Bookkeeping for consultants
You spend every day helping clients make confident decisions. Your own business deserves the same clarity. Cashflowy quietly keeps your books current so you always know what your consulting business is really earning, and what you can safely pay yourself.
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Being busy doesn’t always mean you’re making more money
Your calendar is full, invoices are going out, and money is moving. But how much of it is actually yours to keep?
A signed proposal isn’t money in the bank.
Until the retainer lands, you’re still waiting.
A signed scope of work or approved proposal doesn’t pay your expenses until the client actually pays. Waiting on retainers can make a strong month feel uncertain.
One client shouldn’t decide your future.
But right now, one might.
When a single advisory engagement or retainer represents a large share of your income, losing it or scaling it back can change your business overnight.
Your revenue looks great.
Your profit tells another story.
Retainers, strategy projects, workshops, and advisory sessions don’t all leave the same profit after contractor support, software, travel, revisions, and the unpaid prep that goes into every deliverable.
Money is sitting in the account.
You don’t know how much is actually yours.
Some of that balance needs to cover taxes, upcoming expenses, and slower months between retainers. Paying yourself becomes another decision you keep postponing.
You advise clients all day.
Your own books get whatever time is left.
Bookkeeping slips behind discovery calls, strategy sessions, client workshops, and proposals until you urgently need the numbers for a decision.
“The perfect middle ground between spreadsheets and complex accounting software, without the cost or the hassle. A great tool for contract work.”
Nina Sengsourichanh
Consultant
See what every client payment means for your business
Connect your business accounts once. Every retainer, project payment, and expense is imported and categorized automatically, so your books and dashboard stay current without you touching them.
Explore AI Bookkeeping →- Transaction categorizedConsulting income
- Books updatedRecorded automatically
- Estimated tax set-asideUpdated
- Owner’s PayRecalculated
- 90-day forecastUpdated
Every transaction gives you a more current view of what your consulting business earns, spends, and can afford.
Revenue is only half the story
Retainers, strategy projects, advisory calls, and workshops make up your top line. Contractors, software, travel, and marketing decide what’s left. Cashflowy puts both sides in one view so you always know what you actually keep.
Revenue this month
Total consulting income · $21,800
Clara AI, Your Financial CoachWhich income category brought in the most this quarter?
The information available depends on how transactions and income categories are organized in your Cashflowy account.
Software and subscriptions
Research, project management, CRM, and productivity software
Independent contractors
Designers, writers, analysts, and other 1099 support
Marketing
Website, advertising, events, and content production
Business travel
Flights, hotels, transportation, and eligible client travel
Professional development
Courses, conferences, books, and certifications
Office expenses
Coworking, equipment, internet, and office supplies
Professional services
Legal, accounting, and specialist support
Payment processing
Stripe and other transaction fees
Expense categorization is provided for bookkeeping purposes. Ask your tax professional whether a specific expense is deductible.
Can I afford to lose a client? Bring on a contractor? Invest in growth? Raise my rates?
Cashflowy pulls your Safe Owner’s Pay, tax set-aside, business buffer, and 90-day forecast into one view, so the big decisions feel grounded instead of guessed.
Safe to pay yourself
$8,200
Based on your recent revenue, expenses, allocation settings, estimated tax set-aside, upcoming bills, and safety buffer.
Estimated tax set-aside
$3,487
Shows what has accumulated in your tax savings bucket based on your allocation settings.
Business safety buffer
$11,200
Cash you have reserved for upcoming expenses and slower months between engagements.
90-day forecast
Above buffer
Projects your cash position using the revenue and expense patterns recorded in your account.
Thinking about adding contractor support?
Adding $2,500 in monthly contractor costs would still leave your projected cash position above your selected buffer, so you can expand capacity without putting your Safe Owner’s Pay or tax set-aside at risk.
Cashflowy provides educational financial information for planning. Talk to your tax or financial professional about your specific situation.
Ask questions about your consulting business. Get answers from your actual numbers
Clara AI uses the financial data in your Cashflowy account to explain what changed, where your money went, and whether your business can support a new decision.
