CPA-led books that track profit by engagement and client, keep reimbursable expenses billed and never leaking, recognize revenue on retainers and milestones as work is delivered, and give you partner distributions that reconcile.
We keep your books current, track profit by engagement and client, keep reimbursables billed, and recognize retainer and milestone revenue as it is earned, so partners see real margin and distributions that reconcile.
What it is. A CPA-led team keeps your books current every month: transactions categorized, every account reconciled, revenue and cost tracked by engagement and client, reimbursables tied to the work that generated them, and financial statements delivered on a fixed date.
Who it is for. Consulting firms past the solo stage: management, strategy, IT, HR, and specialist advisory practices billing on retainers, fixed fees, and multi-month engagements, run by partners who split profit and need the numbers to hold up.
What generic bookkeeping misses. Consulting books have to separate real engagement margin from billable rate, keep reimbursables from leaking, recognize retainer and milestone revenue as it is earned, and support partner draws. Generic bookkeeping blends all of it into one number.
Corviniti provides monthly bookkeeping to consulting firms. The service is flat-priced: we categorize your transactions, reconcile every bank, credit card, and loan account, book payroll from your provider, and deliver financial statements on a fixed date, with revenue and cost tracked by engagement and client so the numbers tell you which work is actually worth doing. The team is led by a CPA with Big Four experience.
Watch
How we keep consulting firm books
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Bookkeeping for consulting firms, in three minutes
3 min
How we track profit by engagement and client, keep reimbursables billed, recognize revenue on retainers and milestones, keep partner distributions clean, and what onboarding and cleanup look like.
0:00Why consulting firms need specialized bookkeeping
0:40Profit by engagement, not billable rate
1:25Reimbursables that get billed and do not leak
2:10Retainer and milestone revenue recognition
2:55Our satisfaction guarantee
Transparent Pricing
Consulting firm bookkeeping: pick a plan
Flat monthly pricing sized to your firm. Each plan keeps the books current and reconciled; the higher tiers add engagement-level profitability, KPI reporting, and hands-on support as the firm grows.
Basics
Simple, accurate bookkeeping every month. Best for solo owners with < $50k monthly expenses.
Every plan is flat monthly and month to month, with no long-term contract. Catch-up and cleanup, if you need it, is a separate one-time project quoted up front. Volume above the Professional tier is quoted to scope, so contact us for a specific number.
How We Help
What you get
On a consulting engagement, you get books that show real margin by engagement and client, keep reimbursables billed, and give partners distributions that reconcile, kept current every month by a CPA-led team.
Monthly books, reconciledEvery bank, card, and loan account reconciled to the statement, transactions categorized, and statements delivered on a fixed date.
Engagement and client profitabilityRevenue and cost, including consultant and subcontractor time, tracked by engagement and client so you see true margin.
Reimbursable trackingTravel, subcontractor, and pass-through costs tied to each engagement and matched to what was billed back, so nothing leaks.
Revenue recognitionRetainers, fixed-fee milestones, and multi-month engagements recognized as work is delivered, with prepaids in deferred revenue.
Utilization and realizationBillable versus non-billable hours and realized value pulled from Harvest, BigTime, or Kantata alongside the financials.
Partner-ready recordsDraws, distributions, and capital accounts kept clean so profit splits are defensible and K-1s hand off easily.
When companies bring us in
You cannot tell which engagements or clients actually make money once delivery cost is counted.
Reimbursable travel and subcontractor costs are leaking into overhead instead of being billed back.
Retainers and milestone fees are booked as revenue when invoiced, so your monthly profit swings with billing, not work.
Partner draws, distributions, or capital accounts do not reconcile, and tax season is a reconstruction.
The economics
Utilization to realization to recognized revenue
Two ratios decide a consulting firm’s economics, and the books track both. Time logged captures billable hours against hours available; utilization is billable divided by available; realization is collected divided by the standard rate; and recognized revenue lands by engagement, on retainers and milestones. A high utilization rate on low realization means the firm is busy on work it is not fully paid for, which is why both are tracked monthly and per engagement. Reimbursable expenses are billed through to each engagement, and partner draws are kept separate from profit, so profitability by engagement and by client is a number you can actually read.
The utilization-to-realization chain for a consulting firm. Illustrative.
This is for you if
You cannot tell which engagements or clients actually make money once delivery cost is counted.
Reimbursable travel and subcontractor costs are leaking into overhead instead of being billed back.
Retainers and milestone fees are booked as revenue when invoiced, so your monthly profit swings with billing, not work.
Partner draws, distributions, or capital accounts do not reconcile, and tax season is a reconstruction.
What you get
Monthly books, reconciled Every bank, card, and loan account reconciled to the statement, transactions categorized, and statements delivered on a fixed date.
Engagement and client profitability Revenue and cost, including consultant and subcontractor time, tracked by engagement and client so you see true margin.
