The finance OS for recurring revenue
Deferred revenue and ASC 606, ARR and NRR straight from the ledger, burn and runway you can trust, and usage-based billing that reconciles - without stitching five tools together.
Where SaaS finance goes wrong
SaaS breaks cash-basis thinking. An annual prepay is cash today but revenue over twelve months, board metrics like ARR and NRR live outside the GL, and usage-based pricing means the invoice isn’t known until the meter is read.
- Deferred revenue: annual contracts must be recognized monthly under ASC 606, not when cash lands.
- ARR and NRR: metrics maintained in spreadsheets drift from the ledger and erode board trust.
- Burn and runway: mixing bookings with revenue makes runway math dangerously optimistic.
- Usage-based billing: metered revenue needs recognition tied to actual consumption.
How Fintra maps to SaaS finance
- AI accounting automates deferred revenue schedules and ASC 606 recognition inside the month-end close.
- Forecasting and budget-vs-actuals give Datarails-class FP&A: burn, runway, and scenario plans from live ledger data.
- Sales commissions calculate rep payouts from closed-won deals, with commission expense hitting the right periods.
- Expense management and bill pay keep opex categorized so burn is real, not estimated.
A worked burn and runway example
Runway
Cash ÷ net burn = $1,350,000 ÷ $90,000 = 15 months
Illustrative example: net burn is monthly spend minus revenue ($290,000 − $200,000 = $90,000), computed from actuals rather than a budget assumption.
Tool sprawl vs Fintra
| Workflow | Spreadsheets + generic tools | Fintra |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue recognition | Deferred revenue waterfall in Excel, updated by hand | ASC 606 schedules generated per contract, posted in the close |
| ARR / NRR reporting | A metrics spreadsheet that drifts from the GL | Derived from the same contracts the ledger recognizes |
| Burn and runway | Quarterly back-of-envelope math | Live from actuals, with scenario forecasts |
| Commissions | Rep payout spreadsheet, disputes every quarter | Automated calculation from closed-won deals |
Getting started
From spreadsheet metrics to one system of record
- 1
Import contracts
Load active subscriptions; Fintra builds the deferred revenue schedule for each.
- 2
Wire up spend
Connect bill pay and expense management so burn reflects every dollar.
- 3
Publish the board pack
ARR, NRR, burn, and runway straight from the close - no reconciliation step.
Frequently asked questions
Does Fintra automate ASC 606 revenue recognition?
Yes. Each contract gets a recognition schedule - ratable for subscriptions, consumption-based for metered products - and the monthly close posts recognized revenue and rolls the deferred balance automatically. A $36,000 annual prepay is recognized at $3,000 per month while the unrecognized remainder sits in deferred revenue.
Can Fintra track ARR and NRR without a separate metrics spreadsheet?
Yes. ARR, NRR, expansion, and churn are derived from the same contract records the ledger recognizes revenue from, so board metrics and GAAP revenue can’t drift apart. When a contract upgrades or churns, both the metric and the recognition schedule update from the same event.
How does Fintra calculate burn rate and runway?
Net burn is computed from ledger actuals - total monthly spend minus revenue - rather than from a budget assumption, and runway divides current cash by that burn. Because Fintra also runs forecasting, you can model scenarios like a slower hiring plan or a pricing change and see runway move immediately.
Does Fintra handle usage-based billing?
Fintra recognizes metered revenue based on actual consumption in the period rather than a straight-line schedule, and reconciles recognized amounts against invoiced usage. That keeps hybrid pricing models - a platform fee recognized ratably plus overage recognized as used - correct under ASC 606 without manual waterfall edits.
Stay in the loop
One practical finance briefing a week - new guides, checklists, and benchmarks.
One number for ARR, revenue, and runway
Fintra is free to start, no card required. Import your contracts and get ASC 606 schedules in your first close.
Talk to us