A few days ago I showed what Declaruur can already do. Time for the other side of the story: what’s still to come, and what has been added to the plans over the past few days. Spoiler: the list hasn’t got any shorter. It has got more fun, though.
But first: Declaruur has a film! Half a minute, starring a man pulling his hair out. Sound familiar? Then you know exactly why this app is coming. The video is in Dutch.
With everything I build, I keep three things in mind. Robust: the app simply has to work, every day, even when you quickly enter something with dirty hands. Calm: a clean Apple design, without flashing buttons, pop-ups or other distractions. And intuitive: on every screen I think of the freelancer who is busy enough already. If you have to think about it, I haven’t done it right.
Smart touches
First, what’s already in there, and what you might not expect:
Not every job is the same! Declaruur makes a functional distinction between private and business clients, with the right VAT settings and that sort of thing.
Smart address lookup: look up an address and instantly see the distance and travel time from where you are, with one tap to Apple Maps or CarPlay.
No hassle with your logo: no need to dig up your logo for the settings, Declaruur simply pulls it from your website.
Duplicate? Declaruur spots it: a warning when you enter a client with a name or email address that already exists.
Super-smart search, in everything! Even when you make typos: Declaruur thinks along with you.
And much more!
What’s still to come
Timesheets and expenses
A neat timesheet as a PDF in your own style, emailed or printed straight away
The client signs for approval on your iPhone or iPad, soon also with the Apple Pencil
Tracking expenses: materials, recurring items, mileage and receipts
Smart and self-employed
A counter for the Dutch hours criterion (1,225 hours)
Warnings if you work too much for one client (false self-employment)
A reminder when you haven’t entered any hours yet
A timer, also in the menu bar of your Mac
New on the list
iPhone Duo: a layout for folded, unfolded and half-folded, so that your client can sign on the bottom half, for example
iCloud: a clear message when your iCloud is full, photos reduced automatically, and an overview of how much space Declaruur uses
Recommending Declaruur: one tap to share the app with a colleague, with a QR code you can show full screen to scan
The final stretch
A welcome screen and colour themes of your choice
Feedback & suggestions from within the app, plus a manual and release notes on declaruur.nl
15 days free trial, then €19.95 once
Testing on iPhone and iPad, in portrait and landscape, and then: submitting to Apple
Dzień dobry!Здравей!
The Netherlands is home to more than 241,000 people of Polish and 61,000 of Bulgarian origin (CBS, Statistics Netherlands, 1 January 2024). Together, they could fill the Johan Cruijff ArenA more than five times over. And according to Statistics Netherlands, about one in eight working people born in another European country is a freelancer. That’s a lot of loose scraps of paper, in a lot of languages. That’s why I’m seriously considering making the app in Polish and Bulgarian too, and in English. This website already speaks those languages: pick your flag at the top right.
And Android?
The same question keeps coming up: will Declaruur also come to Android? Honest answer: I’m starting to consider it seriously. But it’s not a matter of pressing a button. An Android version is a separate app, built with different technology, and that means a few things:
Apple first: the Android version will only come after the launch on iPhone, iPad and Mac
No iCloud: syncing via iCloud doesn’t work on Android. Your data then stays on your own device or goes through other storage of your own, such as Google Drive. Syncing between an iPhone and an Android device is therefore not possible.
Bought separately: Apple and Google don’t share purchases. If you want to use Declaruur on both, you buy it separately in each store.
Not everything is possible: some parts are truly Apple, such as the Mac version with the timer in the menu bar and signing with the Apple Pencil. These are dropped on Android or work differently.
Would you like an Android version? Let me know below. The more votes, the sooner it goes from “considering” to “building”.
Your opinion really counts
You don’t make an app for freelancers just behind your desk. I read every message sent via Feedback & suggesties (feedback & suggestions) or the contact form myself, and I really do reply. Missing something, or could something be easier? Let me know; I seriously consider every suggestion. Chances are you’ll see it in a future version.
I’m still aiming for 1 December for the App Store. After that, it’s up to Apple; I just hope the reviewer sleeps well that week.
1 December is a nice date anyway: that’s also when I officially start my own business. It will be called The Jumping Fox, and Declaruur will be the first cub to leave the den.
Had enough of loose scraps of paper too? Leave your email address below and you’ll be the first to know as soon as you can download Declaruur. One address, one button, zero spam.
For now, the app is in Dutch. English is also being considered: leave your email address and we’ll keep you posted.
Time for a first status update on the development of Declaruur. It’s coming along nicely. So nicely, in fact, that the app already looks pretty much finished. It definitely isn’t; you only notice that when you press a button that doesn’t lead anywhere yet. To put it in building terms: the foundation is laid. The roof isn’t on yet and the window frames are still in the van, but you can already stand on it just fine.
Below is a short overview of what has already been built, and what still needs to be done. Spoiler: that second list isn’t any shorter.
