The real value is choosing accounting software that fits your business and filing method and that you can keep using — sign-up and contract cashback is just a bonus on top

Points from accounting software: "choose the right software that you'll actually keep using, then sign up via the portal" — that's everything

For freelancers and sole proprietors in Japan, accounting software is the infrastructure for annual tax filing and day-to-day bookkeeping. Cloud accounting software such as freee, Money Forward Cloud, and Yayoi Cloud sometimes offers free sign-ups or paid-plan contracts as points-site sign-up offers, and paying the monthly or annual fee with a cashback payment method makes it even better.

But there is something more important than points to consider when doing "poikatsu" with accounting software: choose software that fits your filing method (blue or white return), business scale, and bookkeeping ability, and that you can keep using every year without strain. Signing up for software that doesn't fit, just for the cashback, will leave you struggling with data entry and switching halfway through — or abandoning it entirely. This article covers the topics specific to accounting software — cloud vs. installed type, blue/white return support, comparison axes for the three major products, what to check in free trials, and how to capture cashback from routing and payments. For how to file taxes, see the tax-filing how-to article; for freelancers in general, see the freelance/sole proprietor article; for the difference between accounting software and household budget apps, see the household budget app article.

Cloud vs. installed type: which is better for freelancers?

Accounting software is divided into "cloud type" and "installed type," with very different characteristics. Points-site sign-up offers are currently concentrated almost entirely on cloud-type software, but it's important to first clarify which type suits you.

For freelancers and sole proprietors who want to reduce manual entry by automatically importing from bank accounts and credit cards, cloud type is the better fit. Points-site sign-up offers are also concentrated on cloud type. However, cloud type comes with ongoing monthly or annual subscription costs, so whether you can sustain the fee is also a selection criterion. Installed type has a larger upfront cost, but may have lower running costs in the long run if the features and usability suit you. Which to choose should be based on how you work, not the size of the portal cashback.

Accounting software isn't only for freelancers and sole proprietors. When a company employee has a side job and needs to file a tax return, managing the side-job income and expenses in cloud accounting software makes the filing-season tallying much easier. In cases where you need to record business income or miscellaneous income separately from salary income, the cloud type, easy to input even between main-job tasks, suits well. While the side job is small, a budgeting app or free plan may suffice, and the need to file and the income classification vary by your situation, so confirm with the tax office or a professional if unsure. For tax filing and points play related to company-employee side jobs in general, see the side-job article too. Organizing which account or card — main job or side job — you link at the start keeps your input from getting mixed up.

Blue return vs. white return: your filing method determines what you need from software

Before choosing accounting software, it's critical to confirm whether you file a blue return (or plan to) or a white return. The features you need from the software differ significantly depending on your filing method.

• If you use or plan to use the blue return (65,000-yen deduction): Double-entry bookkeeping is required, and you must produce blue-return financial statements (balance sheet and profit-and-loss statement). You need to choose accounting software that supports these. freee, Money Forward Cloud Kakutei Shinkoku, and Yayoi all support the blue-return 65,000-yen deduction, but the double-entry input method and the accuracy of auto-journaling vary by software. It's important to actually try them during a free trial.
• If you file a white return: Single-entry bookkeeping (revenue-and-expense breakdown) is sufficient, and the software requirements are simpler. However, even white-return filers have a bookkeeping obligation, so you still need features to manage income and expenses. If you plan to switch to blue return in the future, starting with blue-return-capable software from the beginning will save migration effort.
• Qualified invoice system (Qualified Invoice Issuing Business): If you are a consumption-tax taxable business or a Qualified Invoice Issuing Business, you need to choose software that supports the qualified invoice system (issuance and storage of qualified invoices). This doesn't apply to tax-exempt businesses, but check it in the context of your future business plans.

freee · Money Forward · Yayoi: comparison axes for the three major products

The three major cloud accounting software products for freelancers and sole proprietors differ in design philosophy and the type of user they suit best. Fees change over time — please check the current pricing at each official site. Here we organize the comparison axes for features and characteristics.

No single product is objectively superior — you need to choose based on your level of bookkeeping experience, the banks/cards you want to link, your support needs, and your outlook for future business scale. The best approach is to try them through free trials and test the actual data entry. Also, the cashback rate for points-site offers varies by software and timing — check the latest at Pointnavi. For details on selfback (earning cashback by applying yourself), the selfback article is also a useful reference.

