Consulting firms
Reconcile consulting retainers, milestones, and invoice payments
Consulting invoices often follow retainers, monthly service periods, or project milestones. Customer wires may reference a project or legal entity instead of the invoice number, which makes amount and payer evidence especially important.
Where time gets lost
Entity names differ
The paying parent company may not match the project client's display name.
Milestone partials
Customers may pay an approved portion while a disputed deliverable remains open.
Retainer confusion
A receipt may relate to a retainer, an invoice, or both, depending on the contract and ledger treatment.
Working method
A short path from files to evidence
- 01Import open billingInclude invoice, project reference, customer ID, amount, and current balance.
- 02Import receiptsPreserve wire originator and memo details from the bank export.
- 03Review contextUse project references and payer identity evidence, not amount alone.
- 04Confirm treatmentKeep contract or accounting judgment outside the automatic match.
Controls that matter
- Project and PO references retained
- Partial applications preserve the open balance
- Parent and subsidiary payer evidence remains inspectable
- Notes support project-team follow-up
- No automatic write-off of shortfalls
- Confirmed export separates applied and unapplied amounts