Agencies and consultants in Ontario

Project and retainer bookkeeping for Ontario agencies and consultants

Agencies and consultants combine recurring retainers with project work, contractor delivery, software subscriptions, and client pass-through spending. Monthly records should show which costs support delivery and which belong to the firm’s own overhead.

Records

The source records this workflow expects.

• Monthly retainers, project milestones, deposits, and final invoices
• Contractor bills and approved project expense allocations
• Advertising or media spend billed directly or passed through to clients
• Software subscriptions, foreign-currency platform charges, and online payment fees

Monthly workflow

How the records move through month end.

1. Import invoicing, contractor, payment-platform, and card activity after project owners approve the month’s client coding.
2. Separate retainer, milestone, and pass-through activity using the project structure supplied by the agency.
3. Match contractor costs and software charges to projects where support exists, leaving unclear allocations on an exceptions list.
4. Reconcile accounts and deliver project-aware monthly records with receivable and unbilled-work follow-up prompts.

Cleanup risks

Where the record trail commonly breaks.

• Client media spend treated as agency overhead or revenue without a documented policy
• Contractor invoices detached from the project or delivery month
• Foreign-currency processor deposits recorded at gross invoice value without fee records
• Recurring retainers and one-time project invoices combined under inconsistent customer coding

Systems and handoffs

Supported inputs, with clear owner responsibilities.

Common supported systems

• QuickBooks Online
• Harvest or Toggl exports
• Stripe and PayPal reports
• Project-management exports
• Bank and corporate-card feeds

Scope boundaries

• Project owners approve project, client, and pass-through classifications before month-end close.
• Ridge & Ledger does not calculate utilization, set pricing, approve contractor status, or determine tax treatment.

Useful next steps

Review the record standard before you buy.

Ridge & Ledger records supplied information and flags gaps. Your accountant or qualified professional remains responsible for tax treatment, filings, and advice.