TLDR (Summary)
The best project management software for bookkeepers is Plutio ($19/month).
Plutio connects client engagements to communication, deliverables, time tracking, and invoicing in one platform designed for service businesses. Unlike task-only tools like Asana or Monday that organize work but leave billing, client files, and contracts in separate systems, Plutio integrates the complete bookkeeping workflow. Month-end close tasks connect to client portals for document collection, time entries link directly to tasks for accurate billing, and completed engagements trigger invoices automatically.
According to project management research, 60% coordination rather than actual bookkeeping, reconciliations, reviews, and advisory services that generate revenue.
For additional strategies, read our freelance project management guide.
What is project management software for bookkeepers?
Project management software for bookkeepers is software that organizes client engagements into trackable deliverables with complete visibility into hours spent, tasks remaining, and billing status.
The distinction matters: generic project management tools track task completion dates and assignment status. Bookkeeper-focused project management connects tasks to billable time, client retainer agreements, recurring deliverables, and invoice schedules. A general PM tool shows that month-end reconciliation is complete. Bookkeeper project management shows reconciliation is complete, took 4.2 hours against a 4-hour estimate, and those hours are now on the invoice ready to bill.
What bookkeeper project management actually does
Core functions include organizing client engagements into defined projects with clear deliverables, breaking monthly or quarterly work into specific tasks with time estimates, tracking actual hours logged against those estimates, connecting completed work to invoices, managing recurring work through template-based projects that reset each period, and maintaining visibility into which clients are over or under their retainer hours.
Task tracking vs engagement tracking
Generic project management tracks individual tasks - who owns it, when it's due, what the status is. Task tracking works for one-off projects with defined endpoints. Bookkeeping is recurring engagement work where the same tasks repeat monthly but time varies by client complexity, transaction volume spikes in certain periods, and retainer agreements create hour expectations that actual work must stay within. Task tracking shows completion status. Engagement tracking shows completion status plus time consumed, budget remaining, and billing readiness.
What makes bookkeeper project management different
Bookkeepers work in recurring cycles with predictable deliverable patterns but variable time requirements. A marketing agency might run one campaign project from start to finish. A bookkeeper runs monthly close cycles for 20 clients simultaneously, each with similar task structure but different complexity levels. Standard project management organizes those cycles. Without connection to time tracking and billing systems, the project shows as complete but hours worked remain invisible until someone manually compiles time logs and generates invoices. Engagement tracking that ignores time creates completed deliverables with no way of knowing how much you made.
When project management connects to time tracking and invoicing, task completion automatically captures billable hours and feeds the billing cycle.
Why bookkeepers need project management software
Bookkeepers who grow their client base face a compounding problem: deliverables multiply faster than memory can track which client needs what by when, while hours worked scatter across time logs that don't connect to specific engagements.
Each new client adds another monthly close cycle with unique transaction patterns, another set of reconciliation tasks with different complexity levels, another retainer agreement with specific hour allocations. At smaller client counts, mental tracking suffices. As client count grows, deliverable deadlines overlap, some clients hit heavy transaction months while others stay quiet, and billing becomes retrospective guesswork about which hours went where rather than automatic capture from project records.
The invisible hours problem
According to research, 60% coordination - administrative coordination rather than actual work. For bookkeepers specifically, that means hours spent tracking down bank statements, following up on missing receipts, clarifying transaction categorizations, and answering the same client questions each month. Generic project management shows month-end close as a single task. Generic tracking doesn't show the 2 hours spent waiting for client responses, the 45 minutes re-categorizing transactions after policy clarification, or the 30 minutes explaining report differences from last month. Those hours happen but remain invisible to project tracking, so time logs and task completion stay disconnected.
The fragmentation problem
You stack 3-5 disconnected tools: task management software like Asana or Trello to track the work, time tracking software like Toggl or Harvest to log hours, invoicing software like FreshBooks or QuickBooks to bill clients, and email or spreadsheets to manage client communication. Each tool handles one function, but none share data automatically. Task completion in Asana doesn't trigger invoice generation. Time entries in Toggl don't link to specific project deliverables. Invoices in FreshBooks don't show which tasks consumed which hours. Every billing cycle requires manual compilation - pull time logs, match them to clients, verify against deliverables, then generate invoices.
