Your billable hours.
Our books.
Engagement-based billing. Time tracking with rates. Retainer drawdown. WIP aging reports. Built for solo professionals and firms up to 50 partners. Bulk GSTR-1 for clients in 90 seconds.
The problems we solve
Where professional firms quietly leak revenue
Unbilled hours — the silent leak
Junior worked 12 hours on the Acme audit. Logged 8. Billed 6. ₹6,000 leak per junior per month. Multiply by 8 staff and 12 months: ₹5.76 lakh of work done for free. No one knows because no one tracks.
Mandatory time entry per engagement. Senior reviews before billing. Realization rate dashboard shows billed vs worked hours per staff, per client. No more forgotten hours.
Retainer balance confusion
Client Mehta Industries paid ₹5 lakh advance retainer in April. 6 months later, both sides disagree on how much is left. Your accountant says ₹1.8 lakh. Client says ₹2.4 lakh. Relationship strained.
Retainer ledger per client. Every engagement drawdown logged against retainer with narration. Monthly client statement auto-emailed. Auto-renew alert when retainer balance falls below threshold.
30 client GSTR-1s in 3 days
Month-end. 30 client GSTR-1s due. Each takes 30–45 minutes. Some clients send data on day 9. Panic. Late filings. Penalty risk. Your team works weekends every month.
Bulk GSTR-1 generated from client books. File 30 returns in 90 seconds. Auto-error checks before filing. Client-wise data collection reminders sent automatically at day 3 before due date.
Features
A practice management system that doubles as your books
Engagement-first design. No double entry.
Engagement billing
Per-matter scope, fee structure, hourly or fixed. Milestone billing. Ad-hoc additions. Invoice raised from engagement with one click. TDS 194J auto-applied on client invoices.
Time tracking
Per-engagement time entries with billable rates. Staff-wise and matter-wise. Realization rate dashboard. Partner review before billing. WIP aging report.
Retainer drawdown
Client retainer ledger with advance balance. Each engagement charged against retainer. Monthly statement auto-emailed. Low-balance alerts and renewal workflow.
WIP reports
Work-in-progress aging by partner, client, engagement. Unbilled WIP at month-end. Days outstanding per matter. Revenue forecast based on WIP pipeline.
Bulk GST filings
GSTR-1, GSTR-3B for 100 clients in bulk. Auto-validation before filing. Client-wise filing status dashboard. Error report with correction guidance.
Engagement letters
Templated engagement letters per service type. E-sign with timestamp. Version history. Auto-archive on project close. ICAI compliance for CA firms.
How it works
How AskBooks works for professional services
Engagement created
Engagement letter generated and e-signed. Scope, fee, retainer or milestone billing defined. Staff assigned. Time tracking activated.
Time logged daily
Staff log hours per engagement each day. Partner sees WIP in real time. Billable vs non-billable tracked. Realization dashboard updated live.
Invoice raised
Partner reviews WIP and approves billing. Invoice generated with GST. TDS 194J noted. Retainer drawdown or fresh payment tracked.
Own books close
Firm's own GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, TDS returns filed. Balance sheet ready for partners. Profit per partner computed with time allocation.
Compliance
All the compliance professional firms need
GST 18%, TDS 194J, reverse charge, advance billing — handled.
Our realization rate went from 65% to 87% in 3 months. Junior partners can't ‘forget’ to log time anymore. And the retainer ledgers ended every client dispute — when they can see the statement themselves, there's nothing to argue about.
Pricing
Plans for every practice size
Individual CA, advocate, or consultant. Client billing, time tracking, retainer management, own GST filing.
Get startedFirm with up to 10 professionals. Bulk client GSTR filing, WIP reports, engagement letters, payroll.
Get startedFirms with 50+ professionals, multi-office. Dedicated implementation, partner-wise P&L, custom reports.
Get startedFAQ
Frequently asked questions
How is TDS on professional fees handled?
When a client deducts TDS at 10% under Section 194J on your invoice, AskBooks tracks this as advance tax. At year end, TDS credits from all clients are reconciled against your tax liability. The system generates a TDS register per client for easy Form 26AS verification. Advance tax computation is also automated.
Can we manage both our own books and client books in AskBooks?
Yes. AskBooks is multi-entity by design. Your firm's own books (revenue, expenses, payroll, GST) are separate from client books. When you manage a client's books, you access their entity separately. Bulk GSTR filing uses client entity data to file on their behalf.
How does the retainer billing model work?
When a client pays a retainer advance, it is booked as advance from client. Each month, services rendered are invoiced and the amount is adjusted against the retainer balance. The retainer ledger shows the opening balance, monthly drawdowns, and closing balance. This statement is auto-emailed to the client monthly.
Is reverse charge applicable on legal services?
Yes. Legal services provided by an advocate/firm to a business entity (not an individual) attract GST under reverse charge mechanism (RCM). The recipient (your client) pays GST directly to the government. AskBooks correctly handles this — your invoice is raised without GST, and the client is notified of their RCM obligation.
How does bulk GSTR-1 filing work for client books?
AskBooks allows a CA firm to file GSTR-1 for multiple clients from one dashboard. Client GSTIN credentials are stored securely. The system pulls sales data from each client's entity, validates it, and submits to the GST portal. A filing status dashboard shows successful, failed, and pending filings. Error corrections are guided.
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