Reimbursable tracking Travel, subcontractor, and pass-through costs tied to each engagement and matched to what was billed back, so nothing leaks.
Revenue recognition Retainers, fixed-fee milestones, and multi-month engagements recognized as work is delivered, with prepaids in deferred revenue.
Utilization and realization Billable versus non-billable hours and realized value pulled from Harvest, BigTime, or Kantata alongside the financials.
Partner-ready records Draws, distributions, and capital accounts kept clean so profit splits are defensible and K-1s hand off easily.
The Detail
The gaps, and how we close each one
Service 01
Profitability by engagement and client
Billable rate is not margin. A consultant billed out at a high rate can still lose the firm money once the hours actually spent, the write-offs, and the subcontractor cost of delivery are counted. Booked into one blended top line, a firm that looks healthy can be carrying engagements that are underwater, and the partners have no way to see which ones.
How we handle it
We track revenue and cost by engagement and by client, including consultant time and any subcontractor labor charged against the work. Every month you see true margin per engagement and per client, which a firm-wide number cannot show you. That tells you which work funds the firm, which clients to keep and which to reprice, and where a fixed-fee scope is running long. We pull time and project data from the professional-services tools consulting firms use, including Harvest, BigTime, and Kantata, and reconcile it into your accounting file so engagement profit lines up with the books.
Service 02
Reimbursable expenses billed to each engagement
Travel, subcontractor invoices, software bought for a project, and other pass-through costs that should be billed back to the client leak out of messy books. A flight that never made it onto an invoice, a subcontractor bill absorbed as overhead, and the money is gone. Lost reimbursables are pure margin, because they were never yours to keep in the first place.
How we handle it
We track reimbursable and pass-through costs against the engagement that generated them, so every billable item is flagged and nothing slips into general overhead where it disappears. Expenses coded to a client are matched against what was actually invoiced back, and the gap between what you spent on behalf of clients and what you recovered becomes a number you can see each month rather than a slow leak. We work with the expense and bill tools firms use for this, including Expensify, Ramp, and Bill, so receipts and vendor invoices land against the right engagement.
Service 03
Revenue recognition on retainers, milestones, and multi-month work
A retainer paid in advance, a fixed fee collected at kickoff, and a milestone billed halfway through a project are all cash in the bank, but none of it is earned the day it lands. Recording it as revenue when it is invoiced overstates the good months, empties out the months where the work actually happens, and leaves partners unable to tell profit from cash sitting in the account waiting to be delivered against.
How we handle it
We recognize revenue as work is delivered. Retainers are earned down over the period they cover, fixed-fee engagements are recognized against milestones or percentage of completion as the scope is delivered, and multi-month engagements are spread across the months they span. Prepaid amounts sit in deferred revenue until earned, so your income statement reflects the work performed and your balance sheet shows what you still owe in delivery. That gives partners a profit number they can trust and a clear line between cash collected and revenue earned.
Service 04
Utilization and realization visibility
Two numbers decide whether a consulting firm makes money: how much of your team’s available time is billable, and how much of what you bill you actually collect at full value. Without utilization and realization in front of you, a firm can stay busy, feel productive, and still miss its margin because too many hours are non-billable or written down before the invoice goes out.
How we handle it
We bring time and billing data from your practice tools into the books so utilization and realization are visible alongside the financials. You see billable versus non-billable hours by consultant, and the difference between standard value billed and what was actually realized after write-downs and discounts. That turns staffing, pricing, and scope conversations into decisions backed by numbers, and it flags the engagements and consultants where realized value is quietly slipping, while you can still do something about it.
Not sure which engagements are actually making money once you count delivery? Talk to us, and the first clean month will show you.
Partner draws, distributions, and profit splits all depend on books that are right and reconciled. When guaranteed payments, equity draws, and year-end distributions are recorded loosely, the partners end up arguing over the math, the capital accounts drift, and tax season turns into a reconstruction of who took what.
How we handle it
We keep accrual-clean records and the partner-level detail your agreement depends on. Draws and guaranteed payments are posted to the right partner accounts, distributions are recorded against profit that has actually been earned, and each partner’s capital account is maintained so it reconciles at any point in the year. When it is time to allocate profit under your split, the numbers are already in a form that supports the allocation and hands cleanly to your tax preparer, so distributions are defensible and the K-1s are not a scramble.
Service 06
Monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations
Most consulting firm books fail in the same two places: transactions categorized wrong, and accounts that never get reconciled. Both compound, and by the time a partner meeting, a lending question, or a tax deadline forces the issue, the profit number the firm has been working off all year is wrong.