Clara AI, Your Financial CoachCan I afford to lose my $4,000 monthly retainer?
From your dashboard
A human bookkeeper when you need one
Cashflowy handles routine bookkeeping automatically. When you have an account question, an unusual contractor payment, or a decision you want to talk through, you can contact a human bookkeeper.
There is no additional charge for human bookkeeper access.
Meet Your Human Bookkeeper →- Live chat with a human bookkeeper
- Unlimited scheduled private meetings
- Year-round support for bookkeeping questions
- Help with account questions and exceptions
- Clara AI available 24/7
Connect your accounts once. Cashflowy keeps your books current
Step 1
Connect your accounts
Securely connect your business bank accounts, cards, PayPal, Wise, Relay, or Mercury through Plaid.
Step 2
Let Cashflowy organize your transactions
Client payments, retainers, subscriptions, contractor costs, travel, marketing, and other expenses are imported and categorized automatically.
Step 3
Make decisions from current numbers
See your income, expenses, profit, cash flow, estimated tax set-aside, and suggested owner’s pay. Ask Clara AI a question or contact a human bookkeeper whenever you need help.
Built for the way consultants work
Cashflowy is designed for U.S.-based independent consultants running one-person service businesses without W-2 employees.
- Marketing consultants
- Management consultants
- HR consultants
- Brand consultants
- Business consultants
- Sales consultants
- Operations consultants
- Technology consultants
- Communications consultants
- Strategy consultants
- Image consultants
- Independent advisors
Cashflowy is not designed for businesses with W-2 employees, payroll, inventory, or complex enterprise accounting requirements.
Everything you need to run your consulting business with clarity
Owner’s Pay, estimated tax set-asides, Cash Flow Forecasting, Financial Insights, and Clara AI work together using the same current financial data.
Frequently asked questions
What does bookkeeping for consultants include?
Cashflowy automatically imports and categorizes transactions from your business accounts, keeps your books up to date, tracks income from retainers, projects, and advisory work, organizes expenses, creates financial reports, lets you invoice clients, and gives you real-time visibility into your business. You can also ask Clara AI questions about your finances and chat with a human bookkeeper whenever you need help.
Can Cashflowy track different consulting revenue streams?
Yes. Whether you earn from monthly retainers, fixed-fee strategy engagements, hourly advisory calls, workshops, or digital products, Cashflowy keeps all of your income organized in one place. You can see which revenue streams drive your business without relying on spreadsheets.
Can Cashflowy show which consulting services are most profitable?
Yes. Cashflowy helps you understand how different parts of your consulting business are performing by combining your income and expenses into clear financial reports. Clara AI can help you explore which engagements, retainers, or services contribute most to your bottom line.
Can Cashflowy help me understand client concentration?
Yes. If a large portion of your revenue comes from one client or one retainer, Cashflowy makes it easy to see that in your financial data. Understanding client concentration helps you make more informed decisions about business development, pricing, and risk as your consulting practice grows.
Can Cashflowy help me decide how much to pay myself?
Yes. Cashflowy calculates Safe Owner’s Pay using your recent revenue, expenses, estimated tax set-aside, and business safety buffer. Instead of guessing, you’ll know how much you can confidently pay yourself after your consulting business has covered its obligations.
Can Cashflowy replace QuickBooks for an independent consultant?
Yes. Cashflowy is a complete bookkeeping solution for U.S. service-based solopreneurs. It automatically keeps your books up to date, provides real-time financial reports, includes Clara AI as your financial coach, and gives you unlimited access to human bookkeepers. Many consultants switch from QuickBooks because they want bookkeeping software that’s simpler and built specifically for one-person service businesses like theirs.
Your financial data stays secure
Cashflowy is built on the same security standards used by the largest financial institutions.
Secure bank connections
Read-only access through Plaid. Cashflowy never stores your bank credentials.
See integrations →AES-256 & TLS 1.3 encryption
Your financial data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.3 while it’s transmitted.
Your data stays private
Cashflowy never sells your data or shares your financial information with companies like OpenAI.
Real human support
Clara AI handles the routine work. Real human bookkeepers are included whenever you need help.
Meet your bookkeeper →