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Engagement profitability and clean compliance for professional services

From time-billing and WIP to retainer revenue and cross-border VAT, get clarity on which engagements actually make money and stay penalty-free with the FTA.

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Challenges we understand

Unbilled time and WIP not visible, revenue recognised late, margin per engagement unclear

Retainer vs hourly vs fixed-fee mix makes month-end revenue cut-off messy

VAT on cross-border services (export, reverse charge) treated inconsistently

Partner draws and distributions blurred with operating cash flow

Engagement scope creep eats margin without anyone tracking it

Long collection cycles (60-90 days) strain cash even when the practice is profitable

How Daira helps

Daira sets up books that track revenue and cost by engagement, partner, and service line, so partners see margin per matter, per client, per practice. We implement WIP discipline so revenue is recognised on the right side of month-end, and a predictable close that lands by day 5. We handle VAT correctly for domestic services, exports, and reverse-charge purchases, with documentation that survives an FTA audit. Cash management forecasts collections per client so partner distributions are based on real, not hoped-for, cash.

What we deliver

Engagement-level chart of accounts (clients, matters, service lines)
WIP and unbilled-time schedule with revenue recognition rules
Engagement profitability report (margin per matter, per partner)
Quarterly VAT return with cross-border services properly classified
Receivables aging with chase-list per partner
Cash flow forecast distinguishing operating cash from partner distributions
Corporate Tax computation with appropriate small-business or qualifying-free-zone treatment

Frequently asked questions

Yes. We structure books so revenue, cost, and margin can be reported per engagement, per client, per partner.
We implement a monthly WIP schedule with clear revenue-recognition rules so unbilled time is captured and month-end revenue is accurate.
Exports of services can be zero-rated when conditions are met. We document the treatment per engagement so it stands up under FTA review.
Yes. We separate operating cash from distributable cash and forecast both, so distributions are sized to real availability.
Yes, law, audit/advisory, consulting, engineering, design, and IT consulting are all within scope. Trust account considerations are handled where applicable.

Want to see how this works for Professional Services?

Book a free expert consultation. We'll walk you through how Daira runs finance for businesses like yours.

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