The extra work problem
Client agreements specify retainer hours or fixed monthly fees. Actual work varies. A client with clean books and organized records stays under their retainer. A client with messy transactions and missing documentation exceeds it. Without real-time hour tracking visible alongside project tasks, extra work without extra pay stays invisible until month-end when someone adds up all the time entries and discovers a 10-hour retainer consumed 14 hours of actual work. By then the work is done and the conversation about additional fees becomes retrospective negotiation rather than proactive scope management.
The scaling tipping point
You hit a threshold where the manual coordination approach breaks down. Below that threshold, mental tracking works and manual billing compilation takes 30-60 minutes per cycle. Above it, deliverable deadlines overlap so much that without structured task lists someone misses a deadline, hours worked on concurrent projects blur together so billing becomes estimation rather than fact, and time spent on administrative coordination grows faster than billable work. The fragmented approach scales linearly with client count - each new client adds proportional admin overhead. Connected tracking scales sublinearly - most overhead happens during initial setup, then each new client is incremental configuration.
Connected project management software absorbs the coordination work that would otherwise scale linearly with each new client. Tasks organize automatically from templates, hours log directly on project records, and billing pulls from actual time data.
Project management features bookkeepers need
The essential project management features for bookkeepers connect task organization with time tracking and billing systems while handling the recurring engagement patterns that bookkeeping work requires.
Core project management features
- Task organization: Break monthly close cycles into specific deliverables - bank reconciliation, accounts payable processing, accounts receivable updates, financial statement generation, variance analysis. Each task gets assignment, due date, and time estimate.
- Recurring projects from templates: Monthly retainer clients use the same task structure each period. Templates create new project instances automatically with dates adjusted, so January close and February close have identical task lists without manual recreation.
- Time tracking per task: Start timer directly from task record or log time manually. Hours attach to specific deliverables, not generic client time pools. See exactly how long bank reconciliation took vs budget.
- Progress visibility: Client dashboard shows all active engagements with completion status, hours logged vs estimated, and upcoming deadlines. Spot bottlenecks before they become late deliverables.
- Workload distribution: For bookkeeping teams, see task allocation across team members. Prevent situations where one person carries 15 clients while another has 6.
- File attachment to tasks: Bank statements, receipt images, reconciliation notes attach directly to relevant tasks. Everything needed to complete the deliverable lives with the task record.
Bookkeeper-specific features
- Retainer hour tracking: Client agreements specify monthly hours. Project system tracks hours consumed against allocation. See which clients are over or under retainer. Industry standard for retainer overage is 12% waste.
- Billable vs non-billable separation: Administrative time like billing preparation or internal communication logs as non-billable. Client-facing work logs as billable. Invoices pull only billable hours.
- Recurring billing automation: When monthly project completes, invoice generates automatically from logged hours. Retainer clients get fixed-fee invoices on schedule, overage clients get invoices reflecting actual time.
- Client-facing deliverable confirmation: Through portals, clients see completed deliverables with attached reports and confirm receipt. Reduces follow-up communication about whether work is done.
Platform features that multiply value
- White-label branding: Custom domain, logo, colors. All client-facing communications show your brand, not software vendor branding.
- Unified inbox: All client messages arrive in one place. Questions about deliverables, requests for reports, clarifications about transactions - everything threads by client.
- Permissions: Control who sees what. Clients see their projects only, team members see assigned work, firm owners see everything.
- Automations: Create rules that trigger actions without your involvement. Common bookkeeper automations include: send invoice when monthly project marks complete, notify client when deliverable needs review, create next month's project when current month closes.
The deciding factor for bookkeepers is integration depth. Project management software that connects with time tracking and invoicing eliminates duplicate data entry. Hours logged during task work flow automatically to billing without manual timesheet compilation.
Project management software pricing for bookkeepers
Project management software for bookkeepers typically costs $7-25 per user per month for standalone task tracking, with integrated platforms providing complete functionality including time tracking and billing for flat rates.
