Guide

How do I do bookkeeping on WhatsApp?

By Mart Metsjoe, founder of Bukuzi · Updated October 24, 2026

Short answerSave the Bukuzi number in your phone and chat with it like any contact. Send a photo of each receipt or a short voice note such as “sold three cakes, $90 cash”. Bukuzi reads it, shows you what it understood, saves it as a sale or expense, and builds your monthly summary. No app to install.

Step by step

Save the number. Open bukuzi.com, tap Start on WhatsApp and say hi.
Send a receipt or voice note. Snap a receipt or say what you sold or spent.
Check and confirm. Bukuzi shows what it understood; reply to fix anything.
See your numbers. Type “summary” or open the dashboard for sales, costs, profit and who owes you.

Why small businesses keep their books on WhatsApp

Most small business owners already run their day on WhatsApp: customers, suppliers and staff are all there. Opening a separate accounting app at the end of a long day is the step that gets skipped, which is how receipts end up in a shoebox until tax season. Keeping the books in the same chat removes that step.

What you can send

Receipt photos. Bukuzi reads the shop, date, total and items, and sorts the cost into a category such as materials, fuel or supplies.
Voice notes (up to 45 seconds). “Two haircuts and a color, $140, one paid by card.”
Plain text. “Paid rent 1,400.”
Questions. “Summary” or “how much profit this month?”

Bukuzi always shows you what it understood before saving, so you can correct anything with a quick reply.

What you get back

A dashboard you open in your phone browser with sales, costs, profit, costs by category and who still owes you money. You can share the same records with your accountant, so they get clean numbers instead of a bag of receipts.

What it costs

Plans are paid monthly in US dollars: Starter $5 (receipts, voice notes, sales and expenses, weekly and monthly summary), Business $12 (adds invoices, quotes, who owes you, bills with reminders and Excel export) and VAT Pro $19 (adds VAT summaries and accounting-software exports). Every plan starts with 2 weeks free, and accountants use their dashboard for free.

Try it free for 2 weeks. Just say hi on WhatsApp.

Start on WhatsApp

Questions

Do I need to download an app?

No. Bukuzi works inside WhatsApp. You save the number and chat with it. Reports open in your phone browser.

Is WhatsApp bookkeeping accurate enough for taxes?

Bukuzi keeps the day-to-day records and shows you each entry before saving. Your accountant still checks them and files your taxes; they simply start from clean, organized records.

Which languages work?

English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, French, Portuguese and Swahili, in text or voice notes.

What does it cost?

From $5 a month after a 2-week free trial. Accountants use it for free.