Accounting for Architects

Welcome to Accounting for Architects, a practical course designed to translate the numbers behind your practice into clear decisions about fees, staffing, schedules, and growth. Whether you’re starting a firm, managing a studio, or leading projects, you’ll learn how to read the financial story of your work—and use it to deliver great design sustainably. We start by demystifying the language of accounting and connecting it directly to an architect’s workflow: understanding what drives profitability by phase, how utilization affects fees, and why timing matters as much as totals. From there, we move into planning and management—turning goals into budgets, forecasts, and repeatable routines—so you can track progress, respond early, and protect cash flow. You’ll leave with simple tools and templates you can apply immediately to real projects. By the end of the course, you will: – Speak the essentials: key accounting terms, reports, and metrics that matter to architecture practices. – Recognize revenue correctly: percent-complete vs. milestones, retainers, WIP, and how accrual vs. cash timing affects your books. – Build a business plan that aligns fees, markets, staffing, and capacity with clear financial targets. – Turn strategy into action with annual planning for budgets, utilization, backlog, and cash flow. – Run your practice month-to-month with forecasting, variance reviews, and project health checks. – Set and manage multipliers: calculate billing rates from salary, overhead, and profit goals; track effective vs. target multipliers. – Create invoices that get paid: structure by fee type (hourly, fixed fee, phased), handle reimbursables and subs, and manage collections. Throughout, we use architecture-specific examples—by phase and project type—so concepts stick and decisions feel straightforward. The goal isn’t to make you an accountant; it’s to give you the financial clarity and confidence to lead your practice, price your work wisely, and build a resilient studio.