What bookkeepers typically pay for project management tools
- Asana: $10.99-24.99 per user per month, forced 5-seat minimum after 5 users
- Monday.com: $9-19 per user per month, 3-seat minimum on paid plans
- Trello: $5-10 per user per month, limited features on lower tiers
- ClickUp: $7-12 per user per month plus $9 per user AI add-on, slow loading reported in reviews
These tools track tasks but don't track time. Bookkeepers who use them pay separately for Toggl ($9-18 per user per month) or Harvest ($12 per user per month) for time tracking, then FreshBooks ($17-55 per month) or QuickBooks ($30-200 per month) for invoicing. Total cost: $25-60 per user per month across 3 separate subscriptions, with manual data transfer between systems.
Plutio pricing (January 2026)
- Core: $19/month: Unlimited project management plus time tracking, invoicing, proposals, contracts, scheduling, and client portals. Single user, up to 9 active clients.
- Pro: $49/month: Unlimited clients, 30 contributors, advanced permissions. For growing bookkeeping firms.
- Max: $199/month: Unlimited team, white-label with custom domain, single sign-on. For established firms with brand requirements.
The ROI calculation for bookkeepers
- Time saved on billing: Manual timesheet compilation takes 30-60 minutes per billing cycle per client. At 10 clients, that's 5-10 hours monthly. Automated billing from project time entries recovers that time for billable work.
- Captured billable hours: When time tracking lives separate from task management, hours worked but not logged never reach invoices. Research shows 12% resource wastage from inefficient tracking. On $5,000 monthly billings, that's $600 in unbilled work.
- Reduced tool costs: Replacing Asana ($11 per user) plus Toggl ($12 per user) plus FreshBooks ($17 per month) saves $23 per user monthly compared to Plutio Core at $19 per month, while eliminating manual data transfer between systems.
Project management software ROI comes through recovered time and captured billable hours. Plutio pays for itself with 1-2 hours of additional billable time captured monthly, or 20-30 minutes saved per billing cycle across 10+ clients.
Why Plutio is the best project management for bookkeepers
Plutio handles project management as part of a complete platform where time tracking, invoicing, proposals, and client portals work together rather than as separate tools that need manual connection.
Projects connected to time tracking
Every task has a built-in timer and manual time entry option. Click to start tracking time on bank reconciliation, work through the task, stop the timer when complete. Hours log directly on the task record and roll up to project totals. No separate time tracking app, no manual matching of time entries to project tasks, no end-of-week ritual where someone remembers what they worked on Tuesday afternoon. Time and tasks are the same data.
Template-based recurring projects
Monthly retainer clients need the same deliverables each period. Create a project template with standard bookkeeping tasks - reconcile bank accounts, process accounts payable, update accounts receivable, generate financial statements, review variances, prepare management reports. Each month, the template spawns a new project instance with dates adjusted automatically. What was February's close becomes March's close with one click. Task structure stays consistent, time estimates carry forward, and project organization requires zero manual setup after initial template creation.
Automatic invoicing from project hours
When project completes, generate invoice directly from logged time entries. Plutio pulls all billable hours from project records, applies your billing rates, and creates invoice with line items showing which deliverables consumed which hours. Fixed-fee clients get standard retainer invoices on recurring schedules. Variable-rate clients get invoices reflecting actual time worked. Either way, billing pulls from project data rather than manual timesheet compilation. No export from time tracker, import to invoicing software, match entries to clients, then generate invoices. Project completes, invoice generates, done.
Client portals that show project status
Bookkeepers field constant questions: Is month-end close done? When will I see the financial statements? Did you receive the bank statement I sent? Client portals give clients visibility into their project status without needing to ask. They see upcoming deliverables with due dates, completed tasks with attached reports, and current engagement progress. Questions about status drop to near-zero when clients can check portal instead of sending email.
Retainer hour visibility
Client dashboard shows total retainer hours, hours consumed this period, and remaining allocation. When client is approaching their hour limit during mid-month, that information is visible before work continues. Conversation about scope expansion happens proactively based on actual data rather than retroactively when month-end billing reveals overage. For clients who consistently stay under retainer, data supports conversations about adjusting agreement to match actual needs.
Recurring billing automation
Set up rules that trigger invoice creation when conditions are met. Common bookkeeper pattern: when monthly close project marks complete, generate invoice from logged hours and send to client automatically. Retainer clients on fixed fees get invoices on calendar schedule regardless of project status. Variable clients get invoices when work completes. Either way, billing happens based on rules rather than manual action. No end-of-month scramble to generate all client invoices.
