Professional Services
Accounting Software for Professional Services Firms
Bill the work, not the spreadsheet. From time entry to GL — without the handoffs.
Agencies, consultancies, law firms, and engineering practices live and die by billable hours and unbilled work. IntBooks has built-in timesheets, rate cards, client retainers, milestone billing, and expense claims — tied to your GL, with profitability per project that includes unbilled time.
Why generic accounting software fails professional services businesses
The professional services accounting problems we hear every week
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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.
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WIP is invisible until month-end
Without a live view of unbilled work, you don't know which projects are bleeding margin until the management accounts surface — often weeks too late.
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Retainers are hard to track
Client deposits and prepaid retainers aren't revenue until you do the work. Spreadsheets lose track of what has been drawn down.
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Milestone billing is a manual chase
When a project pays on milestones, every stage needs an invoice, an approval, and a tie-back to the engagement letter. Manual processes drop balls.
Built for professional services
Purpose-built modules — not generic accounting
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Timesheets & billable hours
Log time against projects and tasks, marked billable or non-billable, with approval before anything is invoiced.
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Retainer & milestone billing
Record client retainers as a liability and draw them down as you invoice. Set project milestones, mark them achieved, and bill them.
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Project profitability with unbilled WIP
See each project's revenue — billed plus unbilled time — against labour, subcontractor, and expense costs.
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Expense claims & reimbursements
Staff submit expense claims with a receipt attached, from a desktop or phone browser. Approved claims post to accounts payable and are tracked against the project.
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Rate cards
Set different rates per project and per team member, and mix retainer, milestone, and time-based work for the same client.
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MyInvois for B2B services
Submit invoices to MyInvois as you issue them. Credit notes and debit notes use the matching LHDN document types.
How it works
From setup to month-end close
- 1
Set up projects
Create each project with its rate card, retainer, or milestone schedule, linked to the client.
- 2
Log time daily
Team members log time against projects and tasks from a desktop or phone browser — billable flag and notes captured in one entry.
- 3
Bill on schedule
Invoice approved time, bill milestones as they are achieved, and draw down retainers. Each invoice can be submitted to MyInvois when it is issued.
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Close with live profitability
Review project profitability, including unbilled time, before the month-end review meeting.
Real-world examples
What professional services businesses use IntBooks for
- Digital agency tracking billable hours and profitability per client project
- Law firm billing a mix of hourly and fixed-fee work with rate cards
- Engineering consultancy running milestone-billed projects alongside client retainers
- Accounting practice drawing down client retainers as monthly work is invoiced
- Architecture practice billing stage payments as project milestones are achieved
- Marketing agency tracking subcontractor and expense costs against each project
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 retainer — a prepaid deposit held as a liability and drawn down as you invoice — alongside one or more projects billed by milestone or by approved time. Each project can have its own rate card.
- How is WIP calculated in IntBooks?
- Unbilled WIP is the value of billable time that hasn't been invoiced yet, at the rate on each time entry. The project profitability report shows it alongside billed revenue and costs. It is a management figure: IntBooks does not post WIP to a balance-sheet account.
- Can my consultants log time from their phone?
- Yes, through the browser. IntBooks is a responsive web app — there is no native iOS or Android app — so staff can log time, mark entries billable or non-billable, and submit expense claims with a receipt photo from their phone.
- How does MyInvois work for professional services firms?
- First check whether you are in scope: from 1 September 2026, businesses with annual revenue below RM3 million are not required to implement e-invoicing (LHDN statement, 30 August 2026). If you are, each invoice you raise in IntBooks can be submitted to MyInvois when it is issued, and credit notes and fee adjustments use the matching LHDN document types.
Related reading & services
Outsourced services
Ready to try IntBooks for your professional services business?
IntBooks is in closed beta. Join the free waitlist and we'll invite you in and help you set up, including MyInvois e-invoicing.