January 2026 Release: Studio Designer 

More Automation, Less Busywork for Design Firms 

At Studio Designer, we’re always building tools that help interior design firms spend less time on admin work and more time doing what they do best: designing. 

Our January 2026 updates focus on making everyday business operations simpler, faster, and more reliable, especially when it comes to payroll, payments, and financial accuracy. 

Here’s what’s new. 

Payroll That Feels Effortless 

Running payroll can be one of the most time-consuming parts of managing a firm, especially as your team grows. 

This month, we introduced improvements that make it easier to stay organized, reduce errors, and keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. 

Whether you’re tracking employee time off or keeping records up to date, Studio Designer helps payroll feel far more manageable. 

Easier PTO Tracking (and Better Transparency) 

Tracking paid time off is now simpler and clearer for both managers and employees. 

Firms can now: 

• Create and manage time-off policies in one place 
• Automatically track earned PTO over time 
• Show employees their current PTO balance directly on their pay information 

This is especially helpful for firms operating in states with stricter labor transparency requirements. 

The result: fewer spreadsheets, fewer questions, and more confidence that everything is accurate. 

A More Powerful Way to Track Client Payments 

One of the biggest updates this month is a redesigned payment management experience. 

For design firms, keeping track of incoming payments, outstanding balances, and transaction history is critical, but it shouldn’t feel cluttered or confusing. 

The updated Payments dashboard is now: 

• Faster to load 
• Easier to search 
• More organized for day-to-day use 

Instead of deleting unposted transactions, firms can now archive them, creating a clear record that can be reviewed or restored later. 

Payments are also separated into: 

• New items waiting to be processed 
• Past activity that’s been completed or archived 

This gives teams better visibility into what’s happening and helps prevent mistakes. 

Smarter Sales Tax Handling 

Sales tax can be one of the trickiest parts of invoicing, especially when dealing with multiple locations or adjustments. 

This release includes important fixes that help ensure: 

• Tax information stays consistent while invoicing 
• Credits and adjustments calculate correctly 
• Taxable status remains accurate from start to finish 

That means fewer manual corrections and more trust in your financial totals. 

Cleaner Reporting and Better Data Accuracy 

Accurate reporting matters when you’re managing a busy team. 

Timesheet reporting has been improved so that employee filters now only show active staff, making it easier to run clean, relevant reports without extra clutter. 

Easier Year-End Accounting 

Closing out the year is a major milestone for any firm. 

This release includes updates that ensure year-end financial screens refresh properly as changes are made, helping accounting workflows stay accurate and stress-free.

Built to Support the Business Side of Design 

This January release is all about making Studio Designer more automated, more reliable, and easier to use, so design firms can stay focused on clients, projects, and creativity, not administrative work. 

From payroll improvements to smarter payment tracking and tax accuracy, every update is designed to support the way design businesses actually operate.