Bookkeeping for design and creative studios
Retainers, deposits, subcontractors and a pile of software subscriptions. We keep them straight each month, so you can see what each client is worth and get your evenings back.
Why studio books get messy
A studio does not sell one thing the same way twice. One client pays a monthly retainer. Another pays a deposit up front and the balance on delivery. A freelancer is paid on one project and not the next. Left alone, those payments blur together.
We record each kind the way it works, so a deposit is not mistaken for finished revenue and a subscription you forgot about does not keep billing unseen.
What makes these books different
Retainers and deposits
A deposit is money you hold until the work is done. We keep it separate from revenue, so your books show what you have earned and what you still owe in work.
Subcontractors
Freelancers and partner studios paid through the year, with each payment recorded against the project it belongs to.
Software subscriptions
Design tools, hosting, stock libraries and storage recorded as they bill, so the monthly total is never a surprise.
Profit by client
Costs tagged to the client or project, so you can see which work pays and which takes more than it earns.
How we set up your books
Retainers and deposits recorded apart
Money received ahead of the work kept separate from money earned.
Clients as a tracking category
Income and costs tagged by client or project, so you can see which ones pay.
Subcontractor records
Payments to freelancers and other studios tracked all year.
A subscription list
Software and tool charges recorded in one place, so each is visible.
Compliance we keep on top of
Payroll for your first hires
Source deductions, ROEs and T4s handled when a designer or assistant joins the payroll.
GST and PST returns
Filings prepared from the books each period. Which rules apply to your work is a question for CRA or BC's Ministry of Finance.
Year-end handoff
We prepare your year-end records. Corporate tax returns are prepared and filed by a licensed CPA.
Common questions
Which studios do you work with?
Interior design, graphic design, branding, photography and video, run by an owner who is still doing the books at night.
Can you keep track of unpaid invoices?
We handle receivables and payables as part of the monthly work, so you can see who owes you and what is due.
What happens at year end?
We prepare your records and hand them over. Corporate tax returns are prepared and filed by a licensed CPA.
See your estimate in a few minutes.
Answer a few questions and see your monthly price on the spot, before you give a name or an email.
Get an estimate