Interior and fit-out
Accounting software for interior design and fit-out firms
Every stage invoice, dealer bill, subcontractor payment and payroll run writes its own journal, so the month-end is a check, not a rebuild.
In short
SimpleERP is accounting software for interior design and fit-out firms. Stage invoices, client advances, dealer and subcontractor bills, payroll and tax post their own balanced journals, and the trial balance, P&L and balance sheet are ready on any date.
Illustration: saving invoice INV-2026-0213 moves stock, posts the customer ledger, records tax and updates the dashboard in one step.
An accounting day at Tanjong Interiors
At month end Rachel sits down with the partner of Tanjong Interiors and a list of questions. Which clients still owe on finished stages? How much is the painting subcontractor owed after two part payments? Did the advance from the Bukit Timah house get set against the design invoice, or is it still sitting as a credit?
In a spreadsheet each answer means reading back through receipts and dealer bills. In SimpleERP the ledger already holds them, because every posted document wrote its own entry the moment it was saved.
Where does each part of a fit-out land in the books?
The seeded chart of accounts covers the routine of a studio, and posting a document fills the right accounts without anyone choosing them. The table shows what Rachel checks before closing the month.
| Account | What lands there | Month-end check |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Receivable | Stage invoices less client receipts | Receivables ageing against each client's statement |
| Accounts Payable | Dealer and subcontractor bills less payments | Supplier statements for the painting and ceiling crews |
| Inventory | Plywood, laminate and hardware at average cost | Stock value by warehouse after the site counts |
| Output tax and tax to reclaim | Output tax on stage invoices, tax on bills | Tax summary against the sales and purchase registers |
| Salaries & Wages, Employee Advances | Payroll runs and carpenter advances | Payroll register and advances balance |
| Bank | Receipts and payments | Reconcile against the bank statement by hand |
How do I know which client owes for which stage?
Each stage invoice is a separate receivable, and receipts are allocated to them oldest first unless you change it. Receivables ageing groups what is due by client and age, so a carpentry stage unpaid for 60 days stands out.
- Client advances stay on account until applied to a stage invoice.
- A held-back amount stays open on its stage invoice and shows in ageing until it is paid.
- Customer statements with a running balance for the final settlement meeting.
Illustration of receivables ageing: 2,441 to collect across 5 buckets, with customer totals.
How are subcontractors and dealers kept apart in the books?
Both are suppliers, but their bills carry different lines. A dealer bill with plywood receives stock, while a subcontractor bill for painting or false ceiling labour is a service line that goes straight to cost.
- Payables ageing shows what each subcontractor is owed and since when.
- Tax on a registered subcontractor's bill lands in the reclaimable tax account for your filer to check.
- Payments allocated to bills so a part payment to the painter is never lost.
What does closing a month look like for a small studio?
Run the trial balance, look at the P&L for the month, export the tax summary and registers for your filer, and set the lock date. Nothing posted before the lock date can be changed, so last month's figures stay what the accountant saw.
- Manual journals for what no document covers, such as tax withheld by a client or rent paid by the partner.
- Reverse a wrong entry in the open month; nothing is deleted.
- Give your accountant an Accountant login instead of sending files back and forth.
One system
What it connects to
Stage invoices, dealer and subcontractor bills, payroll and claims each post their own journal, so the ledger is complete without re-entry.
Interior and fit-out
Staged quotations, design and works bills, plywood and hardware per site, and payroll for carpenters and supervisors.
See howInventory 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.
See howPayroll for interior contractors
Monthly salaries for carpenters, helpers and site supervisors from site attendance, with advances recovered and payslips on their phones.
See howAccounting
A double-entry ledger with journals, bank registers, statements and a lock date.
See howPayments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
See how
Honest limits
Not included yet
- No bank feeds: bank entries are recorded and reconciled by hand
- No multi-currency; every document is in your base currency
- Tax returns are not filed and e-invoices are not issued from inside the product
- No project costing or profit per site; a branch per site lets registers and expenses be filtered by site
- No retention money tracking; ask your accountant to move held-back amounts to a retention receivable account with a manual journal
- Tax withheld on payments to subcontractors, where your country requires it, is not computed; post it with a manual journal
Getting started
Start with accounting
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.
Enter opening balances
Enter what each client owes on open stages, what you owe each dealer and subcontractor, your bank balance and the stock value at the store and sites.
Run the trial balance
Every posted document is already in the ledger; the trial balance and P&L are ready on any date.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can I see profit for the Novena clinic job on its own?
Not as a report. If the site is set up as a branch, its invoices and expenses can be filtered by that branch, and its material is visible in the site warehouse, but there is no project P&L.
Our clients keep back 5% until handover. Where does that go?
It stays as the unpaid part of the stage invoice, so it shows in receivables ageing. If your accountant prefers it in a separate account, they can move it with a manual journal; there is no dedicated screen for it.
Can our accountant open the studio's books directly?
Yes. Invite them by email with the Accountant role, and they see journals, registers, statements and the lock date. Every user is billed per month, accountant included.
We switch over in the middle of a job. What happens to stages billed in our old app?
Enter what each client still owes as an opening balance and start new stage invoices in SimpleERP from the switch date. Old invoices stay in your previous books for reference.
Related
Keep reading
Interior and fit-out
Staged quotations, design and works bills, plywood and hardware per site, and payroll for carpenters and supervisors.
Read moreInventory 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 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
See how accounting works in SimpleERP for interior and fit-out
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.