INDUSTRY SOLUTION

ERPNext for Professional Services &
Consulting
โ€” Manage Projects,
People, and Profitability in One Place

Professional services firms โ€” IT companies, management consultants, CA firms, architects, and agencies โ€” struggle to track billable hours, manage project profitability, and invoice accurately. ERPNext gives you complete project and resource management with timesheet-based billing, retainer management, and real-time profitability โ€” at zero licensing cost.

โ‚น0

LICENSE COST

19+

YEARS GLOBAL

20,000+

BUSINESSES

Delhi

NCR BASED

SERVICES INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

The Profitability Leaks in Professional Services

Billable hours leak through the cracks. Project margins erode before you notice. Retainer invoices get raised late or not at all. ERPNext automates all of it โ€” timesheet capture, project profitability, retainer invoicing, and resource allocation.

โฐ

Billable hours slip through the cracks every month

Consultants forget to log time, or log it inaccurately โ€” leading to under-billing and margin erosion that compounds every month.

โ†’ ERPNext: Timesheet module where team members log time daily against projects. Managers approve before billing. Nothing slips.
๐Ÿ’ฐ

We don't know which projects are profitable until it's too late

Project profitability is calculated at completion, by which time all the margin has already been eroded.

โ†’ ERPNext: Real-time project P&L โ€” cost incurred vs budget vs revenue recognised at any point during the project.
๐Ÿ“„

Retainer clients get inconsistent billing

Monthly retainer invoices are raised manually, often late, sometimes missing, and always reconciling differently from the contract.

โ†’ ERPNext: Retainer invoicing automation โ€” invoices raised on the defined date every month with the correct amount and GST.
๐Ÿ‘ฅ

Resource allocation is done in WhatsApp and email

No systematic view of who is allocated to which project and who has capacity for new work โ€” leading to overloaded staff and idle bench.

โ†’ ERPNext: Resource allocation view โ€” who is on which project, capacity utilisation by person, and available bench by skill.
๐Ÿ”Ž

Clients dispute invoices because there's no supporting timesheet

"We didn't take 40 hours for this โ€” show me the proof." Without structured timesheets, disputes are settled by concession.

โ†’ ERPNext: Timesheet-backed invoicing โ€” every invoice line links to approved timesheets that can be shared with the client.
๐Ÿ›๏ธ

GST on services, TDS deductions, and advance adjustments are manually tracked

Client-wise TDS deductions, advance adjustments against retainers, and GST on professional services all tracked in spreadsheets.

โ†’ ERPNext: GST on services auto-calculated, TDS deduction at invoice creation, advance receipt adjustment on billing โ€” all automated.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CAPABILITIES

Complete Project, Resource & Billing Management

Everything you need to manage client engagements, track billable time, and ensure project profitability โ€” all integrated into one system.

๐Ÿ“Š

Project Management

  • Project templates
  • Task management
  • Milestone tracking
  • Project timeline (Gantt)
  • Status dashboards
โฑ๏ธ

Timesheet-Based Billing

  • Daily timesheet entry
  • Manager approval
  • Timesheet-to-invoice generation
  • Billable vs non-billable hours
๐Ÿ‘ฅ

Resource Allocation & Utilisation

  • Team allocation by project
  • Utilisation rate per consultant
  • Bench tracking
  • Capacity planning
๐Ÿงพ

Retainer & Subscription Billing

  • Auto-recurring invoices
  • Advance against retainer
  • Monthly billing automation
๐Ÿ’น

Project Profitability

  • Revenue recognised vs cost incurred
  • Budget vs actual
  • Per-project P&L
  • Consultant margin contribution
๐Ÿ›๏ธ

GST on Services

  • 18% GST on professional services
  • Reverse charge
  • TDS deduction at invoice
  • Advance payment adjustment
๐Ÿ’ณ

Expense Claims & Reimbursements

  • Consultant expense submission
  • Client-billable vs internal expenses
  • Reimbursement via payroll
๐Ÿ“‹

Service Contract Management

  • Contract terms
  • SLA tracking
  • Renewal alerts
  • Service scope vs delivered tracking
๐Ÿ“ž

CRM & Business Development

  • Lead tracking
  • Proposal management
  • Win/loss analysis
  • Client lifetime value
  • Pipeline reporting
SERVICES TYPES SERVED

All Professional Services Sectors

๐Ÿ’ป

IT Services & Software

๐Ÿ“Š

Management Consulting

๐Ÿงพ

CA & Tax Advisory

๐Ÿ“

Architects & Engineers

๐Ÿ“ฃ

Marketing & Advertising

โš–๏ธ

Legal Services

๐Ÿ‘ฅ

HR & Recruitment

๐ŸŽ“

Training & Education

SERVICES ORDER FLOW

From Engagement to Revenue Recognition & P&L

๐Ÿ“‹

Client Engagement
& SOW

โ†’
๐Ÿ“Š

Project Setup &
Team Allocation

โ†’
โฑ๏ธ

Timesheet Logging
& Approval

โ†’
๐Ÿ“„

Invoice Generation
+ TDS/GST

โ†’
โœ…

Revenue Recognition
& Project P&L

Frequently Asked Questions

Professional Services & ERPNext

How does ERPNext handle timesheet-based billing for a consulting firm? +
ERPNext has a Timesheet module where consultants log time daily against specific projects and tasks. Managers review and approve timesheets. Billing is generated directly from approved timesheets โ€” with each invoice line showing the hours, rate, and description. Clients can be sent timesheet summaries alongside invoices, eliminating billing disputes.
Can ERPNext manage recurring retainer invoices automatically? +
Yes. ERPNext supports subscription-based billing. You configure the retainer amount, billing date, GST rate, and client โ€” and ERPNext automatically generates the invoice on the defined date every month. Advance receipts from clients are tracked separately and adjusted against retainer invoices.
How does ERPNext track project profitability for a services company? +
ERPNext tracks all costs against a project โ€” consultant hours (valued at internal cost rate), direct expenses, subcontractor costs โ€” and compares them against revenue recognised. The project P&L is available in real time, showing whether the project is on track to deliver the expected margin before it's too late to course-correct.
Does ERPNext support TDS deductions from client invoices? +
Yes. ERPNext has built-in TDS support for professional services. When a client deducts TDS (typically Section 194J at 10%), this is configured on the client's account and automatically recorded when payment is received. The TDS receivable is tracked separately and reconciled against Form 26AS at year-end. Form 16A generation is also supported.
Can ERPNext manage resource allocation across multiple projects? +
Yes. ERPNext's Resource Planning module shows team allocation across all active projects. You can see each consultant's total allocated hours per week, compare against available capacity, identify overallocation, and spot who has bandwidth for new projects. This prevents the common problem of some consultants being overloaded while others are on bench.