Industry
Accounting for marketing agencies
Retainers, pass-through media spend and true client profitability.
Overview
Agency accounting separates pass-through media spend from the agency's own revenue, and reports profitability by client and project — so headline turnover doesn't disguise a thin actual margin.
Agencies have a specific distortion in their numbers: money that flows through the business to a media platform is not agency revenue, but it inflates turnover if booked as such. An agency can look like it's growing fast while the fee income underneath barely moves.
The second issue is retainers. Income arrives monthly regardless of the work delivered that month, so profitability by client only becomes visible when time and cost are tracked against the fee.
What we handle
- Pass-through media spend separated from agency fee income
- Retainer revenue recognised against delivery, not just billing
- Project and client-level profitability reporting
- Freelancer and contractor cost tracking against jobs
- Work in progress and unbilled time
- Multi-currency client billing
- Cash flow planning around retainer renewal cycles
Get started
Ready to stop chasing your own books?
Book a free, no-obligation call and get a written read on where your finance function stands today.
Thirty minutes · No obligation · Free financial health review