Firm-billed vs client-billed software: who pays for client accounting?

Client-billed software keeps the firm out of subscription admin. Clients control their own accounts, and the firm avoids carrying software costs. The trade-off is that the software appears as a separate purchase, and clients may shop around or downgrade without telling you.

It also separates the software from your service. Clients see two bills and two relationships, which can make your bookkeeping fee look like only part of the picture. Clients may also compare the software cost on its own, which invites conversations about value that have little to do with your work.

Firm billing lets you package software and service into one fee. You decide how to present it, and the client sees a single relationship. The HelloBooks white-label model is firm-billed: each client stays on a published HelloBooks plan, your firm receives a discount on every one, and you bill the client.

The firm also pays a flat monthly White-Label License covering branding, unlimited staff and a console with each client’s close status. Clients sign in to your branded ledger, which runs on a hellobooks.ai subdomain from day one, with your own domain at full launch.

Firm billing works well with clear engagement terms that say what the software fee covers and what happens if the engagement ends. Your pricing should allow for the published plan each client needs. Review those terms whenever a client moves to a larger plan.

Because the client relationship sits with you, data control matters as much as pricing does. With HelloBooks, the firm owns client data and can export it. Founding firms can apply for the white-label license now and start by moving a few firm-billed clients across.

One flat license covers your brand, unlimited staff and the firm console. Your clients stay on published HelloBooks plans, and your firm gets 20% off each one. Founding firms go live first on a firm subdomain; your own domain and email from your domain follow at full launch.