What Declaruur can already do
Tracking hours
Enter hours per client: from–to, break, description, billable or not, also for an earlier day.
A note with formatting, photos and files for every job.
Own work: hours without a client, such as admin or tidying up the van. You choose the description from your own list, and your business name appears in the overviews.
Hours are rounded to the quarter or half hour if you want, and the default break is filled in for you.
Overviews
Today: what you did today, with the total hours and amount, and your logo.
Week: the current week from Monday to Sunday, browsing by week and by day.
History: find, filter and sort everything, edit or delete several lines at once.
Export to Excel, optionally with the notes, photos and files in a zip.
Clients
Up to 25 active, unlimited inactive.
Private or business, with name, short description, contact person, email, phone, address, Chamber of Commerce number, hourly rate and VAT.
Look up an address, and the distance and travel time from where you are, with one click to Apple Maps or CarPlay.
Smart search on everything, typos included.
The latest job and all previous jobs per client.
A warning for duplicate names or email addresses.
Settings
My business: details and logo, with checks on phone number, Chamber of Commerce number, VAT number and website. The logo can also be fetched from your own website.
Hours: rounding and default break.
Clients: private or business by default, own work on or off, and distance and travel time on or off.
Display: animations on or off. Advanced: ‘Continue where you left off’.
iCloud status: whether everything is in sync, and on which Macs, iPhones and iPads Declaruur is running.
General
Everything is kept in sync between your devices via your own iCloud.
A trash bin with a warning, and windows in the app’s own style that you can drag around.
After a restart, you continue where you left off.
A test button to add dummy data or erase everything; it will disappear before the App Store release.
A look inside the app
For those who prefer looking at pictures to reading lists (very understandable). The app is in Dutch, so the screenshots are too:
Today: total hours and amount, with your logo.
Week: the current week, browsing by week and by day.
History: find, filter and sort everything.
Clients: rate, VAT and the latest job in one list.
My business: details and logo, with checks on Chamber of Commerce number, VAT number and website.
Settings: your own list of descriptions, rounding and default break.
iCloud status, from the settings.
Entering hours: client, from–to, break and description.
Editing hours, with the client’s details alongside.
All jobs per client.
A note with formatting, photos and files for a job.
iCloud status: on which Macs, iPhones and iPads Declaruur is running.
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Click an image to view it full size.
What still needs to be done
Still in Settings
Sign-off: the client signs for approval on your iPhone or iPad.
Calendar link: jobs automatically in your calendar.
Auto-save, as an option.
Major parts
Expenses: materials, recurring items, mileage and receipts.
Timesheets: a neat PDF in your own style, emailed or printed straight away.
Reminders: a nudge when you haven’t entered any hours yet.
Self-employment: a counter for the Dutch hours criterion (1,225 hours), and a warning if you work too much for one client (risk of false self-employment).
Timer: start and stop, also in the menu bar.
First launch: a welcome screen and choosing a colour theme.
Feedback & suggestions, plus a manual and release notes on declaruur.nl.
Trial and purchase: 15 days free, then €19.95 once. In TestFlight everything is unlocked, with a test menu.
Finishing and release
Testing the iPhone and iPad versions, in portrait and landscape, and later also on the foldable iPhone.
Removing the test buttons, and submitting Declaruur to the App Store.
Meanwhile, the marketing department (that’s me too) is going all out: the business cards have been ordered, and I’ll soon be leaving flyers at DIY stores, among other places. Spot a Declaruur flyer somewhere between the screws and the sealant tubes? Feel free to take one. Or two, for a colleague.
I still expect Declaruur to be in Apple’s App Store on 1 December, but unfortunately there are no guarantees. I’ve already done some testing, and Apple’s ‘Review’, the approval (or rejection 🥺), can sometimes take quite a while. Somewhere in California, someone decides when my baby is allowed out. I just hope that person slept well that night.
In short: watch this space! And don’t forget to sign up below, it’s really simple, and you’ll get a heads-up as soon as Declaruur can be downloaded. One email address, one button, zero spam. Easier than tracking your hours. Well, easier than tracking your hours without Declaruur.
For now, the app is in Dutch. English is also being considered: leave your email address and we’ll keep you posted.
After more than a quarter of a century of happily working as an employee, it’s time for a new chapter: from 1 December 2026 I’m running my own business. With fresh energy, I’ve already started raising my baby: Declaruur.
Declaruur is an app for every self-employed professional: the carpenter, the painter, the installer and the freelancer behind the laptop. You keep track of your hours, expenses, mileage and notes for each client, and create a neat timesheet in just a few taps. No more scraps of paper in the van, no more puzzling on a Sunday evening. Klaar & declaar, as we say in Dutch: done and billed.
It feels great to be building things on my own again: dreaming it up, building it, testing it. And with a bit of luck, it’ll earn me a few pennies too.
Declaruur is coming soon to the App Store, for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A one-time €19.95, no subscription, made for freelancers working in the Netherlands. Want a heads-up as soon as you can download it?
