Separate retainers, milestones and finished work
We maintain a record of client agreements, accepted deliverables, invoice dates and receipts. A retainer schedule shows amounts received and the work or charges associated with them. The appropriate accounting treatment is reviewed instead of assuming every advance is immediately earned.
A customer purchase-order requirement or approval contact belongs with the invoicing process. Capturing it early can reduce the gap between delivering work and entering the customer payment queue.
Give outside costs a project home
Freelancers, licensed assets, printing, travel and other direct costs need consistent client references. Reimbursable costs should remain identifiable against the agreement rather than being automatically marked up or netted against revenue. We can show project contribution before the shared overhead of running the studio.
Illustrative example: a design package with extra revisions
A Victoria studio agrees a $9,000 package before tax and plans $3,200 of direct collaborator costs. The client requests an extra production round that would cost another $650. Recording the request separately from approved scope shows the owner what must be priced or absorbed before work continues.
Keep reporting proportionate to the team
A small studio may need only a few useful project categories and a monthly review of unbilled work. A larger team may require department or client reporting. We tailor the process to reliable inputs and flag tax questions involving out-of-province customers for separate review.
Questions about this work
Can retainers be tracked by client?
Yes. We use the agreement, invoices and delivery records to maintain an explainable client balance.
Do you need everyone to log detailed time?
The detail depends on the reporting goal. Any time-based profitability measure needs reliable supporting time records.
Put this into practice
A practical next step
Bring the records you have.
We can identify missing information, agree on the scope and organize the next bookkeeping step.
Request a bookkeeping review