Task assignments for teams
Bookkeeping firms with multiple team members assign different tasks to different people. Senior bookkeeper handles reconciliation and financial statement review. Junior bookkeeper processes accounts payable and receivable. Client communication and report delivery stays with account owner. Task assignment in project structure makes those divisions explicit. Team members see only their assigned work, clients see project status as unified deliverable, and firm owner sees full workload distribution to prevent allocation imbalances.
White-label everything
Use your own domain. Upload your logo, set your brand colors and typography. Every client-facing touchpoint shows your brand. Projects, invoices, proposals, contracts, client portals, booking pages - everything presents as your firm's system, not software vendor branding. Clients experience professional branded service rather than recognizing generic software interface.
Unified inbox for all client communication
When a client sends a message about a deliverable, asks about an invoice, or requests report clarification, the message appears in one inbox. Reply directly without opening email. Message history threads by client so complete communication context is visible. No searching email for that conversation from two weeks ago about transaction categorization policy.
Granular permissions
Control exactly who sees what at the level that makes sense for your firm. Clients see only their projects, invoices, and deliverables. Team members see clients they're assigned to. Firm owner sees everything. Contractors or part-time staff get access only to specific client work. Financial information stays private from clients who shouldn't see other client data.
No-code automations
Create rules that trigger actions without your involvement. Common bookkeeper automations include: send invoice when monthly project marks complete, notify client when deliverable needs their review, create next month's project when current month closes, send reminder when client hasn't responded to deliverable confirmation request in 5 days, escalate to firm owner when project hours exceed retainer by 20%. Build these rules through point-and-click interface without writing code.
Native integrations for bookkeeper workflows
Connect Stripe and PayPal for invoice payments. Sync Google Calendar or Outlook for client meeting scheduling. Link QuickBooks or Xero so financial data flows between bookkeeping software and project management. Use Zapier to connect 3,000+ other apps. Integrations run automatically so invoice payment in Stripe updates project billing status, client meeting acceptance creates calendar event, and project completion triggers workflow in accounting software.
Everything runs from one app with your branding, your client-facing workflows, and your firm's operational logic.
How to set up project management in Plutio
Setting up project management in Plutio takes 2-4 hours for initial configuration, then 5-15 minutes per client after your templates and automations are in place.
Step 1: Configure default settings (30 mins)
Set your billing rates - standard hourly rate for routine work, premium rate for rush work or complex engagements. Configure default task statuses - not started, in progress, waiting on client, completed. Set up project categories - monthly close, quarterly review, annual filings, ad-hoc work. Define time tracking preferences - round to nearest 15 minutes or track exact time, require task notes or allow blank entries, separate billable vs non-billable by default.
Step 2: Create project templates (1-2 hours)
Build 3-5 templates covering your common engagement types. For bookkeepers, recommended templates include:
- Monthly Close - Small Client: 8-10 tasks covering bank reconciliation, accounts payable/receivable processing, basic financial statements. Time estimates 4-6 hours total. Due dates spread across 5 business days.
- Monthly Close - Standard Client: 12-15 tasks adding variance analysis, detailed reporting, management meeting preparation. Time estimates 8-12 hours total. Due dates spread across 7-10 business days.
- Monthly Close - Complex Client: 18-20 tasks including multi-entity consolidation, intercompany eliminations, detailed variance analysis, board report preparation. Time estimates 15-20 hours total. Due dates spread across 10-15 business days.
- Quarterly Review: Financial statement review, trend analysis, budget variance reporting, forecast updates. Time estimates 3-5 hours total.
- New Client setup: Initial setup tasks - chart of accounts configuration, historical data import, system integrations, first month close with training. Time estimates 10-15 hours total spread over 2-3 weeks.
Step 3: Connect integrations (20 mins)
Link Stripe and/or PayPal for invoice payment processing. Test payment by generating a $1 test invoice and confirming it processes correctly. Connect your calendar - Google Calendar or Outlook - so client meetings appear in project timelines. Link QuickBooks or Xero if you want financial data to flow between systems. Verify each integration works before relying on it with real client engagements.
Step 4: Import existing client data (30 mins)
Upload existing client list via CSV import. Minimum required fields: client name, contact email, retainer type (fixed monthly, hourly, project-based), billing rate. Optional fields: retainer hour allocation, billing day (1st or 15th or end of month), engagement start date. Don't import historical project data - start fresh with current month forward.
