The Next Generation of PayTax: Our Story Continues

Updated At : Mon, Sep 14, 2026

A few years ago, a side project I took on over Christmas brought GST registration, invoicing and bookkeeping into my everyday life. As a software developer, my instinct was simple: if software could do the work, I wanted to spend less time doing it manually.

That was how PayTax began. What started as a tool for my own needs became something I could share with self-employed people and side hustlers across New Zealand. The idea was always straightforward: spend less time on the books and leave more time for work and life. If you missed the beginning, you can read “PayTax: Our Story”.

Now, it is time for the next chapter.

Why rethink PayTax after several years of use?

Using PayTax over the years has made the everyday frustrations of bookkeeping clearer to me. Even with a tool to record income and expenses, sorting receipts, reading the details and entering them one by one still takes time.

Meanwhile, AI has advanced remarkably quickly. Tasks that once depended on manual input can now be handled by software in new ways. For PayTax, this opens up the possibility of moving from helping you keep records to doing more of the recording for you.

The original PayTax, however, was not designed around AI. Its interface and workflows were no longer a good fit for this approach. Making AI a natural part of everyday bookkeeping meant rethinking the product experience.

That is where the next generation of PayTax began.

A modern interface that works better on your phone

The new version introduces a cleaner, more modern UI, with clearer information and more intuitive everyday interactions. The aim is to make it easier to find what you need and focus on your books.

Mobile usability is also a key part of this update. Bookkeeping does not always happen at a desk. Sometimes it happens between jobs or just after you receive a receipt. The new version adapts its layout and interactions for smaller screens, making PayTax more convenient to use through your phone’s browser.

AI receipt recognition that creates records automatically

One of the biggest changes in the next generation of PayTax is AI receipt recognition.

Give PayTax a receipt, and AI can read its information and automatically create the corresponding bookkeeping record, reducing the need to enter details one field at a time. The work of moving between a receipt and an entry form becomes simpler.

The goal is practical: help a receipt become a record more quickly, and make it easier to keep your books up to date.

A new business partner and a stronger foundation

As part of this next chapter, PayTax has also found a business partner.

Our partner will provide technical support and commercial server infrastructure for the new version, supporting a more stable service and continued improvements. For a product that began with one person’s needs, this is an important step. It gives me a stronger foundation to keep building PayTax.

Looking ahead: a dedicated mobile app

Alongside the mobile-friendly web experience available in the new version, we also plan to introduce a dedicated mobile app, making PayTax an even more convenient part of everyday work and life.

The standalone app is a future plan and is not included in this release. We will share more when there is further news.

An invitation to our existing users

Thank you to everyone who has used and supported PayTax over the years. Your support has helped a tool built to solve my own problem continue to grow.

We welcome existing users to migrate to the new version and experience its modern interface, improved mobile usability and AI-assisted bookkeeping. As the technology changes, the purpose remains familiar: help self-employed people and side hustlers in New Zealand spend less time on their books and more time on their businesses and lives.

From that first Christmas idea, the PayTax story continues. I am glad to have you with us for the next chapter.

Important — please read before migrating: Data created in the new version after migration cannot be viewed in the old version. Returning to the old version will not make those new records accessible there. Please therefore treat this as an irreversible migration, and proceed only once you understand and accept this limitation.