The Problem: Accountants Give Away Advice and Chase Payments
Accounting firms lose revenue in two ways most don't measure:
Unpaid advice. Phone calls from existing clients, LinkedIn messages from entrepreneurs, "quick questions" about VAT, company structures, or tax deadlines. The expertise is valuable, but there's no mechanism to charge for it so it stays free.
Late or missing payments. The consultation happens, the invoice goes out three weeks later, and then the follow-up starts. For smaller advisory sessions 30 minutes on a tax question, an hour reviewing a company structure the cost of collecting often exceeds the fee itself.
Both problems have the same root cause: the payment happens after the advice. Tinrate reverses that.
What Is Tinrate?
Tinrate is a Belgian expert-booking platform where clients book, pay, and consult through a single link. It handles scheduling, payment processing, invoicing, and payouts so professionals can focus on delivering advice.
For accountants, it works as a paid consultation booking system with zero setup costs and no monthly fees.
How Tinrate Works for Accountants
1. Create a profileAdd your photo, bio, specialization (e.g. tax advisory, company formation, VAT compliance, bookkeeping, financial planning), and set your rates and session lengths.
2. Set your availabilityOpen as few or as many time slots as you want. Many accountants open a few hours per week outside of peak season or ramp up during tax filing periods.
3. Share your booking linkPlace it on your firm's website, LinkedIn profile, email signature, or send it directly when someone asks for advice.
4. Clients book and pay upfrontThe client sees your rate, picks a time slot, enters their details, and pays all before the consultation. Payment methods include Bancontact, iDEAL, credit cards, and Apple Pay. Invoicing is automatic.
5. You consult via video callSessions start at 15 minutes. Payouts arrive within 48 hours. No invoicing, no follow-up, no admin.
4 Reasons Accountants Choose Tinrate
1. Pre-payment eliminates invoice chasing
Clients pay when they book not after the consultation. The money is held until the meeting takes place, then paid out automatically. No outstanding receivables. No awkward payment reminders.
This solves the single biggest billing frustration in accounting services: clients who need advice urgently but take months to pay for it.
2. Free for experts 0€/month
Tinrate charges nothing to the accountant. No subscription, no setup fee, no commission on your rate. A 5% transaction fee is charged to the person booking. Your fee stays untouched.
Compare that to scheduling tools like Calendly (€12–€20/seat/month) or Acuity (€20–€36/month) none of which handle payment collection the way Tinrate does. And unlike accounting practice management software with built-in billing, Tinrate requires zero setup or configuration.
3. A new client acquisition channel
Tinrate isn't just a booking tool. It has a built-in search engine where potential clients can search for accountants by specialization. With a limited number of accountants currently on the platform in Belgium, early movers get high visibility with minimal competition.
The platform also runs expert spotlight campaigns with a reach of 200,000+ people free exposure for active profiles.
4. Monetize the "quick question" requests
Every accountant knows the pattern: a friend of a friend calls about whether they should start a BV or an eenmanszaak. A LinkedIn connection asks about the latest tax reform. A former client wants 10 minutes on their VAT obligations.
With Tinrate, you send a link instead of giving free advice. Serious clients will book and pay. Unserious ones filter themselves out.
Tinrate vs. Traditional Accounting Billing
Who It's Best For
Tinrate works for any accounting firm or independent accountant who:
- Gets regular "Can I pick your brain?" requests they don't currently monetize
- Wants to offer paid initial consultations without billing overhead
- Is looking for a modern, low-friction way to attract new advisory clients
- Operates in Belgium (expanding to the Netherlands)
- Wants to build an online reputation with verified client reviews
Specializations particularly well-suited for Tinrate include tax advisory, company formation (BV, VOF, eenmanszaak), VAT compliance, financial planning, international tax, crypto/digital asset taxation, and freelance accounting advice.
How to Get Started
- Go to tinrate.com
- Create your free profile (takes ~5 minutes)
- Set your rates, session lengths, and availability
- Add your booking link to your website, LinkedIn, and email signature
- Start getting booked and paid
No contract. No commitment. No risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tinrate really free for accountants?
Yes. No subscription, no setup fee, no hidden costs. The 5% transaction fee is paid by the client, not the accountant.
Can I offer free introductory sessions?
Yes. Many accountants offer a free 15-minute intake and charge for longer advisory sessions.
How does payment work?
Clients pay when they book via Bancontact, iDEAL, credit cards, or Apple Pay. Invoices are generated automatically. Payouts arrive within 48 hours via Mollie.
What if a meeting doesn't happen?
The payment is held in escrow. If the meeting doesn't take place, there's a resolution process including the option to refund.
Can my whole firm join?
Yes. Each accountant creates their own profile with individual rates and availability.
Is this compliant with professional regulations?
Tinrate is a booking and payment platform it doesn't interfere with how you deliver your services. You remain fully in control of your rates, availability, and the advice you provide.
Tinrate is a Belgian expert-booking marketplace. Clients book, pay, and consult all through one link. Free for experts. Sessions from 15 minutes. Create your free profile →
Frequently asked questions
What is problem-market fit?
Problem-market fit means confirming that a problem is both real and acute enough that people will pay to solve it. It comes before product-market fit and before building anything. Without it, you risk spending months building a product for a pain that is not urgent enough to drive purchasing decisions.
How do you validate a business idea before building?
The most effective method is direct conversation — talking to 10 to 15 potential customers, not to pitch your product but to understand how they currently handle the problem, what they have already tried, and what frustrates them most. Those conversations reveal whether the problem is real, how frequent it is, and what language your target audience uses to describe it.
What is the difference between a vitamin and a painkiller in startups?
A vitamin is a product that improves life but is not urgently needed — people might buy it occasionally but will not change their behaviour or prioritise spending on it. A painkiller solves an acute, frequent problem that people are actively seeking a solution to. Successful products start as painkillers. Validation confirms which one you are building.
Why do most startups fail?
Most startups fail not because of poor execution but because they built for a problem that was not painful enough to pay to solve. They skipped or rushed the validation phase and built a product before confirming that the market needed it badly enough to change behaviour and spend money.
How do you find the right expert for market validation?
Look for someone who has built in your space, has experience in strategic positioning, or specialises in identifying whether a business problem is real and solvable. On Tinrate, you can book a paid 1:1 call with market strategists and positioning experts who have worked through exactly this phase at search.tinrate.com.
