The short answer
For an independent NDIS support worker who wants to track expenses, receipts and travel in the same app they invoice from, Sparks Scribe is our pick: it puts an Add Expense line and travel kilometres straight onto the invoice (from the $15 a month Essentials plan, including GST), and adds a dedicated Receipt Vault and a kilometre log on the $20 a month Vault plan, so the claim and its evidence live together. ShiftCare also logs mileage and lets you attach receipt photos, but every plan has a five-licence minimum. Bugal lists expense tracking, with no travel log on its public pages. EasyAs can invoice travel kilometres but does not capture or store the expenses. Astalty handles travel inside case notes and is priced for coordinators. Disclosure: we make Sparks Scribe.
The unglamorous truth of working for yourself is that the money you spend counts as much as the money you earn. Petrol and parking on the way to a shift, the movie tickets or cafe bill from a community-access outing, the box of gloves, the tolls, the kilometres in your own car. Miss the receipt or forget the trip, and you either eat the cost or scramble at tax time. This guide compares six Australian tools by name on one job: tracking expenses, receipts and travel for independent support work. In order, they are Sparks Scribe, ShiftCare, Bugal, EasyAs, Astalty and Visualcare.
One thing up front: we make one of these apps. Sparks Scribe is our product, built by Sparks Support Pty Ltd, so read our verdict on it knowing that, and check every competitor claim against the vendor's current public pages. Every competitor detail below was collected from each product's public website or help pages in July 2026. Where we could not verify something, we say "not verified" rather than guessing.
How we compared these apps on expenses and travel
Plenty of apps will invoice for you. Far fewer help you capture the spending and the travel behind the invoice, and keep the evidence somewhere you can find it later. So instead of counting features, we asked the same four questions of every tool:
- Can you add an expense to the invoice? A cafe bill or a set of tickets from a community-access shift needs to land on the invoice as its own line, not get lost. We checked whether there is an explicit way to add an expense (and travel) to what you bill.
- Where do the receipts live? A photo of a receipt is only useful if you can find it months later. We looked for a dedicated place to store receipts, not just a note that says you spent something.
- Is there a kilometre or travel log? Travel is the expense every support worker has, and the one most easily forgotten. We checked for a way to log distance and turn it into a travel line on the invoice.
- What does one person actually pay, and who is it built for? Licence minimums and coordinator or agency pricing count against a tool for a sole trader, even when the expense features are present.
We also noted data storage where the vendor states it. Everything was checked against official public pages in July 2026; prices and features may have changed by the time you read this. We do not apply NDIS price-guide caps for you, and neither claim here assumes any particular travel rate; you set your own rate and check the current NDIS pricing arrangements.
1. Sparks Scribe: best overall for keeping expenses, receipts and kilometres in one place
Full disclosure first: this is our product. Sparks Scribe was built in Australia for independent NDIS support workers, not agencies, so it is deliberately narrow. On expenses and travel, the point is that everything lives in the one app you already use to write notes and invoice, which means the claim and the evidence for it never drift apart.
Start with the invoice. The invoice builder has an Add Expense option, so a cafe bill or a set of tickets from a community-access shift goes on as its own line. It also has an Add Travel option that drops a travel code and the distance in kilometres onto the invoice automatically. Both are part of the NDIS-coded invoicing included on the $15 Essentials plan, so you are not paying extra just to bill your travel.
Then the evidence. The $20 Vault plan adds a Receipt Vault (a shipped module where your receipts are stored and organised rather than buried in your camera roll), a kilometre log for recording trips, plus tax tools, a document vault, automatic service agreements and Xero sync. That combination is the reason we rank it first here: the expense line, the receipt behind it and the kilometres travelled all sit in the same place, ready at tax time or if a plan manager queries an invoice.
One honest limit: you set your own rates, and Sparks Scribe applies the right code for the day and time worked, but it does not apply NDIS price-guide caps on your behalf. Check the current pricing arrangements for what you can claim. On the record: a 5.0 rating on the Australian App Store, more than 90,000 shifts booked through the platform, data stored in Australia, and a 14-day free trial with every feature unlocked and no card required.
Our verdict: the strongest single-app option for a sole trader who wants to capture expenses, receipts and travel next to the invoice. It leaves out team rostering and payroll; if you need those, ShiftCare below carries mileage and receipt tools too, but behind a five-licence minimum.
2. ShiftCare: mileage and receipt photos, behind a five-licence minimum
On features, ShiftCare's help pages describe travel and expense capture in the mobile app. Staff can log mileage, including GPS tracking for trips, add expenses, and attach photos of receipts and odometer readings that are time and date stamped. You can invoice hours, mileage and expenses as separate lines.
The catch for a sole trader is the pricing floor, and it is a big one. ShiftCare is built for agencies and charges per licence with a minimum of five licences on every plan, even if you are the only person on the account. Pricing starts at $9 per licence per month, but invoicing requires the Professional plan, which works out at $65 to $75 a month excluding GST for one person, depending on billing. You pay as if you had a team of five to unlock the mileage and receipt tools you would use alone.
