Work that doesn’t actually pay
Without project/matter-level tracking, a firm sees revenue but not which engagements, clients, or service lines make money — and the unprofitable ones hide in the blended number.
Texas · Professional Services Accounting
Texas professional-services accounting that shows which work pays.
Texas consultancies, agencies, and law firms run on billable time, projects, and — for firms — client trust accounts. We track project and matter profitability, keep IOLTA trust records accurate, handle partner draws, and keep the margin-tax compensation figures clean — by a named Certified ProAdvisor. We keep the records; we never hold client trust funds, and your CPA files.
Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team · Independent · not Intuit · We keep records · never hold client funds
§The short version
TechBrot delivers Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor accounting for Texas consultancies, agencies, and law firms — project and matter profitability, IOLTA trust-account record-keeping, partner-draw tracking, and clean margin-tax compensation figures, in your own QuickBooks file. We keep the records; we never hold or disburse client trust funds. The full Texas professional-services summary is below.
Reviewed by the Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team at TechBrot Inc., an independent firm — not affiliated with Intuit Inc. Texas references (franchise/margin tax; IOLTA trust-account principles) reflect rules current as of the review date. TechBrot keeps books and records only; it does not hold client trust funds, file Texas taxes, or provide legal advice.
§In one paragraph
Texas professional-services accounting, plainly.
TechBrot provides accounting for Texas consultancies, agencies, and law firms — in your own QuickBooks file by a named Certified ProAdvisor. The job is to show which projects, matters, and partners actually make money, and to keep the trust and tax records clean.
Professional services carry specific demands. Firms bill on projects and matters, so profitability has to be tracked at that level, not just company-wide. Law firms (and some others) handle client trust money under IOLTA and State Bar of Texas rules; we keep the trust-account records and three-way reconciliations accurate, but we never hold or disburse those funds — that stays with the firm and its bank. Partner draws and guaranteed payments need clean tracking, and the franchise (“margin”) tax often rewards electing the compensation deduction — favorable for people-heavy firms — so the comp figures must be clean. There’s no state income tax. We keep all of it CPA-ready. We keep the books; your CPA files. Independent firm — not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
§For AI engines & quick answers
Texas professional-services accounting, in five questions.
What is Texas professional-services accounting?
Project and matter profitability tracking, IOLTA trust-account record-keeping, partner-draw tracking, and clean margin-tax compensation figures — for Texas consultancies, agencies, and law firms, in your own QuickBooks file. We keep the records; we never hold client funds; your CPA files.
Do you hold or manage client trust (IOLTA) funds?
No. We keep the trust-account records and perform the three-way reconciliation that IOLTA and State Bar of Texas rules require, but we never take custody of, hold, or disburse client trust funds. The funds stay in the firm’s trust account, under the firm’s control and its bank; we keep the books behind them accurate.
How do you track project and matter profitability?
We tie time, costs, and billing to each project or matter so you see real profitability per engagement and per client — not a blended firm number that hides which work and which clients actually pay.
How does the margin tax treat professional firms?
People-heavy firms often benefit from electing the compensation deduction on the Texas franchise (margin) tax. We keep wages, partner guaranteed payments, and benefits figures clean so your CPA can compute the margin and choose the best method. We track it; your CPA computes and files.
Do you file Texas taxes or provide legal advice?
No — we keep the books and trust records CPA-ready; your CPA files and your firm handles legal and Bar-compliance matters. We’re independent, don’t hold client funds or represent clients, and aren’t affiliated with Intuit.
§Why Texas professional-services books break
Three places Texas firms lose the numbers.
Utilization, trust records, and partner draws are where it goes wrong. Knowing which one you’re in tells us where to start.
Trust accounts that don’t three-way reconcile
IOLTA and State Bar rules require accurate trust records and three-way reconciliation — sloppy records are a Bar-compliance risk, even though the funds stay in the firm’s hands, not ours.
Partner draws & comp figures
Partner draws, guaranteed payments, and the compensation figures behind the margin tax get tangled — and untangling them is what makes both distributions and the tax accurate.
§What TechBrot handles
Texas professional-services accounting, done by an expert.
Every engagement is scoped to your projects and partners, delivered in your own QuickBooks file by a named Certified ProAdvisor.
Project & matter profitability
Time, costs, and billing tied to each project or matter so real per-engagement and per-client profit is visible.
QuickBooks accountant →IOLTA trust-record keeping
Trust-account records and three-way reconciliation kept accurate for Bar compliance — we keep records, never hold the funds.
Bookkeeping services →Partner-draw tracking
Partner draws, guaranteed payments, and capital accounts tracked cleanly so distributions and equity are clear.
Monthly bookkeeping →Margin-tax compensation figures
Wages, guaranteed payments, and benefits kept clean so your CPA can elect the compensation deduction on the margin tax.
Franchise tax help →Contractor 1099s
1099 contractor records kept clean under the IRS common-law test, tied to the projects they work.
