote from your phone before you leave the drive, invoice on site the moment the job is done, and see exactly who still owes you. No office, no admin assistant, no complicated setup.
“I built WrkGenie after seeing how much time service businesses waste on admin, spreadsheets, and chasing payments.”
Built for UK electricians, plumbers, cleaners, and mobile service businesses
WrkGenie is live and accepting new users — built for UK trades and service businesses
Perfect for:
Running a trade business on your own
When you're self-employed, you're the one doing the work and the one chasing the invoices. There's no one else to handle the admin — and it usually ends up getting done at 9pm when you're tired, or on a Sunday morning when you should be doing something else.
The jobs most self-employed tradespeople need to get done quickly, between actual work:
- Quoting new jobs— ideally while you're still at the customer's property, or the same evening. Every day a quote sits unsent is a day it might go to someone else.
- Sending invoices immediately — not at the end of the week. Invoices sent the same day the job is done get paid significantly faster than ones sent days later.
- Tracking who has paid— and following up on the ones who haven't without it becoming an awkward conversation.
- Keeping customer details organised — so when a landlord rings about a property you visited eight months ago, you can actually find the record.
- Having a clear view of the week — especially when jobs run over, emergency callouts come in, and the diary needs rearranging.
WrkGenie handles all of this from your phone, so you can deal with admin in the five minutes between jobs rather than blocking out an evening for it.
Things that matter when you're self-employed
Self-assessment and HMRC records
As a sole trader, you're responsible for your own self-assessment tax return. Having all your jobs, invoices, and payments in one searchable place — rather than across paper receipts, a spreadsheet, and old emails — makes pulling together your annual figures considerably less painful. WrkGenie isn't accounting software, but it keeps your business records clean.
CIS invoicing for subbies
If you work as a sub-contractor under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), your invoices need to show your UTR number and be structured correctly for CIS deductions. WrkGenie's invoice format accommodates this — you're not trying to shoehorn a UK CIS invoice into a template designed for a US freelancer.
VAT registration threshold
When your turnover approaches the VAT threshold (currently £90,000), invoices need to change format. WrkGenie handles the switch — turn on VAT in your settings and invoices update automatically to show VAT registration number, VAT lines, and correct totals. Use the VAT calculator to model the impact on your pricing.
Pricing your work correctly
As a sole trader, you need to factor in your own time for quotes, travel, materials, and the quiet weeks. The hourly rate calculator and guide to pricing a job cover the full calculation, including overhead, downtime, and margin.
No per-user pricing
Most job management tools are priced per user. When you work alone that's fine — but the moment you bring on an apprentice, a second engineer, or a part-time admin, the cost doubles. WrkGenie Core is a flat monthly fee. The Pro tier adds team features when you need them, but there's no per-seat surprise.
For your trade specifically
WrkGenie covers the UK's most common self-employed trades — each page covers the specific jobs, terminology, and workflows for that trade:
Useful guides for self-employed tradespeople
- How to invoice clients correctly in the UK
- How to quote a job in the UK
- How to price a job as a sole trader
- Best job management software for UK sole traders (comparison)
- Moving from spreadsheets to job management software
WrkGenie is field service management software built specifically for the sole-trader end of the market — not adapted from an enterprise platform.