Which software fits also changes by your business form. For example, if you run an online shop, sales have many deposit routes (malls, payment agents, etc.) and transaction counts tend to grow, so software with high linkage and auto-journaling accuracy makes tallying easier. The needed functions (inventory management, invoice issuing, expense types) also differ between product sales that hold inventory and inventory-free service or contract work. Writing out what kinds of transactions your business handles a lot, then confirming in a free trial that the software handles those transactions well, is the sure way. For preparation around opening an online shop in general, see the online-shop opening guide too. Prioritize functions that fit your business form, and take the referral reward on top of that — that's the order.

5 things to confirm during the free trial

All major accounting software products offer a free trial period. Using this period to determine "whether you can keep using it" is the core of choosing software. Here are the key points to check during a free trial.

1. ① Does the bank/card automatic linkage actually work?Check whether the banks and credit cards you mainly use are covered by the linkage. The more accounts and cards that can't be linked, the more manual entry you'll have. Linkage accuracy can vary by financial institution, so testing it for real is essential.
2. ② Auto-journaling accuracy and how easy corrections areCheck which account category linked transactions are auto-journaled to. There are often many mis-journaled entries at first — see whether they're easy to correct and whether accuracy improves with a learning function. How stress-free it is to correct journaling directly affects whether you'll keep using it.
3. ③ The flow to complete blue-return documentsTry whether you can progress through creating the tax return document without getting lost. If you're using the blue-return 65,000-yen deduction, confirm during the trial period that the balance sheet and profit-and-loss statement output correctly.
4. ④ Support for issuing qualified invoices and sales invoicesIf you're a Qualified Invoice Issuing Business, check whether there is a feature for issuing qualified invoices. Being able to create and manage invoices within the software allows you to integrate this with your bookkeeping, which is very convenient.
5. ⑤ Support quality and cancellation termsTest the response time and quality of chat, phone, and email support. Many free trials automatically switch to a paid plan after the period ends, so confirm the cancellation procedure and timing in advance and note it in your calendar.

Once you've decided "I'll keep using this software" after the free trial, follow the next steps to capture portal cashback and payment cashback.

Routing sign-up/contract and annual payment: how to capture cashback

Once you've decided which software to use, it's time to leverage the points site. The qualifying conditions for accounting software portal cashback vary significantly between "sign-up-only" and "completion of a paid plan contract required." Checking in advance is essential.

One knack for maximizing accounting software's effect is keeping a business credit card and bank account separate from your private ones. Consolidating business payments onto one card and one account linked to the accounting software keeps auto-journaling from mixing with private spending, making expense management much easier at once. Furthermore, making the business card a rewards-earning one puts a reward on the expense payments themselves. New issuance of a business card is sometimes a point-site referral offer, letting you take both the issuance reward and daily payment rewards (credit card sign-up cashback guide). That said, get only the number of cards you need, planfully. The judgment of what can be an expense involves tax matters, so consult a professional if unsure.

Failures specific to accounting software — and how to avoid them

• Chose "beginner-friendly" software but couldn't understand double-entry bookkeeping needed for the blue-return 65,000-yen deduction: Even beginner-friendly software like freee requires understanding double-entry bookkeeping concepts to use the blue-return 65,000-yen deduction. The software guides you through the steps, but if you have no idea what journaling means, you can't judge how to fix errors. It helps to first learn the basics of blue-return filing before tackling the software.
• Found that the main bank you use can't be automatically linked: The list of financial institutions available for linkage differs by software. Many people sign up without checking during the free trial whether their main bank or credit card is on the linkage list — and end up with large amounts of manual data entry. Always check the list of supported financial institutions before signing up.
• Chose a plan that doesn't support qualified invoices: Already a Qualified Invoice Issuing Business, but didn't notice when signing up that the plan doesn't support qualified invoice issuance, or that invoice features cost extra. When choosing a plan, always confirm "does it include qualified invoice support and invoice issuance features?"
• Free trial ended and automatically switched to paid: Many free trials automatically migrate to a paid plan after the period ends. Confirm the cancellation method during the trial period, and if you don't plan to continue, note the cancellation deadline in your calendar — this is a fundamental step.
• Signed up without routing through the portal, earning zero cashback: The qualifying condition is "completion of a paid plan contract," but only a free sign-up was completed, so the portal tracking didn't register. Also, if you wait a long time after clicking through the portal before applying, the session may expire and the routing becomes invalid. Complete the application immediately after clicking through the portal.

Mini glossary — key terms for accounting software

Below are the terms that underpin this article's main thread: "choose software that fits your filing method and business scale and that you can keep using, then layer portal cashback and payment cashback on top of your contract." Fees, offers, and regulations change over time — check the latest at each official site and at Pointnavi. For specific tax judgments, consult a tax accountant or other professional.

Terms, fees, and regulations can change. Consult a professional for specific judgments. Related articles: tax-filing how-to · freelance/sole proprietor · household budget app.

Frequently asked questions