Step 5: Test with one real client engagement
Pick one actual client and run through the complete workflow. Create project from template, adjust due dates to match their close schedule, complete a few tasks with time tracking, generate invoice from logged hours, send invoice through Plutio, verify client can see project status in portal. Use real engagement rather than test account - you'll discover workflow gaps that fake scenarios miss.
Common setup mistakes to avoid
- Over-customizing too early: Start with minimal template structure and refine based on actual use. Don't build 15 task variations before you've run one real engagement.
- Ignoring mobile: Download the mobile apps during setup and test time tracking from phone. Bookkeepers log hours from client sites, not just desk work.
- Skipping automation setup: Configure invoice generation and project creation automations during initial setup. Adding them later requires revisiting all client configurations.
- Template tasks too granular: Bank reconciliation is one task, not separate tasks per bank account. Keep templates at deliverable level, not action level.
Build templates for the 80% cases that cover most of your client engagements. Outlier clients get custom projects, standard clients use templates.
Project management organization for bookkeepers
Organizing project management creates clarity and enables efficient workflow across multiple concurrent client engagements.
Project categorization for bookkeepers
- Recurring Monthly Work: Standard close cycles that repeat each period. You clients fall here. Template-driven with consistent deliverable structure.
- Recurring Quarterly/Annual Work: Review cycles, tax preparation support, annual statement generation. Predictable but less frequent than monthly work.
- One-Time Projects: New client setups, system conversions, special analysis requests, audit support. Custom project structure rather than template-based.
- Internal Projects: Firm development work like process documentation, software evaluation, team training. Non-billable but still needs project tracking.
Task workflow stages
- Not Started: Task created but not yet begun. Shows in upcoming work queues.
- In Progress: Active work happening. Time tracking usually active on these tasks.
- Waiting on Client: Work paused pending client input - missing bank statement, transaction clarification needed, report review required. Separate from In Progress to identify bottlenecks.
- Review: Deliverable complete but needs internal review before client delivery. For firms with senior review processes.
- Completed: Deliverable done and delivered. Hours locked, ready for billing.
Information to track per project
- Client name and engagement type (monthly, quarterly, annual)
- Retainer agreement details (fixed fee vs hourly, allocated hours if applicable)
- Due date for final deliverable and interim milestone dates
- Time budget (estimated hours) and time consumed (actual logged hours)
- Billing status (not invoiced, invoiced, paid)
- Deliverable status (what's done, what's pending, what's blocked)
- Client communication history related to this engagement
- Attached files (source documents, work papers, final reports)
Proven methods for bookkeeper project organization
- Name projects with client name plus period: "ABC Corp - Jan 2026 Close" rather than just "Monthly Close"
- Use consistent due date patterns: if month-end close is due 7th business day of following month, apply that rule to all monthly clients for calendar consistency
- Tag projects with client industry or complexity level for workload balancing across team
- Archive completed projects after 90 days but keep them searchable for reference when similar situations arise
- Review time estimates quarterly and adjust templates based on actual time data - if bank reconciliation consistently takes 1.5 hours but template says 1 hour, update estimate
Organized project management enables workload visibility across all concurrent client engagements. Structure serves the goal of knowing at any moment which clients need attention, which deliverables are approaching due dates, and which engagements are consuming more time than allocated.
Client portals for bookkeepers: project management connection
Client portals connect project management data to client-facing access, creating smooth visibility into engagement status without constant status update requests.
Portal as engagement hub
Clients access their complete relationship with your firm through branded portals. Current project status, completed deliverables with attached financial reports, upcoming work schedules, invoices, and communication history in one place. Project management data powers what clients see - when bank reconciliation task completes, client sees updated project progress. When financial statement task finishes, attached report becomes visible in portal. Project organization on your side becomes engagement visibility on their side.
Consistent experience across clients
Portal presentation reflects the organized project structure in project management system. Professional, consistent client experience across all engagements. Client doesn't need to ask "Is close done yet?" - they see project status showing 8 of 10 tasks complete. Client doesn't need to request financial statements - they see deliverable marked complete with attached PDF ready to download.
Self-service access to deliverables
Clients find their own financial reports, reconciliation summaries, and variance analyses in portal deliverable section. Project management organization enables client self-service without administrative burden. When monthly close project completes, all attached deliverables become accessible to client immediately. No separate email with attachments, no file sharing service links, no "let me send that to you" responses to status requests.
