Overview

This guide covers the process of setting and updating common general accounts settings. This includes adjusting your invoice payment terms, setting the number of minutes per unit for time recording, setting up business divisions, updating the financial year start date. Also setting up payment methods and adjusting check clearance time behavior's as well as adjusting default tax codes, if relevant.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview
  • Firm Settings
  • Accounting Method
  • Ad Hoc Cost Centres
  • Billing Defaults
  • Divisions 
  • Financial Years and Periods
  • Payment Methods & Cheque Clearance Behaviour

Firm Settings

1. To access the Firm Settings, select Settings then Firm Settings from the top navigation menu. 

2. Settings can be located by selecting the Setting Category on the left of the screen, or by using the Search box, which in this view will search only through the Settings menu.

Accounting Method

The accounting method of your firm should be confirmed with your company Accountant prior to adjusting this setting. The accounting methods available are Cash and Accrual. 

1. Select Accounting Method and click on the drop down menu.  Select Accrual or cash. Once selected click on Save.

Ad Hoc Cost Centres

Cost centres can be used to segregate departments, teams or categories for income & expenditure for accounting reporting purposes. 

1. Select Ad Hoc Cost Centres and click on Add New Tag.

2. Enter a Tag and a Description for the cost centre and click Save at the bottom of the screen.

Billing Defaults

Various billing related default settings are available to set as firm wide settings. 

1. To adjust Invoice payment term, select Billing Defaults in the accounting menu. Here you can update the default payment term in the default due date days field.

2. Update the number of minutes per unit in the Minutes Per Unit field if different to 6 minutes per unit. Once all changes have been made click on the save button at the bottom of the screen.

Divisions 

Divisions are typically used for office locations to segregate matter & financial reporting for branch offices. 

1. Select Divisions on this screen.

2. You will be provided with a default division linked to your default office journal and your default trust journal.

3. It is possible to set up multiple divisions if you have multiple offices where you would like to segment matter responsibility. These divisions can then be reported on in your management reports where you are for example wanting to segment your WIP or disbursements by office.  

4. To create a new division, click on new division on the bottom right of the screen, type in the division name and description if relevant. If you do have more than one office journal or more than one company you can select it from the drop-down menu otherwise you will only have the default office journal to be selected, Select the relevant trust journal associated with this division. You can also put in a go live date from which this division will be active, enter a Payment Clause such as EFT.

Financial Years and Periods

Set the Financial Year periods relevant to your region. This setting will reflect in various accounting report filters. 

1. Navigate to Financial Years and Periods. 

2. To update the Financial year start date (Period Date), select the calendar icon and change the date by navigating to the relevant month on the calendar.

3. The Financial Years will show as Open or Closed.  A Financial year can be closed or  re-opened by using the padlock icon next to the year.  

Payment Methods & Cheque Clearance Behaviour

Set the default payment and clearance methods specific to your firm. 

1. To set up payment methods navigate to Payment Methods in the accounting menu. By default, only general payment method will be provided.

2. If you need to set up a new payment method then click Add Payment Method at the bottom of the screen

3. Enter a name, then choose the type from the drop-down menu. Type in a display name and if there is no clearance days associated with this payment method in the clearance days field type in ZERO.

If the payment method does not require banking, then leave the requires banking checkbox unticked. 

If you intend to use the payment method for bulk payments which can be exported to the bank in a bank file, then tick the "Include in ABA" tick box then click save at the bottom of the screen. (Relevant for Australia only)

4. If you would like to amend the cheque clearance time behaviours, double click on the Cheque option and type in the number of days after which the check will be cleared. If your cheques require banking in the system before they can be reconciled ensure that the requires banking tick box is ticked then click save at the bottom of the screen. 

5. Navigate to Enable Cheque Clearance Time to enable cheque clearance time. Toggle the bar and click on Save.