# Invoice processing for professional services | Glimps > Automate invoice processing for consultancies, IT, and accounting firms with Exact Online: project allocation, recurring SaaS, freelance invoices, and billable cost passthrough. Source: https://useglimps.com/en/solutions/zakelijke-dienstverlening | Language: en | Updated: 2026-07-06 This Markdown file is the plain-text twin of the page above, generated at build time from the same render. --- For service firms, complexity is in allocation, not goods. Recurring SaaS subscriptions, freelance invoices, billable costs passed through to clients, project coding down to the hour. Glimps makes that allocation mostly automatic. Glimps reads the line: Microsoft 365 Business Premium Typical bottleneckProject + client allocation Not scanning the invoice, but determining which project, client, and cost category. Wrong coding here costs margin directly, whether passed through or absorbed. Project managers see real cost immediately, not at month-end close. Benchmark: Ardent Partners (2024) reported $9.40 average cost per invoice, 9.15 days processing time, 32.6% straight-through processing. [Source](https://www.medius.com/media/fvzk13ia/ardent-partners-state-of-epayables-2024-medius-final.pdf) ## How invoice processing looks in professional services For service firms, invoice processing is about allocation, not volume. An average SMB consultancy or law firm processes 80–250 supplier invoices per month: modest in volume, but each with a more complex coding decision than a goods invoice in trade or production. Which project? Which client? Billable or internal? Which cost category matches time tracking? Scanning is trivial; allocation is the work. Half to three-quarters of supplier invoices are recurring software subscriptions. Slack, Zoom, Notion, GitHub, Adobe, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, accounting tools, project tools, AI credits: an average 50-person service firm has 60–150 active subscriptions spread across teams. Duplicate licenses, unused subscriptions, and margin erosion from over-rapid growth are standard problems. Glimps detects recurring patterns, flags duplicates, and provides an active view of software spend per category. The other half often consists of freelance invoices, passthrough costs, and project-related expenses. A lawyer driving on assignment, a consultant commissioning a report from a freelance designer, an accountant buying a software license for a specific client: all these costs must link to project and client, and the billable/non-billable status determines whether they recoup in the client invoice or get absorbed in overhead. A missed billable directly costs margin. Glimps does this allocation automatically using supplier rules, project context, email routing, and historical bookings. Recurring software is recognized, billable status is proposed, and the project owner approves or declines in one click from the email they receive, on a phone too. Result: real-time project costs and margin instead of waiting until month-end close. ## Where this solution fits, and where it doesn't - You process many recurring software invoices that go to different projects or teams. - Freelancers and subcontractors invoice regularly. - Some costs are billed through to clients. Billable expense management is part of the job. - You don't use project or client coding in Exact Online. - You only process fixed costs with no passthrough. ## From intake to controlled posting Glimps handles the routine so finance can focus on the exceptions, not the data entry. ### 1. Receive invoice SaaS subscriptions, freelance invoices, and subcontractor costs are received centrally. ### 2. Determine project and client Glimps identifies project and client codes from references, email routing, and historical bookings. ### 3. Determine billable status Billable or internal is determined from supplier rules, contract type, and project settings. ### 4. Post and pass through Posted in Exact Online with project, client, and billable status. Ready for client invoicing. ## The real value is in the exceptions High-volume AP automation only pays off when it is clear what can flow through safely, and what must be reviewed by a human. ### Recurring SaaS sprawl Dozens of subscriptions scattered across teams and projects. Duplicate licenses, unused subscriptions, and 5–15% annual price creep without negotiation. A structured purchasing administration helps keep this visible and manageable. ### Freelance invoices Varying formats, different VAT regimes (regular, small-business scheme, exemption), and project references that sometimes go missing. Glimps uses semantic AI extraction without templates, so it works immediately on any format. ### Line-level project and client coding A software license may be for the whole firm, one team, or one specific client. Coding determines whether it lands on overhead, project, or client. That is a decision that varies per supplier and cost category and benefits from structured supplier rules in Exact Online. ### International invoices and VAT regimes Software subscriptions often from US, IE, or GB with EU reverse-charge VAT. Some suppliers bill in USD, others GBP. Wrong VAT coding leads to immediate tax adjustments. Glimps detects these regimes automatically. ## How Glimps handles the cases that would otherwise stall Invoice without project code from a supplier that normally bills against projects Supplier, prior bookings, email route, project references in invoice text. Propose project or route to contract owner for assignment. International invoice without reverse-charge VAT Supplier location, EU/non-EU VAT number, invoice text, product category. Apply reverse-charge VAT code or