Currently available for select engagements

Hire Bookkeeper for Consulting Firms

The owner of a consulting firm did not start it to reconcile accounts.

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Consulting Firms — Bookkeeper

A senior bookkeeper for consulting firms

The owner of a consulting firm did not start it to reconcile accounts. The books here cover engagement fees, expenses, and subcontractor specialists, split by client. That is the bookkeeper's job: a set of books that is current, categorised, and ready for review whenever it is needed.

What breaks first is visibility. Proposals, interview notes, and deliverables compete with the billable work itself. Without monthly reconciliation, the owner cannot tell which work is profitable, which clients pay late, or what the next tax bill will look like.

Rather than a year-end rescue, the first project is a single clean month: transactions categorised, accounts reconciled, and a report that shows where the business actually stands. That month becomes the template.

The calendar is set by engagement profitability is reviewed at close-out, with work-in-progress checked monthly. The books live in QuickBooks Online and time-tracking exports. The books live in QuickBooks Online and time-tracking exports.

What you get

What this engagement covers for consulting firms

Chart of accounts and categorisation — Transactions are categorised against a chart built for this business: engagement fees, expenses, and subcontractor specialists, split by client. Categories match how the owner thinks about the business, not a generic template.
Invoicing and receivables — The invoicing routine matches how the business actually charges: engagement invoices at milestones, with expenses billed separately. Ageing reports show who owes what, and follow-ups are sent on a rhythm the owner approves.
Payables and expenses — Payables are tracked per supplier and per job, with due dates visible and payments approved by the owner. The books show what is owed, not just what was paid.
Payroll and contractor pay — Staff and contractor pay is handled as part of the monthly close: consultants on salary plus day-rate associates paid per engagement. Payroll figures reconcile to bank payments, and contractor invoices are tracked per person.
Monthly close and reports — Month-end means reconciled accounts and a readable report: what came in, what went out, what is owed, and what stands out. The owner sees the business, not a ledger dump.
Tax-season preparation — Tax season is prepared for all year: engagement profitability is reviewed at close-out, with work-in-progress checked monthly. Records are kept in a form an accountant can use directly, so year-end is a review, not a reconstruction.

The systems consulting firms businesses actually run

Built on your stack, not on top of it

A practical setup is straightforward: QuickBooks Online and time-tracking exports, connected bank feeds, and a shared folder for receipts and invoices. The owner keeps full access to their own books throughout.

There are limits to the role, and they protect the owner: bookkeeping is recording and reporting, not tax advice or audit. Returns and advice stay with a licensed professional, fed by books that are actually ready.

The first project should have a visible finish line: a month closed cleanly, with reconciliation done and a report the owner understands. That close is what turns a trial into a routine.

Timing is driven by engagement profitability is reviewed at close-out, with work-in-progress checked monthly. Billing follows the pattern of engagement invoices at milestones, with expenses billed separately. What is on offer is strategy, operations, and specialist advice.

How it works

From kickoff to delivery for consulting firms

Books review and cleanup
Existing books are reviewed: what is categorised, what is reconciled, and what is missing. Cleanup comes before routine, so the monthly close starts from true balances. For consulting firms, that includes engagement fees, expenses, and subcontractor specialists, split by client.
Chart and routines set up
The chart of accounts and monthly routines are set up around the business's real activity, with categorisation rules and a receipt routine the owner can actually follow. For consulting firms, that includes engagement invoices at milestones, with expenses billed separately.
Monthly close
Each month closes on a rhythm: transactions categorised, accounts reconciled, invoices and payables reviewed, and a short report produced for the owner. For consulting firms, that includes consultants on salary plus day-rate associates paid per engagement.
Tax-season readiness
Records are kept ready all year, so tax season is a handover of organised files to the accountant, not a frantic reconstruction of twelve months. For consulting firms, that includes engagement profitability is reviewed at close-out, with work-in-progress checked monthly.

Why Omer

Why hire Omer

Tax-season readiness built in — records are kept in a form an accountant can use directly For consulting firms, that means engagement fees, expenses, and subcontractor specialists, split by client.
No invented figures, no estimates dressed as facts — reconciled numbers only, with unusual items flagged, not smoothed over For consulting firms, that means engagement invoices at milestones, with expenses billed separately.
Your books, your access — work happens in the owner's own accounting software, fully visible at any time For consulting firms, that means consultants on salary plus day-rate associates paid per engagement.
Reports the owner can read — income, spending, receivables, and payables in plain language, not ledger dumps For consulting firms, that means engagement fees, expenses, and subcontractor specialists, split by client.
One clean close before any long commitment — the first month proves the routine before the rhythm continues For consulting firms, that means engagement invoices at milestones, with expenses billed separately.

Outcomes

What changes in practice

What changes in practice is visibility. Instead of guessing from a bank balance, the owner sees monthly income, spending, receivables, and payables, and can spot a late payer, a rising cost, or a profitable line of work before it becomes a surprise.

Invoicing runs as engagement invoices at milestones, with expenses billed separately. Staff pay follows consultants on salary plus day-rate associates paid per engagement. Day to day, proposals, interview notes, and deliverables compete with the billable work itself.

That is the standard this engagement is measured against: reconciled books and readable reports, not hours logged. <a href="/hire/">Browse all hire engagements</a> or <a href="/contact.html">discuss your books</a> directly.

FAQ

Questions, answered

What does the chart of accounts cover for consulting firms?

The books here cover engagement fees, expenses, and subcontractor specialists, split by client. Categories follow how the business actually earns and spends, so monthly reports read as business sense rather than accounting jargon.

How does invoicing work for consulting firms?

Engagement invoices at milestones, with expenses billed separately. Outstanding invoices are reviewed monthly, so late payers surface while a follow-up can still recover them.

What do you need to start?

Access to the existing books and bank feeds, plus a short conversation about how the business charges, pays staff, and handles receipts. Cleanup comes before routine.

How are late-paying customers handled?

Receivables ageing is reviewed monthly, and follow-ups go out on a schedule the owner approves, so late payers surface early rather than at year-end.

How often are the books updated?

Transactions are categorised through the month, and the books close monthly with reconciliation and a short report. Nothing is left to accumulate until year-end.

Currently available for select engagements