Two-way visibility
Portal interactions feed back into project management. Client marks deliverable as reviewed, that status updates project record. Client asks question about variance report, that communication threads to project. Client requests additional analysis, that becomes new task in project. Complete picture from both perspectives - bookkeeper sees project progress with task details and time consumption, client sees engagement status with deliverable access and communication history.
Engagement continuity across periods
Portals maintain client relationship visibility across recurring engagement cycles. Returning to February close after January close finished, client finds their complete history - last month's financial statements, previous communications about transaction categorization policies, historical project patterns. Connection maintained between monthly cycles rather than treating each month as isolated engagement.
Portals make project management client-facing. Internal organization translates to external experience without requiring separate client communication layer.
How to migrate project management to Plutio
Migration from another project management software typically takes 3-5 hours of active work spread over a weekend, with the best time to switch being between month-end close cycles rather than mid-month during active deliverable work.
Step 1: Export from your current tool
Most project management software provides CSV export. Here's what to export from common tools:
- Asana: Export projects list via Settings → Export → CSV. Includes task names, assignees, due dates, completion status. Does not include time data - export that separately from time tracking tool.
- Monday.com: Click board menu → Export board to Excel. Creates spreadsheet with all columns including custom fields. Time tracking requires separate export if you use Monday's time extension.
- Trello: Board menu → More → Print and Export → Export as JSON. Convert JSON to CSV using free online converter. Trello doesn't have native time tracking so pull time data from whatever separate tool you use.
- ClickUp: Space menu → Export → CSV. Includes tasks, time tracked, custom fields. Most complete export of common PM tools but slow interface makes export process tedious.
Step 2: Build templates in Plutio (2-3 hours)
Use your exported project content as reference to create new templates. Look at your last 3 months of completed projects and identify the recurring patterns. You have 2-4 core engagement types that cover 80%+ of work. Build templates for those patterns. Focus on forward-looking workflows, not historical archives - you're creating structure for future engagements, not recreating past project history.
Step 3: Set up integrations (30 mins)
Connect payment processing - Stripe and/or PayPal. Configure billing account, add bank details, generate test invoice and verify payment processes correctly. Connect calendar sync - Google Calendar or Outlook. Test by creating calendar event in Plutio and confirming it appears in your calendar app. Link accounting software - QuickBooks or Xero - if you want financial data to flow between systems. Test each integration before relying on it with real client work.
Step 4: Import client data (30 mins)
Upload your client list to Plutio via CSV. Include client name, primary contact, billing rate, retainer type. Don't import old project history - start with current period forward. Historical project data creates clutter without providing value. If you need to reference old project details, keep your old system in read-only mode for 60-90 days during transition.
Step 5: Run parallel for new work
Use Plutio for all new monthly close cycles while keeping the old system active for work already in progress. When February close finishes in your old system, start March close in Plutio. Don't try to migrate mid-month during active deliverable work - wait for natural cycle break. Running parallel for 30-60 days gives your team time to learn new workflows while maintaining continuity for in-flight engagements.
Step 6: Phase out the old tool
Once all active engagements on your old system complete (typically 30-60 days after starting parallel operation), cancel that subscription. Export final archive of old project data if you need historical reference, but don't import it to Plutio. Keep the export file stored securely for reference and move forward with Plutio as single system.
Common migration pitfalls to avoid
- Trying to migrate everything: Focus on active client data and forward-looking workflows. Historical project archives create clutter without value. Start fresh for structure, reference old system for history if needed.
- Switching mid-cycle: Finish in-progress monthly close work on the old system. Start next month's close cycle in new system. Don't split single engagement across two systems - creates confusion and double data entry.
- Not testing integrations: Verify payment processing works before sending real client invoices. Test calendar sync before relying on it for client meeting schedules. Integration failures during live client work damage professional credibility.
- Skipping team training: If you have team members, run training session on new system before going live. Walk through complete workflow from project creation to invoice generation. Team members learn through hands-on practice, not documentation.
The investment in migration pays back in time saved on every future billing cycle. One-time cost of 3-5 hours setup creates ongoing benefit of automated billing, connected time tracking, and eliminated manual data transfer.
