Best Resource Planning Software for Accounting Firms

Scoro is a professional services automation platform that covers quoting, project planning, time tracking, billing and reporting in a single system. For accounting firms, its planning board maps staff capacity against tax returns, audits and monthly closes, while project budgets show how much of a fixed fee has been used. Managers can compare planned hours with actual hours and see utilisation by person, team or client.

The entry plan starts at $19.90 per user per month billed annually, with a 14-day trial. Scoro suits mid size firms that want one system rather than several connected tools, and its reporting covers profitability by client and project. The higher starting price and the absence of a free plan make it a bigger commitment. Smaller firms should confirm that the entry tier includes the resource views they need.

Price: $19.90 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: scoro.com

Kantata is built for large professional services firms that manage many concurrent engagements and need detailed resource forecasting. Its planning tools model capacity months ahead, which suits accounting firms that schedule audit seasons and large tax engagements well in advance. Managers can compare demand against supply by role, skill and location, then adjust assignments before bottlenecks form. Financial views link planned hours to revenue and margins.

Pricing is quote only, and there is no free plan, so firms must contact the vendor for a price and a demo. Kantata fits firms with complex portfolios and dedicated operations staff rather than small practices that need a quick start. Implementation takes longer than the simpler tools in this list. Firms should ask for a demo that uses their own engagement mix and tax season calendar.

Price: quote only

Free plan: No

Website: kantata.com

Accelo combines client management, project tracking, scheduling and billing for firms that sell services on retainer or by the hour. For accounting firms, it tracks recurring engagements such as monthly bookkeeping and payroll alongside one-off tax work, and it turns approved time entries into invoices with little manual entry. The scheduling view shows who is working on which client and when, which helps partners balance workloads during peak periods.

Pricing is quote only, though a 14-day trial is available. Accelo suits firms that bill many clients on retainers and want client records, work and billing in one place. The interface packs in a lot of detail, so new users may need time to learn where each view lives. Firms should test the scheduling and billing flow with a real engagement during the trial.

Price: quote only

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: accelo.com

Teamwork offers project management with workload views that show how much work each person carries across clients and deadlines. For accounting firms, the planner makes it easy to see who has room for another tax return and who is already full during the April rush. Time tracking links hours to projects, and the free plan lets small firms start without a subscription while they test whether the views fit their workflow.

The entry subscription starts at $9.99 per user per month billed annually, and the free plan covers small teams with basic needs. Teamwork is easy to learn, which helps firms that want to move fast without long training. The trade off is that advanced resource features, such as capacity forecasting, sit on higher tiers. Firms that need detailed utilisation analysis may outgrow the lower plans as they add staff.

Price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: teamwork.com

monday.com is a visual work platform where teams track projects on boards, timelines and workload widgets. For accounting firms, a board can hold every tax return, audit and advisory engagement, with owners, due dates and status in columns that the whole team can read at a glance. The workload view totals hours per person per week, which shows overload before it causes missed deadlines.

The entry subscription starts at $9 per seat per month billed annually, and a free plan is available for small teams. Resource management features, including the workload view, need a higher tier, so firms should check the plan comparison before choosing. Costs rise as the team grows, since pricing is per seat. Firms that like visual planning will find the interface approachable and quick to set up.

Price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: monday.com

ClickUp combines tasks, docs, goals, time tracking and workload views in one flexible platform. For accounting firms, teams can organise work by client, engagement type or tax year, and the workload view shows capacity per person so managers can rebalance assignments during tax season. Time tracking links hours to tasks, which supports billing and shows partners where hours go across returns, audits and advisory work.

The entry subscription starts at $9 per user per month billed annually, and the free plan is generous for small teams that want to test the basics. Resource and workload views need a higher tier, so firms should confirm which plan includes them. The breadth of features is a strength and a risk, since new users can feel overwhelmed by the number of views and settings. A short pilot with one team helps firms learn the system before rolling it out firm wide.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: clickup.com

Asana organises work into projects, tasks and portfolios, with workload views that show how much each person carries across all their assignments. For accounting firms, a portfolio can hold every active engagement, and the timeline shows how tax returns and audits overlap across the team. Managers can shift dates and reassign tasks when a return takes longer than planned, and the workload view flags people who are over capacity before the deadline pressure builds.

The entry subscription starts at $10.99 per user per month billed annually, and a free plan is available. Workload features need the Advanced tier, so firms that want capacity views must budget for that plan. Asana has no native billing, so firms pair it with separate time tracking or invoicing tools. Its strength is clear ownership and clean task tracking.

Price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: asana.com

Smartsheet plans work in grids that feel familiar to anyone who has managed a schedule in a spreadsheet. For accounting firms, sheets can list every engagement with owners, due dates, budgeted hours and status, while Gantt views show how tax season work overlaps. Resource views show who is assigned to what and highlight overallocation, which helps managers balance the load when returns pile up. Forms and automations can collect client documents and move engagements through review stages.

The entry subscription starts at $9 per member per month billed annually, with a 30-day trial. Resource management is an add-on rather than part of the base plan, so firms should ask for its price before deciding. There is no free plan, so the trial is the main way to test the workflow. Smartsheet suits firms that like detailed, row by row planning, but it needs more setup than the simpler tools here.

Price: $9 per member/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: smartsheet.com

Harvest is a time tracking tool with invoicing and light project planning, built for firms that bill by the hour. For accounting firms, staff start timers against clients and engagements, and managers see hours by project, person and week. Budgets show how much of a fixed fee has been used, and approved time flows into invoices, which suits firms that bill monthly for bookkeeping or advisory work. The interface is simple, so staff adopt it quickly.

The entry subscription starts at $9 per seat per month billed annually, and the free plan is available. Harvest is the lightest planning tool in this list, with limited capacity forecasting and no task dependencies, so it suits small firms that mainly need accurate time and billing rather than deep scheduling. It works well as a first step for firms moving from spreadsheets to tracked time.

Price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: getharvest.com