Time, Retainers & Milestone Billing for Service Firms
Capture every billable hour, manage monthly retainer SLA burndowns, and convert approved timesheets directly into professional client invoices.
Pre-configured Chart of Accounts, KRA eTIMS integration & local currency ledgers.
Why Standard Generic Accounting Systems Fail This Sector
Designed for law firms, management consultants, engineering practices, and audit agencies that operate on billable brainpower with zero physical inventory.
- ✓Law chambers & legal advocates
- ✓Management & financial consultancies
- ✓Architecture, civil & engineering consultancies
- ✓Software development & creative digital agencies
- ✓SACCOs, wealth managers & microfinance institutions
Industry Bottlenecks vs. The MannaBooks Way
Leaked Unbilled Hours
Senior associates spend hours on client briefs without logging them, causing tens of thousands of shillings in unbilled revenue each week.
Retainer SLA Burndown Ledgers
Track monthly retained contract hours. MannaBooks automatically burns down allocated hours and flags over-budget scope creep.
Retainer Scope Creep
Clients on monthly retainers consume 30 hours of work instead of their agreed 15 hours without paying for excess time.
Role-Based Billable Timesheet Queues
Staff log daily task hours. Project managers review, approve, or reject entries before they ever hit a client bill.
Manual Invoice Preparation Friction
Finance teams spending 4 days every month compiling paper timesheets into client invoices.
1-Click Time & Materials Invoicing
Select approved billable timesheets and click 'Generate Invoice'. MannaBooks instantly formats an itemized Tax Invoice.
The End-to-End Operational Lifecycle
How transactions, inventories, and entries move from inception to audited statutory reports.
Set Up Client Retainer Contract
Execute KES 150,000/month Retainer Contract providing 20 billable partner hours + KES 6,000/hr excess rate.
Staff Log Daily Timesheets
Legal Associate logs 3.5 hours on 'Commercial Lease Review'. System tags rate at KES 6,000/hr = KES 21,000.
Partner Approval & Scope Burndown
Partner approves hours. System burns down 3.5h from the client's 20h monthly allowance.
Over-Scope Automatic Billing
Client logs 24 hours (4 hours excess). 1-click invoice generates for KES 24,000 excess hours on top of retainer.
Sample Double-Entry Ledger Entries (KES)
Every action in MannaBooks creates balanced, audit-ready debit and credit entries compliant with IFRS and KRA.
| Lifecycle Stage | Debit (Asset / Expense) | Credit (Liability / Revenue) | Amount (KES) | Commercial Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Retainer Invoice | Accounts Receivable - Client (1100) | Retainer Advisory Revenue (4100) | KES 150,000.00 | Monthly retainer invoice generated on 1st of the month. |
| Excess Hours Billing | Accounts Receivable - Client (1100) | Excess Professional Fees (4150) | KES 24,000.00 | 4 hours logged beyond agreed 20-hour monthly contract allowance. |
Ondiek & Partners Advocates
Community Area, Nairobi • Boutique corporate commercial law firm specializing in banking conveyancing and litigation.
The Specific Challenge:
Lost an estimated KES 2.4M annually because litigation associates failed to log billable court prep and client consultation time.
The MannaBooks Solution:
Adopted MannaBooks Timesheets and Retainer Contracts with daily mobile hour logging and automated monthly client invoices.
Measurable Business Outcomes:
28% increase in captured billable client hours in the first quarter
Retainer overage recovery brought in an extra KES 340,000 monthly
Billing compilation time reduced from 5 days to 15 minutes
Featured Use Cases for CONSULTING, LAW & CORPORATE SERVICES
The Corporate Law Firm Retainer Burndown
Capturing Every Billable Hour & Stopping Client Retainer Scope Creep
Sector Technical Queries
Q: Can different staff members have different billable hourly rates?
Yes. You can assign custom billable rates per person (e.g. Partner: KES 15,000/hr, Senior Associate: KES 8,000/hr, Junior: KES 4,000/hr).
Q: Does MannaBooks support non-billable hours tracking for internal work?
Yes. Team members can mark timesheets as non-billable (e.g., internal training or firm administration), allowing full resource utilization reporting.
Ready to streamline your consulting, law & corporate services operations?
Start a free 14-day full-featured workspace. No credit card required. Compliant with KRA eTIMS, progressive payroll, and double-entry general ledger.