Consultants and consulting firms
Accounting software for consultants: hours, retainers and clients abroad
Bill the hours you work, take retainers before you start, and invoice clients in their own currency. AcboBooks tracks time by client and service, holds prepayments as a liability until you earn them, and records foreign-currency invoices at the exchange rate.
For independent consultants and small consulting firms in the US and Canada, for $399.99 once. No monthly fee that grows with your client list.
No card, no account. Windows 10 and 11. United States and Canada.
What it means
In practice
Hours become invoices
Log billable hours against a client and a service at your rate. Unbilled time waits outside the books until you put it on an invoice.
Retainers stay a liability
A retainer is a customer deposit, not income. Apply it to invoices as you bill; what is left shows the work you still owe.
Clients in other currencies
Invoice a Canadian client in CAD from a US company, or a US client in USD from a Canadian one. The rate is recorded, and a payment at a different rate posts the exchange gain or loss.
Hours and expenses billed on one invoice.
Know your effective rate, not just your hourly one
Log every hour, billable or not. The time report by customer shows which clients take hours you never bill.
Bring in a subcontractor for part of a project and pay them as a vendor. Their 1099-NEC or T4A is ready at year-end from the bills you already entered.
What is in the licence
The whole job, in one price
Time
Billing
Money
Year-end
Income by client and service, any period.
What it does not do
· Time is entered on the PC; there is no phone or browser timer.
· Windows 10 and 11 for now (a Mac version is coming soon); no phone app.
· It imports your bank's statement file rather than connecting live to the bank.
Questions people ask
Before you download
Can I invoice in US and Canadian dollars?
Yes. Give the customer their currency and enter the rate on the invoice. The receivable is tracked at that rate, and when the payment arrives at a different rate the difference posts as an exchange gain or loss.
How do I handle a prepaid annual engagement?
Defer it in Revenue Recognition with the number of months it covers. AcboBooks moves an even share into income each month.
Can it charge GST/HST or sales tax on my fees?
Yes, set the rate on your service items. Whether you need to register depends on your revenue and where you and your clients are; your accountant can confirm.
Can I use it alone, without payroll?
Yes. Payroll and inventory stay out of the way until you need them. Invoices, expenses and the bank reconciliation are the core.
Coming from something else?
How it compares to what you use now
Get started
Every billable hour on an invoice.
Log a week of time in the trial and turn it into an invoice.
No card. No account. Nothing to cancel.