Where your records live.
Staff and clients, shifts, payments, and reminders are stored on your device. You can use the core app offline without a Household Pay account.
Optional cloud sync adds a copy in your own Apple or Google account. Your operating system may also include app data in device backups. Files you export or send are separate copies with their own destinations.
- Export
- A PDF or CSV ZIP for reading, printing, or spreadsheets.
- Encrypted backup
- A file protected by your passphrase that the app can restore.
- Cloud sync
- Optional cloud storage through iCloud on iOS or Google Drive on Android.
Two profiles, two ledgers.
Household Pay has two profiles: Household for people who hire help, and Staff GIG for people who work in other people’s homes. Each keeps its own ledger on your device. Switch between them in More → Profile.
Everything on this page applies to the profile you’re using. Exports, encrypted backups, restores, reminders, and deletions never reach into the other profile. Currency and appearance are the exceptions: they apply to the whole app.
Export a readable copy.
- Open More (•••) → Export data, or Export my work in Staff GIG.
- Choose Share CSV (ZIP) or Share PDF Report on iOS; Share CSV or Share PDF on Android.
- Wait for preparation, then save or send the file using your device’s sharing options.
Every export includes all of the current profile’s staff or clients, shifts, payments, and reminders, and nothing from the other profile. It is not restricted by the person or date filters in Reports. Appearance settings and active punch-clock timers are not included.
PDF and CSV files are not password-protected by Household Pay, and cannot be imported as an app backup. Review their contents before sharing. A receipt or invoice shared from a payment is an image of that one payment, not a complete export.
Create an encrypted backup.
- Open More → Backup & restore.
- Enter and repeat a passphrase of at least eight characters. Choose one you can store securely; the app does not save it for you.
- Select Create encrypted backup. On iOS, then choose Save or send backup; Android opens the sharing options after creating the file.
- Save the archive somewhere you can access if you lose this device. Keep the passphrase separately.
The archive contains the current profile’s staff or clients, shifts, payments, and reminders. Back up each profile separately if you use both. It is separate from cloud sync and operating-system backups. We cannot recover a forgotten passphrase. If you still have the records in the app, you can create a new backup with a new passphrase.
Restore a saved backup.
- Open More → Backup & restore → Choose a backup file….
- Make sure you’re in the profile the backup came from, then select your encrypted Household Pay backup and enter its passphrase.
- Choose Restore this backup. Read the confirmation—Replace everything? in Household, Replace your Staff GIG data? in Staff GIG—before choosing Replace.
- Review the restored records.
A backup can only be restored into the profile it came from. If you choose a Staff GIG backup while using Household, or the reverse, the app explains which profile to switch to.
Keep the original file until you have checked the result. If it cannot be opened, confirm that it is an encrypted app backup, that the passphrase is correct, and that your app is up to date. A PDF or CSV ZIP cannot be restored this way.
If cloud sync is enabled, changes to your restored records may also reach the cloud and other connected devices. Check which copy you want to keep before restoring.
Choose whether to sync.
iCloud on iPhone & iPad
Open More (•••) → iCloud sync and enable Sync with iCloud. Use the same Apple Account on your devices. Staff and clients, saved shifts, payments, and reminders use your private iCloud database; active punch-clock timers stay on their original device. iCloud sync covers both profiles, and each keeps its own ledger.
Check the status in the sync screen. If you are not signed in, sign in through your device’s Settings. For connection or storage problems, check your internet connection and iCloud storage. The account being available does not by itself verify that every recent record has finished syncing.
Turning off sync is not a request to erase every cloud copy. Deleting the app also does not guarantee removal from iCloud. Manage iCloud app data and device backups separately in your Apple Account settings.
Google Drive on Android
In the Household profile, open More → Cloud sync → Connect Google Account and allow the requested Drive access. Household records are stored in private app storage, separate from your normal Drive files. Google Drive sync is available in the Household profile only; in Staff GIG, the row reads “Cloud sync is available in the Household profile.” Keep an encrypted backup of your Staff GIG records instead. You do not select a visible Drive folder.
Use Sync now and review the status. If access needs renewing, choose Reconnect Google Account. To recover a cloud snapshot, use Restore from Cloud: this replaces the local records, as the confirmation explains.
To stop syncing, choose Disconnect, then either Disconnect, keep the copy or Disconnect and delete the copy. The first leaves the Drive copy available; the second requests its removal. Check for an error or completion message before assuming a cloud deletion succeeded.
Delete records and their copies.
Inside the app
Use each record’s edit or delete controls. Deleting a staff member or client deletes their linked shifts and payment history; marking them inactive keeps that history. Deleting records in one profile never affects the other. Deleting a payment makes its linked shifts unpaid again. Review reminders separately after removing staff.
On your device
On Android, clear Household Pay’s app storage in Settings or uninstall it. On iOS, Delete App removes the app and local data; Offload App keeps documents and data. Save anything you need before doing either.
Outside the app
Delete exports and encrypted archives from the places you saved them. Shared recipients control their own copies. Manage device backups with Apple, Google, or your backup provider; restoring an older backup can bring back deleted records.
Disconnecting sync or uninstalling does not automatically delete every cloud copy. On Android, use the Drive deletion choice described above. On iOS, manage the app’s iCloud storage separately. Other devices and existing backups may still hold records.
For information you sent to Support, email support@householdpay.app. We cannot remotely erase your device, personal cloud storage, or recipients’ files.
Before changing devices.
- Finish any active punch-clock session on the old device and save the shift.
- Create an encrypted backup of each profile you use, save them outside the device, and confirm you have their passphrases.
- On another Apple device, use the same Apple Account and enable iCloud sync. On Android, connect the same Google Account and review Restore from Cloud before replacing local records. A saved encrypted backup is also available through Backup & restore.
- Check the records on the new device before removing anything from the old one. Review reminder permissions and appearance settings separately.
For a move between iOS and Android, there is no automatic cloud handoff. Keep your original device and backup until the destination app has accepted the file and you have checked the records. Contact Support if you need help with compatibility.