Interior and fit-out
ERP software for interior designers and fit-out contractors
Quote by stage, bill each stage with the right tax, buy plywood and hardware into the right site, and pay carpenters and subcontractors.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for interior designers and fit-out contractors. Staged quotations become sales orders billed in parts, design fees and works carry their own tax rates, site material is tracked per warehouse, and payroll and subcontractor bills post to one ledger.
Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with tax 10% and the amount in words.
A day in an interior fit-out firm
An interior firm sells a design, then builds it, and the money comes in stage by stage while material and labour go out every day.
At Tanjong Interiors in Singapore, the morning starts with a client meeting for a three-bedroom flat in Tampines. The design is signed off, so the studio sends a quotation broken into design, civil, carpentry, electrical and finishing. Across town, the site supervisor at a clinic fit-out in Novena calls for twelve more sheets of 18 mm plywood and a box of soft-close hinges.
By evening the questions come from every side. Has the Tampines client paid the carpentry advance? Which laminate order went to which site? What does the false ceiling crew still want? The answers live in a quotation file and the supervisor's diary.
SimpleERP ties the job to two documents: the sales order that holds the accepted stages, and the tax invoice you raise against each stage as it finishes, with design fees and works at their own rates. Material, wages and subcontractor bills post to the same books.
Sales
Quote by stage and bill as each stage is done
Write the quotation the way the client reads it, with lines per stage, and convert the accepted version into a sales order that is invoiced in parts and shows what is left to bill.
- Revise a sent quotation when the client swaps a laminate or drops a wardrobe; the sent copy stays as it was.
- Partial invoicing. Bill design now, civil next month and carpentry when the modules are installed.
- A ship-to address per site prints on every stage invoice for that flat, shop or office.
Illustration of the CRM pipeline with four stages and a list of follow-ups due today.
Billing
Design fees and works at their own rates
Set up the design fee and each kind of works as service items with a tax rate, and plywood, hardware or lights sold separately as products with theirs. One invoice can carry both, and the tax is worked out per line.
- The site address on each stage invoice, so the client's accounts team matches it to the right flat or office.
- Tax per line with the summary by rate printed at the foot of the invoice.
- Client advances stay on account until you apply them to a stage invoice.
Design fees and fit-out works usually carry the standard rate; a few countries treat works on new homes differently. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
| Line | Taxable | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Interior design fee, 9% | $8,000 | $720 |
| Carpentry and false ceiling works, 9% | $25,000 | $2,250 |
| Total | $33,000 | $2,970 |
Purchase and inventory
Know which plywood and hardware went to which site
Make your store and each running site a warehouse. A supplier bill receives plywood, laminates, hinges and lights where they were delivered, and a stock transfer moves leftovers to the next site.
- Purchase orders to your plywood and hardware dealers with a deliver-to warehouse.
- Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, so leftover laminate sheets are visible before you reorder.
- Reorder levels on fast-moving hardware put shortfalls on the low-stock list in the store.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
Payables
Pay subcontractors against their bills, not their phone calls
The painting team, the false ceiling crew and the electrician send bills; enter each one as a supplier bill with a service line, and the payable sits against that subcontractor until you pay it.
- Payables ageing by subcontractor and dealer, with what is overdue on top.
- Part payments allocated to bills, oldest first, with the balance still showing.
Illustration of receivables ageing: 2,441 to collect across 5 buckets, with customer totals.
Payroll
Carpenters and supervisors paid from their attendance
Each carpenter, helper and site supervisor has an employee record and a monthly salary structure. They check in from a phone browser at the site, or HR marks the day's attendance on one screen, and payroll reads the paid days.
- Advances to a carpenter recovered through the payslip over a few months.
- Salary components such as basic pay, allowances and deductions per person.
- Expense claims from supervisors for taxi fares and small site buys, with a photo of the slip.
Illustration of the daily attendance sheet on a phone with a Mark all present button.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
SimpleERP seeds the routine parts when you sign up, so the first morning goes on your clients and sites.
- A chart of accounts with inventory, payables, salaries and tax accounts already mapped.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a design fee or a product.
- Units such as pieces, metres, boxes and sets, with sheets or square feet a quick addition, and numbering on your financial year.
- Seven ready-made roles, from Owner to Employee self-service, to copy for a studio manager or site supervisor.
By job
Interior and fit-out by job
Inventory for interior contractors
Plywood, laminate and hardware stock in the store and at each site, leftovers moved between sites and reorder levels on fast movers.
Read moreAccounting for interior design firms
Stage receivables, subcontractor payables, client advances and tax in one ledger, with month-end checks a studio can actually run.
Read morePayroll for interior contractors
Monthly salaries for carpenters, helpers and site supervisors from site attendance, with advances recovered and payslips on their phones.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
A quotation becomes a sales order and stage invoices, supplier bills put material into a site or pay a subcontractor, and payroll and claims post to the same ledger.
Payments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
See howInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See howExpenses
Business expenses with receipts, and staff claims from submit to approve to reimburse.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for interior and fit-out firms yet
Better to hear it now than after the first site closes.
- Project costing or stage-wise budgets against actuals. A warehouse per site shows the material, and a branch per site lets registers and expenses be filtered by site.
- Retention money tracking. The amount a client holds back stays open on that stage's invoice; ask your accountant to move it to a separate retention receivable with a manual journal, and note the release date yourself.
- Measurement sheets, progress-bill formats or BOQ import. Type the stages as quotation lines and bill them against the sales order.
- Drawings and site photos beyond the Files tab on a record. There is no drawing register or photo gallery per site.
- Daily-wage or piece-rate payroll. Payroll is a monthly salary with components and advances.
- Tax withheld by clients has no screen of its own; record the amount received and post the withheld part as a manual journal.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add what you sell
Add your design fee and each kind of works as service items with their tax rate, add plywood, laminates and hardware as products, and make a warehouse for each running site.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
What tax rate applies to interior design and fit-out work?
Design fees and fit-out works usually carry your country's standard VAT, GST or sales tax rate, and goods sold on their own carry theirs. In the US, design services are taxed in some states and not in others. In SimpleERP you set the rate on each item, and the invoice applies it line by line. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Can SimpleERP show the profit on each project?
No, not today. You can see the material that went into a site when each site is a warehouse, and filter invoices and expenses by branch if you keep one branch per site, but there is no budget against actual or project profit report.
Our team is two designers, a supervisor and eight carpenters. Is that too small?
No. Everyone can have a login with a role, carpenters can check in from a phone browser, and payroll runs for the whole team each month. Members are unlimited, and there is no separate mobile app to install.
We keep quotations in spreadsheets and accounts in an old app. How do we move?
Import your plywood, laminate and hardware list from a CSV file with opening stock, import clients and subcontractors with their opening balances from a spreadsheet too. Most studios start fresh from the first of a month.
Related
Keep reading
Construction and contractors
Quotations and stage invoices, material per site, payroll with advances and site expense claims.
Read moreFurniture
BOMs per design, work orders, workshop and showroom stock, and counter invoices paid on the spot.
Read moreInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
Read moreQuotation format
A quotation format with tax shown line by line, as a free Excel, Word and PDF download.
Read more
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