Mobile app to support Australia’s million self-employed

“The self-employed use their time to make money and so they want a simple platform to track income and expenses, without the hassle of time-consuming data entry.”

Australia’s sole operators, freelancers and independent contractors – of whom there are approximately a million – now have access to a new and innovative mobile app that enables them to stay in control of their business finances and help them prepare for tax time, while on the go.

Australia is the first market to launch QuickBooks Self-Employed exclusively as a mobile app, taking advantage of the nation’s love of mobile with 77% smartphone uptake.*

New Australian research** on the self-employed, released by Intuit, shows that 82% of those surveyed say the availability of technology is “making it easier to become your own boss,” a trend that is expected to rise, according to Vice President and Country Manager of Intuit Australia Ms Nicolette Maury.

The same research also shows that people are increasingly taking advantage of the technology-driven on-demand economy and turning to self-employment for three main reasons:

  • easy access when away from the office (47%)
  • being able to respond to clients faster (45%)
  • improved flexibility in where on when work gets done (44%)

According to the research, majority of those who are self-employed use mobile to access business information, and over half of those surveyed (60%) want to do more business tasks on their phone, with the three most popular being storing receipts, tracking expenses, and creating and sending invoices.

Maury said that QuickBooks Self-Employed helps sole operators to “get things done” and while on the move. It also shows that 83% of self-employed say the ability to remotely access information positively impacts their business.

“The self-employed use their time to make money and so they want a simple platform to track income and expenses, without the hassle of time-consuming data entry. QuickBooks Self-Employed does just that and so much more, even enabling customers to untangle business and personal expenses, a key roadblock for the self-employed,” said Maury.

“I predict the launch of QuickBooks Self-Employed will put an end to people storing receipts in shoeboxes! Also, it will eliminate the need for keeping a paper logbook and the hassles associated with recording business trips, thanks to the auto-mileage tracking which is a global customer delighter,” she added.

QuickBooks Self-Employed enables customers to:

Automatically track mileage – all travel is automatically tracked with a phone GPS, so there is no need to touch a logbook again! Plus claim the maximum tax deductions, as every 1,000 business kilometers equals $660 in tax deductions.***

Snap and store receipts – everything is stored in one place, which makes things easier for tax time.

Profit and loss – expenses, mileage and invoices are all in one place, so customers readily have cash flow insights on their business.

Invoice effortlessly – invoices can be prepared and sent on the go, facilitating faster payment.

Easily track expenses – business and personal expenses are easily categorised by swiping left or right on the phone, making it easier to claim every deduction.

To date, 85,000 customers use QuickBooks Self-Employed (web or mobile app) across the US and UK. QuickBooks Self-Employed is downloadable from the Apple App Store or Google Play and is available for a 30-day free trial.

* PewResearch Centre http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/02/22/smartphone-ownership-and-internet-usage-continues-to-climb-in-emerging-economies/

** Self-Employed Study of 639 Australian sole operators, prepared for Intuit by Galaxy Research, September 2016

*** ATO https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Income-and-deductions-for-business/Business-travel-expenses/Motor-vehicle-expenses/Calculating-your-deduction/Cents-per-kilometre/

Inside Small Business