The receipt side of a small business, handled on your phone
This page starts with the limit rather than the pitch. HeyJerni is not accounting software. It does not do GST, BAS, payroll, invoicing or multiple users, and if you need those, you need a proper accounting package. What it does is the part those packages are worst at: catching the receipt at the moment of purchase, on the phone in your hand, and keeping it attached to the expense until you need it.
Where small business records break down
- The accounting package is on the laptop and the receipt is in the carpark. By the time you are back at the desk, the paper is somewhere else.
- Small purchases never make it in. Under fifty dollars, paid for at a counter, and gone from memory before the end of the day.
- The owner's card and the business card blur. One person doing everything means one card doing everything, more often than not.
- The bookkeeper gets a shoebox. Or worse, a shoebox and a spreadsheet that disagree with each other.
How HeyJerni sits next to your accounting software
1
Capture at the point of purchase
Photograph the receipt where you are standing. On-device AI reads the supplier, amount and date and keeps the image with the record.
2
Let Apple Pay purchases log themselves
A one-time Shortcuts automation records the merchant and amount as you tap, so the small purchases stop disappearing.
3
Separate business from personal
Every expense carries a purpose, and mixed ones carry a work-use percentage. Merchant memory keeps the recurring suppliers sorted.
4
Hand a clean set to your bookkeeper
Export a financial-year PDF summary, a CSV of every expense, and the receipt images. They reconcile from that instead of from a shoebox.
What tends to go in the records
Common business expenses for a small operation, drawn from ATO guidance. Each needs a record showing the supplier, the amount, what it was and the date. What is deductible for your business, and how GST affects it, depends on your circumstances; the ATO and a registered tax agent or BAS agent are the sources.
- Stock, materials and consumables
- Tools, equipment and depreciation on larger assets
- Rent, utilities and the running costs of a workspace
- Software, subscriptions, phone and internet
- Advertising, website and marketing costs
- Professional fees: accounting, legal, insurance, memberships
- Bank and merchant fees
- Work travel, parking and accommodation
HeyJerni is a record-keeping tool, not tax advice.
A two-minute Friday routine
- 1Open Records and tap Unreviewed.
- 2Confirm category and purpose on the week's purchases.
- 3Scan the receipts still in the bag, the van or the till drawer.
- 4At 30 June, run Record Check and export the pack for your bookkeeper or agent.
What HeyJerni does not do
- GST and BAS. If you are registered, you need accounting software for that.
- Invoicing, quoting, debtors or payroll.
- Multiple users, staff access or approvals. It is a single-person app on a single phone.
- Bank feeds or reconciliation. Nothing is connected to an account.
Frequently asked questions
Can HeyJerni replace Xero or MYOB?
No. If you are registered for GST, invoice customers, or employ anyone, you need accounting software. HeyJerni handles receipt capture and expense records on the phone, which is a different job.
Can my bookkeeper have access?
Not to the app, because there is no account and no shared login. You export a financial-year pack as files and send it to them, which is a format they already work with.
Can two of us use it?
Not on shared records. Each phone keeps its own records, and there is no sync between devices.
Does it handle GST on receipts?
It records the amount you paid and keeps the receipt image, which shows the GST. It does not calculate GST positions or prepare a BAS.
Is it free for business use?
Yes. There is no per-user pricing and no subscription. The free version shows a banner ad and a one-time purchase removes it.
Where is the data stored?
In an encrypted database on the iPhone. There is no cloud copy, so exporting a backup archive periodically is worth building into the routine.
Try it on this week's receipts
Download HeyJerni, scan what is in the bag, and see whether the receipt side gets easier before you change anything else.