Our verdict: ShiftCare's pages list mileage and receipt-photo capture, but it is priced for teams: five licences minimum, with invoicing on Professional at $65 to $75 a month excluding GST for one person. For a solo worker, that is the cost of a team of five for tools one person would use alone. See our full Sparks Scribe vs ShiftCare comparison.
3. Bugal: expense tracking listed, no travel log published
Bugal is a platform for Australian independents, and unlike some tools here it does name expenses directly. Its public pages list expense tracking as a core feature across every tier, and the dashboard is described as giving a real-time view of income and expenses, with an estimate of what to set aside for tax. For a sole trader, that expense-and-income view is the most relevant thing on the page.
What we could not verify is the travel and receipt side. Bugal's public pages do not mention a kilometre or mileage log, and they do not detail how or where receipts are stored. Pricing is a free plan capped at two invoices a month, then Solo at $35 a month, which is more than double Sparks Scribe's $15 entry plan; the pages do not state whether prices include GST, and Bugal describes itself as a web-based, mobile-first platform, with no App Store or Google Play listing mentioned as of July 2026.
Our verdict: a solo-focused, web-based tool that lists expense tracking on its public pages, but with no travel log and no receipt-storage detail there, and a $35 solo price more than double Sparks Scribe's $15 entry plan.
4. EasyAs: can invoice travel kilometres, but does not capture the expenses
EasyAs, the NDIS invoicing product from EasyAs Provider Invoicing Pty Ltd at easyasinvoicing.com.au, does one job: NDIS invoicing. That is relevant here in one specific way. Because every NDIS item number is pre-loaded and auto-updates with the latest pricing, the support types include travel and travel kilometres, so you can put a travel-kilometre line on an invoice. It also syncs invoice data with Xero and MYOB.
The gap is the expense capture behind the invoice. EasyAs is an invoicing tool, not an expense or receipt manager: across its website and both app-store listings we found no mention of storing receipts, a receipt vault, or a separate kilometre or mileage log to record trips as you go. You can bill the travel, but the record of where the money went, and the photo of the receipt, has to live somewhere else. The pages do not state whether prices include GST, and EasyAs's privacy policy states that personal information may be transferred to countries outside Australia, including the United States and European Union.
Our verdict: it can put travel kilometres on an invoice through its pre-loaded NDIS item numbers, but it covers the invoice, not the receipts or the travel log behind it. You will need a second place to store the evidence.
5. Astalty: travel handled in case notes, built for coordinators
Astalty is a platform for NDIS support coordinators and providers. On travel, its own material describes building the case-noting section with travel in mind, so you add notes and further charges like travel and kilometres and specify the support type provided. So travel does get captured, but as part of a case note rather than through a standalone kilometre log.
For expenses and receipts specifically, we could not verify a dedicated expense-capture flow or a receipt store from Astalty's public pages as of July 2026, so we are not going to claim one. The bigger issue for a sole trader is the economics: the standard seat is $64 per user per month, and the restricted support-worker profile is $30. That price reflects a coordination and provider feature set, so if your week is shifts, expenses and travel, you are paying for depth you will not use.
Our verdict: captures travel inside case notes, but with no separate kilometre log or receipt store verified on its public pages, and pricing aimed at coordinators ($64 standard seat, $30 support-worker profile). See our Sparks Scribe vs Astalty comparison.
6. Visualcare: agency platform, nothing published on this feature
Visualcare is a care-management platform aimed at organisations rather than sole traders. Its public pages talk about rostering, participant profiles, worker compliance, payroll and claims for care teams, and pricing is by request-a-demo rather than published rates. That is a different buyer to the one this guide is written for.
On the specific job here, tracking expenses, receipts and travel for one independent worker, we found nothing to report. Visualcare's public pages do not mention expense tracking, a receipt store, or a kilometre or mileage log as of July 2026, so we cannot verify how it handles any of them, and there is no self-serve price a sole trader could sign up to. We are including it for completeness rather than as a realistic option for a solo worker.
Our verdict: an agency platform with no public detail on expenses, receipts or a travel log and no published price for one person. Not a practical fit for a sole trader tracking their own spending.
The comparison at a glance
Collected from public pages in July 2026. "Price for 1 person" means the real monthly cost for a sole trader, not the headline per-user rate.