How we handle it
We run your books on QuickBooks Online or Xero on a monthly cycle. Every transaction is categorized against a chart of accounts built for a services firm, every bank, credit card, and loan account is reconciled to the statement, and payroll from your provider is booked correctly, including the employer taxes owners routinely miscount as profit. You get a profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow summary on the same date every month, with a short note on anything that moved and one batched question list instead of a drip of emails.
Service 07
Subcontractors, associates, and clean 1099s
Consulting firms rely on independent consultants, associates, and specialist subcontractors, and a disorganized contractor ledger turns January into a scramble. When contractor payments are scattered and the W-9s are missing, 1099 season becomes a reconstruction, and a contractor who should have been on payroll is a misclassification risk.
How we handle it
We track subcontractor and associate payments all year with the W-9s on file, so 1099-NEC filing at the end of January is a routine export rather than a rebuild. Payments are tied to the engagements they supported, so contractor cost flows into engagement margin instead of sitting in a general bucket. When someone is treated as a contractor but looks like an employee under the tests, we flag it, because a services firm relying on long-term associates draws exactly that kind of scrutiny.
Service 08
How we work with your firm, month to month
A fair question before hiring any bookkeeper: what does the month actually look like from your side, and how do you reach us when something comes up?
How we handle it
The work is done in QuickBooks Online or Xero, read-only bank feeds, a connection to your time and project software, and a shared inbox for the statements and bills we need. You get a fixed monthly delivery date, a standing way to reach us, video calls when a conversation beats an email, and a CPA who answers within one business day. You also get a CPA-led team at a flat monthly price a solo bookkeeper cannot match on depth, keeping your books to the standard the rest of our practice works to.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you do bookkeeping for consulting firms specifically?
Yes, consulting firms are a core part of what we do. That means tracking profit by engagement and client rather than by billable rate, keeping reimbursable expenses billed and reconciled, recognizing retainer and milestone revenue as it is earned, and keeping partner draws and distributions clean. We pull data from professional-services tools like Harvest, BigTime, and Kantata into your books.
Can you track profitability by engagement and client?
Yes, and it is usually where the value is. We track revenue and cost, including consultant and subcontractor time, by engagement and by client, so you see true margin instead of assuming billable rate equals profit. That shows you which work funds the firm and which clients to reprice or let go.
How do you handle reimbursable expenses?
We track travel, subcontractor, and pass-through costs against the engagement that generated them, so every billable item is flagged and matched against what was actually invoiced back. The gap between what you spent for clients and what you recovered becomes a monthly number, so reimbursables stop leaking into overhead where they are lost margin.
Do you handle revenue recognition for retainers and fixed-fee milestones?
Yes. Retainers are earned down over the period they cover, fixed-fee engagements are recognized against milestones or percentage of completion, and multi-month work is spread across the months it spans. Prepaid amounts sit in deferred revenue until earned, so your profit reflects work delivered and cash and revenue are never confused.
Can you keep our partner distributions and capital accounts clean?
Yes. We post draws and guaranteed payments to the right partner accounts, record distributions against profit actually earned, and maintain each partner’s capital account so it reconciles year-round. When it is time to allocate profit under your split, the numbers support the allocation and hand cleanly to your tax preparer for the K-1s.
How much does bookkeeping cost?
Flat monthly pricing based on your transaction volume, number of accounts, and whether you need cleanup first, not an hourly meter. Plans start at $350 a month. Tell us about your business and we will send a specific number, usually within one business day.
Which accounting software do you use?
Most of our clients are on QuickBooks Online, and it is what we recommend when a business is choosing a platform. We also work in Xero, and for larger or more complex companies, NetSuite and Sage Intacct. If you are on desktop QuickBooks, spreadsheets, or a shoebox, migrating to QuickBooks Online is part of setup, and you keep full ownership of the file.
Can you catch up books that are months or years behind?
Yes, and it is one of the most common ways engagements start. We rebuild from bank and credit card records, reconcile every account, and bring you current through the last closed month, then keep it current monthly. Cleanup is quoted as a one-time project alongside the monthly price.
What is your satisfaction guarantee?
If you are not fully satisfied in your first month, we refund that month’s bookkeeping fee, no hassle. That is up to a full free month to decide we are right for you. One-time catch-up and cleanup fees are non-refundable. See terms for details.
Our Guarantee
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
If you are not fully satisfied in your first month, we refund that month’s bookkeeping fee, no hassle. That is up to a full free month to decide we are right for you. One-time catch-up and cleanup fees are non-refundable. See terms for details.
Why Choose Us?
More Time for You to Run Your Business
Running a business means your time is best spent serving customers and growing, not reconciling accounts or chasing down last month’s numbers. We handle the day-to-day bookkeeping so you can stay focused on the work, with clean, reliable financials whenever you need them.
We understand how small businesses actually operate: uneven cash flow, job or project-based income, and expenses that do not fit neatly into a box. Our approach is practical and built around that reality, giving you numbers that reflect what is really happening in your business.
