IRIS launches practice management platform as firms battle 105-day billing gaps and rising write-offs

IRIS Firm Management unifies time recording, WIP, billing and financial reporting in a single platform, giving mid-to-large practices the real-time insight to grow more profitably

LONDON, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IRIS Software Group (IRIS), a leading global provider of accountancy, HR, payroll, and education software, today announced the launch of IRIS Firm Management (IFM), a next-generation practice management platform purpose-built for mid-to-large UK accounting firms.

With an average gap of 105 days between completing work and receiving payment*, practice profitability is under serious pressure – in a survey of 140 UK accountancy firms, 37% identified time tracking as a key challenge, with only 33% tracking utilisation, and 76% only using basic, manual, or no WIP tracking at all**. This is compounded by the growing regulatory burden brought by changes such as Making Tax Digital to evolving companies house requirements.

IFM brings together practice management, time and billing, WIP management, and financial reporting into a single integrated solution. It gives practice leaders real-time visibility into utilisation, capacity, scope creep and margin erosion, with workflows designed to reduce admin burden, enabling senior team members to focus on high-value work. Firms using IFM have reported up to 25% reduction in write-offs and two to four hours per person per week reclaimed from billing admin.

Modern Firm Management

Most practice management tools were built for compliance, not commercial performance. IFM bridges that gap, acting as a financial control layer on top of compliance software.

Jonathan Priestley, General Manager, Global Accountancy Solutions and Transformation, said, "Accountancy practices are at an inflection point and the firms that will grow are those that can turn their operational data into commercial decisions. IFM is a demonstration of our long-term commitment to UK accountants - we've listened, we understand the pressures they face, and we've built a solution that will scale alongside them as they grow. The accounting profession underpins businesses right across the UK economy, and these firms deserve technology that matches the vital role they play."

Support for diverse firms with complex needs

IFM is available in two configurations: IFM Core designed for firms needing foundational visibility with rapid deployment, with the system live within two to three weeks, and IFM Advanced for firms with multi-office, multi-entity or governance complexity. Importantly, both configurations have the ability to scale as firms grow, removing the need to re-platform as headcount, client volumes or structural complexity increases, while protecting margins throughout.

Key benefits of IFM***:

• Real time insights to support accurate, data-driven decision making with enhanced tracking, reporting, and resource allocation – with an estimated five per cent or more time leakage recovery.
• Automation reclaiming between two to four hours per person per week for higher value work by reducing admin work on billing, reporting and spreadsheet validation.
• Boosted profitability by reducing write-offs by 15 to 25 per cent through early visibility into scope creep and margin erosion before it is too late.

Top 50 firm Larking Gowen has chosen IFM as its practice management platform, with plans to migrate from its current system following an evaluation of leading cloud solutions on the market. Richard White, Chief Information Officer at Larking Gowen, said, "We needed confidence in three things: Robust data migration from our existing system, extensive APIs to power our Power Platform apps and reports and connect the growing ecosystem of cloud applications across the firm, and the reassurance of a platform built specifically for accounting practices. IFM delivered on all three."

Long-standing IRIS customer Morgan Griffiths LLP has chosen to migrate to IFM after using IRIS' desktop solutions to manage tax, accounts, practice management, time recording, and job tracking. IFM has been transformational for the firm's operational efficiency, giving them more reliability and control over essential functions. Manager Andrew Hunt said: "Billing can be such a time suck, which you don't want it to be because that eventually comes away from your profit. These things should be super simple to do, and we've definitely achieved that now. That's the biggest success of IFM for us so far."

Beyond day-to-day efficiency, IFM has created stronger foundations for Morgan Griffiths LLP to evolve. Accelerated digitalisation and improved accessibility of real-time data has enabled partners to recognise opportunities for strategic growth. Andrew said: "I think that MTD presents an enormous opportunity for us, particularly in getting clients in a much better place where they're getting closer to real-time information of how their business is going."

IFM Core and IFM Advanced are now available – find out more here.

*Natwest Accountancy Benchmarking Report 2024.
**These figures are from the IRIS Discovery Tool Questionnaire taken by 140 UK accountancy firms who are IRIS customers.
***These figures are based on an ROI calculator that assesses adjustable assumptions, using a combination of industry benchmarks and early adopter feedback.

About IRIS Software Group 

IRIS Software Group is a global provider of mission critical software and one of the UK's largest privately held software companies. IRIS provides software solutions and services for finance, HR and payroll teams, educational organisations, and accountancy firms that takes the pain out of processes and lets professionals focus on the work they love. Through simplifying, automating and providing insights on everyday mission critical tasks for organisations of all shapes and sizes, IRIS ensures customers can look forward with certainty and confidence. 
 
IRIS is the largest third-party online filer with the UK Government. Ninety-three of the top 100 UK accountancy firms use IRIS software. One in six of the UK's workforce is paid by IRIS payroll offerings, and globally, six million employees receive their payslip via IRIS software every month. More than 850,000 UK employees are managed by IRIS HR solutions. Over 12,000 UK schools and academies use IRIS, with four million parents and guardians using IRIS apps to connect with their children's school; 300 million messages are delivered between schools and parents each year, and over £15 million transactional payments are processed every month. IRIS is certified as a Great Place to Work® and recognised as one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality in 2023. IRIS is also recognised as one of the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing, one of the Best Workplaces in Tech and one of the Best Workplaces for Women. 
 
To see how IRIS helps organisations get things right first time, every time, visit www.iris.co.uk or follow IRIS Software Group on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.  

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