A Complete Guide to Bookkeeping for Architects & Interior Designers
- Team Book Tech
- Aug 7, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 20, 2025
Successful principal-owners of architecture and interior design firms are communivors by nature; this trait is an absolute requirement for running a firm well. But in addition to the designing side of things, you also need to worry about running your firm financially. Bookkeeping is central to managing your business finances – all those seemingly small details will ensure you are paying the right amount of tax and keeping money aside to avoid a last minute panic come January 31st, as well as other gazillions of financial decisions.
It is important for any business to set up good and professional bookkeeping, either you are the only person or with a team of employees, the principle is valid. This guide takes a deep dive into why bookkeeping is so important for architects and interior designers, and gives you some steps to start making it easier. We'll explain the top tools and software that can help take your financial management to the next level.
Why is Bookkeeping Important For Architects & Interior Designers
Bookkeeping goes beyond monitoring the money you receive and spend from your business. Architects and interior designers must measure financial factors that are not relevant to other businesses, like project-based accounting, working by the hour, and working with many clients. The reason why good bookkeeping matters for your business:
Project-Level Tracking: Use accounting software to track revenue and expenses per project — crucial for architects and designers managing multiple jobs.
Time & Billing Accuracy: Track hours and costs to bill clients correctly and avoid losing billable time.
Financial Forecasting: Good bookkeeping helps you plan for future growth and prepare for slow seasons with better cash flow insights.
Tax Compliance: Track deductible expenses like software, supplies, and travel to stay compliant and maximize deductions.
Client Trust: Clear financial records reduce billing disputes and build client confidence.
Scalability: As your firm grows, organized books ensure you’re ready to scale without missing key financial details.
“ If your projects involve complex engineering workflows, here’s our complete guide on bookkeeping for engineers. ”
A Step-by-Step Guide to Bookkeeping for Architects & Interior Designers
This straightforward step-by-step guide will provide insight that may help you initiate bookkeeping for your architecture or interior design firm:
Step 1: Select the Right Bookkeeping Method
The first step is to choose an accounting tool that fits the scale and complexity of your business. The two primary methods are:
Single-Entry Bookkeeping: A straightforward approach where each transaction is enlisted only once. Best for: Suitable for smaller firms with simple financial transactions.
Double-Entry Bookkeeping: While a bit more complicated, this system records every transaction in both the relevant debit and credit accounts. This is best suited to businesses on the larger spectrum with a little more complex financials. The double-entry bookkeeping system provides a clearer picture of your financials, meaning there are less chances for mistakes and imbalances.
Step 2: Choose the Right Bookkeeping Platform
If you are using proper software, your bookkeeping process can be faster and easier. We will take you through a few kinds of bookkeeping software that is especially meant for architects and interior designers.
Step 3: Create Your Chart of Accounts
The chart of accounts is the starting point of your bookkeeping system. It sorts all of your financial transactions into separate accounts so you know how much money you earn and how much money you spend. In your chart of accounts, some of the top-level categories for architecture and interior design firms may include:
Assets: Defined as office equipment, design software, and owned real estate.
Liabilities Any money a company owes for an obligation such as rent on an office or financing for equipment.
Revenue: Client project income, all design related fees and billable services (consultations etc…)
Expenses: Such as office rent, utilities, design software subscriptions, marketing costs, and salaries.
Step 4: Track project-related expenses
One of the differences in bookkeeping for architects and interior designers from other industries is monitoring project-based expenses. Here’s how to handle it:
Keep an Expense Log by Project – your bookkeeping software should have the capability to show expenses for each project. It guides you to know if you are doing the project in your budget and how much profit is making for each project.
Time and Billing Tracking: For agencies that bill by the hour, tracking time is critical. This could be something along the lines of time tracking which many software tools have built in (i.e- FreshBooks, QuickBooks).
If you work with subcontractors, you may also benefit from our guide on construction bookkeeping for contractors.Step 5: Account Reconciliation
Reconciliation is the way of comparing your financial records to another individual or company, like also bank statements. Ensure your records are then accurate and current. For improved visibility, reconciliation of accounts should be performed at least monthly to be able to quickly identify any discrepancies.
Step 6: Generate Financial Reports
“ Businesses that track project profitability and expenses may also benefit from our detailed painters bookkeeping guide. ”
How to Organize your Bookkeeping for Architects & Interior Designer
Some of these areas may include
Keep Personal and Business Finances Separate: To prevent any confusion or unnecessary double-takes while bookkeeping, not to mention increase the likelihood of getting audited, avoid writing checks from your business account to pay personal bills.
Records: keep at all receipts and invoices (again with project expenses) as they are needed to make a tax deduction.
Hire a professional bookkeeper: If you are not confident to do your accounting or if your firm is growing fast, consider hiring a pro for architecture and interior design firms.
Client Billing — Make sure you are billing your clients on time and staying on top of any outstanding payments. One of the things that keeps your firm healthy is consistent cash flow.
Conclusion
Bookkeeping might not be the most exciting part of running an architecture or interior design firm, but it’s certainly one of the most critical. With Book Tech’s specialized bookkeeping services for Architects & Interior Designers, you can stay on top of what the money is doing, keep your business financially healthy, remain tax compliant, and be ready to take on more projects with confidence. Above all, choosing the right tools, staying organized, and consistently tracking your financials are the habits that dictate long-term success. Let Book Tech handle the numbers so you can focus on the design.