| App | Add expense to invoice | Receipt storage | Kilometre / travel log | Price for 1 person | Built for solo workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks Scribe | Yes, Add Expense line, plus Add Travel (code + km) on the invoice | Yes, Receipt Vault (Vault plan) | Yes, kilometre log (Vault plan) | $15/month incl GST (Essentials); Receipt Vault + km log on $20 Vault | Yes |
| ShiftCare | Yes, expenses and mileage on the shift, invoiced separately | Yes, attach receipt photos to a shift, time/date stamped | Yes, mileage, including GPS tracking | $65 to $75/month ex GST (Professional, min 5 licences) | No, built for teams |
| Bugal | Expense tracking listed; invoice-line detail not stated | Not detailed on public pages | Not mentioned | Free (2 invoices/month) or Solo $35/month (GST treatment not stated) | Yes |
| EasyAs | Travel-kilometre NDIS item can be invoiced; no expense capture | No, invoicing only | No separate log; travel billed via NDIS item numbers | $19.95/month website ($19.99 in-app); GST treatment not stated | Partly, invoicing only |
| Astalty | Travel and km added inside case notes | Not verified on public pages | Travel via case notes; no separate log verified | $30/month support-worker profile ($64 standard seat) | No, built for coordinators |
| Visualcare | Not published | Not published | Not published | Pricing on application (demo only) | No, built for agencies |
All details collected from each vendor's public website or help pages in July 2026 and simplified for comparison; prices and features change, so check the vendor's own pages before deciding. "Not verified" or "not published" means we could not confirm the detail from official public pages and chose not to guess.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app for tracking support work expenses and receipts in Australia?
For a solo independent NDIS support worker, Sparks Scribe is our pick because it keeps the expense, the receipt and the kilometres in the same app you invoice from. You can add an Add Expense line and travel kilometres straight onto the invoice from the $15 a month Essentials plan (including GST), and the $20 a month Vault plan adds a dedicated Receipt Vault and a kilometre log. Disclosure: we make Sparks Scribe. ShiftCare's app also logs mileage and lets you attach receipt photos, but every ShiftCare plan has a five-licence minimum. Bugal lists expense tracking but no travel log on its public pages.
Can I add an expense to an NDIS invoice?
In Sparks Scribe, yes. The invoice builder has an Add Expense option, and an Add Travel option that puts a travel code and distance in kilometres onto the invoice automatically. Both are part of the NDIS-coded invoicing included on the $15 a month Essentials plan. EasyAs can invoice travel kilometres because its NDIS item numbers are pre-loaded, but it is an invoicing product and does not capture or store the underlying expenses. Sparks Scribe sets your own rates and applies the code for the day and time worked; it does not apply NDIS price-guide caps on your behalf, so always check the current pricing arrangements.
What is a receipt vault and which app has one?
A receipt vault is a place inside the app to store the receipts behind your expenses so they are organised and ready at tax time or if a claim is queried. Sparks Scribe has a Receipt Vault as a shipped module, on the $20 a month Vault plan (including GST), alongside a kilometre log, tax tools, a document vault and Xero sync. ShiftCare's mobile app lets staff attach receipt photos to a shift, time and date stamped. On Bugal, Astalty and Visualcare public pages we could not verify a dedicated receipt store as of July 2026.
How do I log kilometres or claim travel as an independent support worker?
Keep a travel log with the date, purpose, distance and any receipts, and put the travel on your invoice. Sparks Scribe keeps a kilometre log (a shipped module on the $20 a month Vault plan) and can add a travel code with the distance in kilometres to the invoice when you select Add Travel. ShiftCare's app records mileage, including GPS tracking. EasyAs can invoice travel kilometres through its pre-loaded NDIS item numbers. Astalty adds travel and kilometres inside its case-noting section. You set your own travel rate, so check the current NDIS pricing arrangements for what can be claimed.
What is the cheapest app to track expenses and receipts for a sole trader support worker?
The published entry prices we verified in July 2026 are Sparks Scribe at $15 a month including GST (Add Expense and travel kilometres on the invoice, with the Receipt Vault and kilometre log on the $20 Vault plan), EasyAs at $19.95 a month on their website ($19.99 via in-app purchase, invoicing only), Astalty at $30 a month for its support-worker profile ($64 for a standard seat), Bugal Solo at $35 a month, and ShiftCare at $65 to $75 a month excluding GST because of its five-licence minimum. Bugal also lists a free plan capped at two invoices a month, and Visualcare does not publish pricing.
Does ShiftCare track mileage and receipts?
Yes. ShiftCare's help pages describe logging mileage in the mobile app, including GPS tracking, attaching receipt photos and odometer readings that are time and date stamped, and invoicing hours, mileage and expenses separately. The catch for a sole trader is the pricing floor: every ShiftCare plan has a minimum of five licences, and invoicing requires the Professional plan, which works out at $65 to $75 a month excluding GST for one person, depending on billing. You pay as if you had a team of five.
Do independent support workers need to keep receipts and a travel log?
Yes. Receipts and a travel log are your evidence if a plan manager, participant or the NDIA ever queries an invoice, and they are what your accountant needs at tax time. Keep the date, the purpose, the distance travelled and the receipts. Keeping them in the same app you invoice from means the claim and its evidence live together; in Sparks Scribe that is the Receipt Vault and kilometre log on the $20 a month Vault plan.
Where is my data stored with these apps?
It varies, and you should check each vendor's privacy policy before entering client or financial information. Sparks Scribe stores its data in Australia. EasyAs's privacy policy states that personal information may be transferred to countries outside Australia, including the United States and European Union. We have not verified the hosting locations of ShiftCare, Bugal, Astalty or Visualcare, so ask before you commit.