How was your day?
Get it off your chest.
Accountants, tax agents, bookkeepers, auditors and insolvency practitioners, in practice or in-house. Put down what you're carrying before you log off.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your manager or anyone else. Unladen Ledger is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any firm, professional body or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step away from the screen if you can. Take a few minutes. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If a client threatened or abused you
It isn't part of the job. Write down what happened and tell your manager or partner. If you're worried for your safety, contact police.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your manager, a colleague or your EAP in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your manager or partner, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of the day. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can at your desk.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the abuse
Write down what happened. You can end a client relationship that is harming you. If you're worried for your safety, contact police.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your manager or supervisor, and report it through your incident system. Threats made by phone or email count too.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you can, do something tonight that isn't a screen, and get a proper night's sleep.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Other people's money worries weigh on you too
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Tax time and deadlines
- Busy season is real, but notice if it never ends.
- Protect sleep. Tired accountants make mistakes, and know it.
- Too much work is a recognised work health and safety hazard. Raise it before it becomes a risk.
Clients in financial distress
Clients bring you debt, tax bills, failing businesses and separations. You carry some of it home.
- You can't fix every client's situation. Pointing them to help is part of the job.
- The Small Business Debt Helpline (1800 413 828) and the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) give free financial counselling.
- Notice if you're taking clients' stories home.
When a client talks about harming themselves
- If they're in immediate danger, call 000.
- Stay calm, keep them talking if you can, and encourage them to call Lifeline (13 11 14).
- Afterwards, debrief with someone. You did what you could.
When a client dies or loses their business
- You may have known a client for years. It's OK to grieve.
- Insolvency and restructuring work means being there for a lot of endings. It adds up.
- Talk to a colleague who understands.
When something doesn't sit right
- Write down what you were asked to do, when, and by whom.
- Your professional body has standards and support for exactly this.
- Whistleblower laws protect people who report certain wrongdoing. Get advice before you share details.
Angry or abusive clients
- You can end a call or meeting that becomes abusive.
- Write down what happened.
- You can end a client relationship that is harming you.
After a mistake in your work
- Tell someone straight away. Most errors can be fixed when found early.
- Don't try to hide or quietly patch it.
- Talk to your insurer or professional body if needed.
- Tell someone you trust how you're feeling.
Running your own practice
- Running a practice alone can be very isolating.
- NewAccess for Small Business Owners (03 9250 8305) offers free mental health coaching.
- Find peers: a study group, a network, another sole practitioner.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading logging on
- Checking and rechecking long after work
- Replaying client calls at night
- Working every weekend in busy season
- Pulling back from people
Carrying other people's financial worries day after day wears you down. That's a normal response, not a weakness.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist. CA ANZ members can get free confidential counselling through CA Wellbeing. Check what your professional body offers.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through your manager
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your firm can add its own EAP, mentoring and wellbeing contacts here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called. Most firms have one.
- Your professional body. CA ANZ members get free counselling through CA Wellbeing. CPA Australia and the tax and bookkeeping bodies also have member support.
- A mentor or peer outside your firm. Someone who has been there.
- NewAccess for Small Business Owners. Free coaching if you run your own practice, 03 9250 8305.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Whistleblower laws protect people who report certain wrongdoing. Get advice before you share details.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"I think I've made a mistake on a client's return."
"I'm being asked to do something that doesn't feel right."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- Your professional body can give confidential guidance on ethical questions.
- A whistleblower report is protected by law. You can ask about confidentiality before you share details.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example at your desk or on the train home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Ledger
Unladen™ Ledger is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any firm, professional body or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Ledger that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026