United Kingdom & Global · Professional Services
CONSULTING • LAW • AGENCIES • ADVISORY

Project time, utilisation and billing that finally matches how professional services actually sells and delivers.

Granular project and matter time tracking, real-time utilisation reporting, multi-client billing with rate cards, IR35 determination for contractors, and consultant onboarding. Payrovia Payroll + Flex for the billable hour economy.

Project & matter time tracking Real-time utilisation dashboards Multi-client billing & rate cards IR35 contractor management
Book professional services demo → See Payroll + Flex convergence
THE REAL PROBLEM IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Most payroll and time systems were built for factories or offices. Professional services lives on the billable hour, the matter and the rate card — and almost nothing handles it cleanly.

Time is the product. But it leaks everywhere.

Partners, managers and juniors record time in six different tools. Non-billable work is invisible. Realisation rates are calculated in Excel three weeks after month end. The gap between recorded and billable is where margin dies.

utilisationrealisation

Every client has a different rate card and billing rule

Blended rates, capped fees, success fees, disbursements, matter budgets, multi-currency. Forcing this into a standard timesheet + payroll export creates constant manual adjustment and billing leakage.

rate cardsbilling

The workforce is a mix of employed, contractors and secondees

IR35 determinations, limited company contractors, fixed-term, alumni networks. Onboarding must be fast and compliant or you lose the ability to scale to client demand.

IR35contractors

Utilisation targets drive behaviour — and bonuses

Real-time visibility of utilisation vs target by person, practice and client is table stakes for partners. Most systems deliver this data 15–30 days late.

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THE PAYROVIA SUITE FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Payroll that understands project billing + a workforce platform built for knowledge work = the only system that sees the full client economy.

PAYROVIA PAYROLL

Professional Services Payroll & Billing

  • Project and matter time imported directly into correct pay and billing lines
  • Multi-client rate cards, blended rates, capped fees and success fees
  • IR35 status determination + Key Information Documents for every contractor
  • Utilisation-linked bonus and allowance calculations
  • Real-time pay and billing forecasts by practice and client
PAYROVIA FLEX

Project & Consultant Operations

  • Granular time capture with matter and activity codes
  • Real-time utilisation dashboards and target tracking
  • Fast-track compliant onboarding for contractors and fixed-term staff
  • Project-based shift and availability marketplace for surge work
  • Client-specific access controls and billing visibility
TOGETHER

One Version of Billable Truth

  • Every recorded minute flows into correct pay, bonus and client invoice
  • Real-time visibility of utilisation vs realisation by person and matter
  • Contractor invoices reconciled automatically against approved time
  • Full audit trail for IR35, billing disputes and partner reviews
CAPABILITIES THAT ACTUALLY MATTER FOR KNOWLEDGE WORK

Everything generic tools get wrong about professional services firms.

Project time that actually bills

Time entered against matters flows straight into client invoices with correct rate cards, write-offs and approvals. No more end-of-month time-to-bill reconciliation theatre.

time trackingbilling

Real-time utilisation & realisation

Live dashboards by consultant, team, practice and client. Target vs actual with drill-down to every matter. Partners finally see the numbers the day after, not the month after.

utilisationrealisation

IR35 & contractor compliance engine

Automated status determination for every engagement. Generation of Key Information Documents. Full audit history. Correct tax treatment flows into payroll automatically.

IR35contractors

Multi-client billing with rate cards

Unlimited client-specific rate cards, blended rates, matter budgets, success fees and multi-currency. Automatic invoice generation with partner approval workflow.

rate cardsinvoicing

Consultant onboarding in hours not weeks

Fast-track compliant onboarding for contractors and fixed-term staff with right-to-work, IR35 questionnaire, bank details and matter access all in one flow.

onboardingcontractors

Utilisation-linked compensation

Automatic calculation of utilisation bonuses, draw against commission and profit-share pools based on real recorded time. Full transparency for partners and associates.

bonusesutilisation
ILLUSTRATIVE UTILISATION MODEL

See how target utilisation, billable mix and contractor % affect monthly margin (example only).

64 consultants
76% target
EST. MONTHLY BILLABLE REVENUE (ILLUSTRATIVE)
£1.19m
PROJECTED MONTHLY MARGIN LIFT WITH PAYROVIA + FLEX
£68k
CONTRACTOR % IN CURRENT MIX (EXAMPLE)
31%

Rough model using typical UK professional services day rates and observed realisation gaps (example +5.7pp margin lift). Real client-specific modelling produced on your demo call. All values illustrative only.

REAL OUTCOMES

Firms that stopped guessing their true utilisation and started billing what they actually delivered.

“We had three different time systems and partners were still getting utilisation reports three weeks late. Payrovia gave us live utilisation by practice and matter. Realisation improved 8 points in the first year and our billing cycle shortened by nine days on average.”
— COO, Mid-market Strategy & Advisory Firm (58 fee earners, 3 offices; illustrative example)
QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE WHO RUN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS

Answers that respect how knowledge work and client billing actually operate.

Can you handle different rate cards and billing models across multiple clients?
Yes. Unlimited rate cards per client or matter, blended rates, caps, success fees and multi-currency. Time entered against a matter automatically uses the correct rate for invoicing.

How do you manage IR35 for contractors working across multiple client engagements?
Every contractor engagement receives an automated status determination with full audit trail. We generate the required Key Information Document and apply the correct tax treatment in payroll.

Can partners and practice heads see real-time utilisation without seeing everyone else’s rates?
Yes. Strict role-based access. Partners see their practice and matters. Finance sees consolidated billing. No one sees commercial terms they are not authorised for.

FOR CONSULTANCIES, LAW FIRMS, AGENCIES & ADVISORY PRACTICES

Let’s model your actual utilisation gap and billing leakage.

We’ll build a clear picture of current time leakage, realisation rates and contractor exposure using your real matter data — before any sales conversation.

Book a professional services assessment →
30-minute call with someone who has run operations in professional services firms.