route to finance on uncertainty. External-expert invoice > €10,000 without partner approval Approval matrix per project, partner authority, prior approvals. Block and route to two partners for joint approval. ## How Glimps fits in your software stack Glimps works natively with Exact Online, including the Project, Client, and Time-tracking modules. For service firms running hours and projects in Exact Online this is the natural integration without duplicate administration: purchase invoices land directly on the right project and client. For service firms using specialized practice-management, accounting, or consultancy software alongside Exact Online: as long as project and client data lives in Exact Online (directly or via a separate connector), Glimps can match against it. For your specific combination we are happy to advise. Contact us. ## What it delivers for professional services Consultancy / law firm with 50 employees, ~200 invoices/month, 4 partners and 1 controller. Manual time per invoice (incl. project + billable check)5–8 minutesTime per invoice with Glimps30 sec for exceptionsMonthly time saved (controller)~25 hoursPrevented missed billables (€5M revenue × 8% × 50% recovery)€200,000/yearSaaS cost optimization (5–10% reduction)€10,000–€25,000/yearGlimps Professional€149/mo = €1,788/yrNet annual savings, year 1€200,000–€225,000+ Payback Payback typically within 1 month. For service firms, billable recovery is typically the biggest win: that "we should have passed those costs through" feeling disappears structurally. The SaaS overview adds a lasting brake on cost creep. ## Exact Online setup checklist The prerequisites to get this solution into production. - Projects and clients as dimensions active in Exact Online. - Supplier rules for billable/non-billable documented. - Approval routes per project or project owner. - SaaS subscriptions inventoried and classified. ## What Glimps automates for you The concrete parts of the process Glimps takes off your hands. - Project and client proposal from invoice context and history. - Recognize VAT regime, including for international suppliers. - Route to the right project or contract owner for approval. ## Frequently asked questions Specific questions about this solution for professional services. Want to see it yourself?Open the demo Does Glimps work for accounting firms? Yes, especially for firms running their own administration and clients on Exact Online. For multi-administration, see our multi-entity solution. How does Glimps handle freelance invoices? Freelance invoices vary enormously in format: some bill via Excel, others via Moneybird or Wefact. Glimps uses semantic extraction without templates, so any format works immediately. VAT regime (regular 21% or small-business exemption) is automatically detected. Does Glimps work with time-tracking tools? Glimps works natively with Exact Online, including its Project and Time-tracking modules. For specific time-tracking software on top of Exact Online: as long as project and client data lives in Exact Online (directly or via a connected tool), Glimps can match against it. How long does implementation take for a service firm? Technical Exact Online integration takes minutes. Configuring project/client coding, supplier rules, and approval matrix typically takes 1–2 hours. An SMB consultancy or accounting firm runs in production within half a day. For most SMB service firms (50–500 invoices/month) Glimps Professional at €149/mo suffices, including workflows, project/client coding, billable status detection, and multi-entity support where needed. Accounting firms with client administrations on Exact Online combine this with our multi-entity solution. ## Terms you'll encounter daily in professional services Billable expensePurchase cost that, per agreement with the client, is passed through in the end-invoice. Examples: travel, external expertise, client-specific software licenses.Non-billable expensePurchase cost absorbed as overhead, not passed through to a specific client. Examples: office rent, general software, marketing.Project profitability / project marginMargin per project: revenue from client invoices minus direct costs (including time × FTE cost and passed-through expenses). Steering on this metric is the core purpose of project accounting.Recurring SaaS spendMonthly or annual software subscriptions billed automatically. For service firms typically 30–50% of non-personnel costs.Pass-through / cost rechargeTransferring a purchase cost to a client invoice, optionally with markup. Requires exact linkage between purchasing and client billing.Project or client codingAssigning every invoice line to a specific project and/or client in the books. Central dimension for service-firm administration.Utilization ratePercentage of work time spent on billable activities (typical target 60–80% depending on role). Determined partly by the accuracy of time and cost allocation.WWFTDutch anti-money-laundering law. Requires accountants, lawyers, and tax advisors to perform client due diligence (KYC) and transaction monitoring.GDPRGeneral Data Protection Regulation. Critical for service firms because client data ends up in accounting and retention periods vary by client type.Freelance invoice (small-business scheme)Invoice from a freelancer, possibly under the Dutch Small Business Scheme (KOR) which means 0% VAT. Glimps detects this regime automatically.Read next ## Related solutions ### Multi-entity invoice processing Central control for multiple Exact Online administrations. ### High-volume invoice processing For teams where manual AP capacity no longer scales. ### Match purchase orders in Exact Online Automated order matching and 3-way matching with tolerances.