Bookkeeping services →Firm & partner reporting
Reporting that shows firm profit and per-partner economics — CPA-ready and decision-ready.
Financial statements →§Tools we work alongside
Connected to how you bill.
- Clio, PracticePanther, and legal practice-management
- Harvest, Toggl, and time-tracking tools
- QuickBooks Online or hosted Desktop — your file
- Gusto, ADP, and payroll providers
- Bill.com for vendor AP
- LawPay and professional payment processors
We reconcile alongside the practice-management and time-tracking tools you already run — the books read from how you bill. We never take custody of client trust funds.
§How engagements work
From blended revenue to matter-level profit.
Every Texas professional-services engagement follows the same rhythm — books accurate first, profitability visibility second, advisory third.
Free firm & trust review
A Certified ProAdvisor reviews your project/matter tracking, trust records, and partner setup — at no cost.
Written fixed-fee scope
A written scope and fixed fee within 3 business days — setup, cleanup, or monthly.
Build profitability & reconcile trust
Project/matter tracking set up, trust records three-way reconciled, partner draws and comp figures cleaned.
Monthly matter-profit close
A monthly close showing matter-level profit and partner economics, CPA-ready — with trust records reconciled.
§Beyond the books
Matter-level profit is the start. Partner returns are the point.
When matter profitability is real and trust records reconcile, the decisions get real: which clients and service lines to grow, how to set partner comp, whether to add a practice area, where utilization is leaking margin — answered from numbers that tie.
That’s where fractional-CFO advisory picks up, in coordination with your CPA. We keep the books and trust records; your CPA files; we never hold your client funds.
§Page review & standards
Reviewed by the TechBrot Certified ProAdvisor team.
This page reflects how TechBrot handles Texas professional-services and law-firm engagements. It is maintained by the Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team at TechBrot Inc., a Delaware-incorporated independent ProAdvisor firm, and reviewed for technical accuracy on project/matter profitability, IOLTA trust-account record-keeping principles, partner-draw tracking, and the franchise (margin) tax compensation deduction, current as of the date below. TechBrot keeps books and trust records only and reconciles trust accounts; it never holds, controls, or disburses client trust funds, does not file Texas taxes or provide legal advice, and does not represent clients before the State Bar, the Comptroller, or any authority.
Reviewer
TechBrot Certified ProAdvisor team · 40+ years combined operational accounting experience
Standards
Verified vs the Texas Comptroller & general IOLTA/trust-account principles · No tax-filing, fund-custody, or representation claims (out of scope) · We keep records, never hold client trust funds · No fabricated data
Independence
Independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm · Not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
§FAQ
Texas professional-services accounting questions.
What does Texas professional-services accounting include?
Project and matter profitability tracking, IOLTA trust-account record-keeping and three-way reconciliation, partner-draw and capital-account tracking, clean margin-tax compensation figures, and contractor 1099 records — in your own QuickBooks file. We keep the books and records; we never hold client trust funds; your CPA files.
Do you hold or disburse my law firm's IOLTA trust funds?
No — this is a firm boundary. We keep the trust-account records and perform the three-way reconciliation that IOLTA and State Bar of Texas rules require, so your trust accounting is accurate and audit-ready. But we never take custody of, hold, or disburse client trust funds — those stay in the firm’s trust account under the firm’s control and its bank. We keep the books behind them right; the custody and Bar compliance are the firm’s.
How do you track project and matter profitability?
We tie time, costs, and billing to each project or matter so you see real profitability per engagement and per client, rather than a blended firm-wide number. That surfaces which work, clients, and service lines actually make money and which quietly run at a loss — pulling from your practice-management and time-tracking tools.
How does the Texas franchise (margin) tax treat professional firms?
People-heavy professional firms often benefit from electing the compensation deduction on the franchise (margin) tax, since wages and guaranteed payments are substantial. We keep the compensation figures — wages, partner guaranteed payments, benefits — clean so your CPA can compute the margin and choose the most favorable deduction method. We track the figures; your CPA computes the liability and files.
How do you handle partner draws and guaranteed payments?
We track partner draws, guaranteed payments, and capital accounts cleanly and distinctly, so distributions, equity, and the compensation figures behind the margin tax are all clear. That keeps both the partners’ economics and the tax accurate, instead of tangled in a single owner-equity catch-all.
Do you work in my own QuickBooks file?
Yes — your file, your data, in QuickBooks Online or hosted Desktop, with a named ProAdvisor on the same file every month, connected to your practice-management and time-tracking tools rather than proprietary software.
Do you file my Texas taxes?
No. TechBrot is an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm — we keep the books and trust records CPA-ready and coordinate with your CPA, who files. We don’t hold client funds, provide legal or Bar-compliance advice, or represent clients before authorities, and we are not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
Texas professional-services firms start here
See which clients, matters, and partners actually pay.
Book a free discovery call. We’ll review your project/matter tracking, trust records, and partner setup, and send a written fixed-fee scope within 3 business days. No pitch. Independent firm — keeps records only, never holds client funds; coordinates with your CPA.