Professional Services

Accounting Software for Professional Services Firms

Bill the work, not the spreadsheet. From time entry to GL — without the handoffs.

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Agencies, consultancies, law firms, and engineering practices live and die by their utilisation rate and WIP recovery. IntBooks ships native time-tracking, retainer management, milestone billing, and expense claims — all tied to your GL with real-time profitability per project, per client, per consultant.

Why generic accounting software fails professional services businesses

The professional services accounting problems we hear every week

  • Time entry, invoices, and books are three systems

    Consultants log time in one tool. The studio manager raises invoices in another. The accountant rekeys it all into a third. Errors, leakage, and disputes follow.

  • WIP is invisible until month-end

    Without a real-time WIP ledger, you don't know which projects are bleeding margin until the management accounts surface — often weeks too late.

  • Retainers leak revenue silently

    Monthly retainers, prepaid hour packages, and ongoing care agreements need a deferred revenue model. Spreadsheets get this wrong consistently.

  • Milestone billing is a manual chase

    When a project pays on milestones, every stage needs an invoice trigger, an approval, and a tie-back to the engagement letter. Manual processes drop balls.

Built for professional services

Purpose-built modules — not generic accounting

  • Time tracking & utilisation

    Native time entry with project, task, and billable/non-billable flags. Utilisation reports by consultant, by team, by month — straight from the same ledger.

  • Retainer & milestone billing

    Configure retainers as recurring revenue. Set milestone schedules with auto-triggered invoices on stage approval. Carry-forward unused retainer hours.

  • Real-time WIP & profitability

    Every time entry hits a WIP account. See profitability by project, client, or partner — in real time, not after the month closes.

  • Expense claims & reimbursements

    Consultants submit expense claims with receipt photos from mobile. Approvals route through the workflow; reimbursements post directly to payroll or AP.

  • Multi-rate cards & resourcing

    Different rates per client, per consultant, per project phase. Mix project work with retainer work cleanly on the same engagement.

  • MyInvois for B2B services

    Real-time MyInvois submission for every invoice. Credit notes, debit notes, and fee adjustments handled within the LHDN schema.

How it works

From setup to month-end close

  1. 1

    Set up engagements

    Configure each engagement with its rate card, retainer, or milestone schedule. Link to the client and the partner-in-charge.

  2. 2

    Log time daily

    Consultants log time against project and task codes via web or mobile — billable/non-billable, rate, and notes captured in one entry.

  3. 3

    Bill on schedule

    Monthly retainers, milestone triggers, and time-and-materials billing all run on auto-pilot. Each invoice goes through MyInvois in real time.

  4. 4

    Close with live profitability

    WIP reconciled to GL, utilisation report ready, partner-by-partner profitability available before the month-end review meeting.

Real-world examples

What professional services businesses use IntBooks for

  • 10-person digital agency tracking utilisation per consultant and profitability per retainer client
  • Law firm billing on hourly + fixed-fee mix with multi-rate cards and trust-account separation
  • Engineering consultancy with milestone-billing projects and monthly retainers running in parallel
  • Solo accountant managing 50 small-business clients with recurring monthly retainer fees
  • Architecture practice triggering stage-payment invoices on project milestone approvals
  • Marketing agency invoicing media spend (pass-through) separately from agency fees (revenue)

Core modules used by professional services businesses

Professional Services FAQ

Can IntBooks handle both retainer-based and project-based billing on the same client?
Yes. A client can have a monthly retainer engagement (recurring revenue) and one or more project engagements (milestone or time-and-materials billing) running concurrently. Each engagement has its own rate card and revenue recognition rule.
How is WIP calculated in IntBooks?
Every billable time entry posts to a Work-in-Progress balance sheet account at the consultant's rate. When you raise an invoice, WIP transfers to revenue. Unbilled WIP is visible by project, client, or partner — in real time, not at month-end.
Can my consultants log time from their phone?
Yes. IntBooks has a mobile-friendly web app where consultants can log time, mark entries as billable/non-billable, submit expense claims with receipt photos, and view their utilisation against target.
How does MyInvois work for professional services firms?
Every invoice raised in IntBooks submits to MyInvois in real time. For B2B clients, the e-invoice is delivered immediately; for B2C clients (rare in professional services), consolidated monthly submission is available. Credit notes and fee adjustments are also handled within the LHDN schema.

Related reading & services

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