Setup firm administration

Setting up activities

Use the
Activities
 screen to set up activities that describe the services your firm performs to complete client engagements.
To add a new activity, choose
Activities
 from the
Setup
 menu and select the
Add
 button.

Entering information on the Main tab

  1. Go to the Main tab and enter a unique alphanumeric ID in the
    ID
     field (required). The ID will be saved in upper case letters regardless of how it is entered.
  2. Enter a brief description (up to 30 characters) in the
    Description
     field. This information appears in the Description column of the Activity list.
  3. You can optionally enter a more complete description in the
    Invoice description
     field.
  4. Select the Calendar button if you want to insert a variable date into the
    Invoice description
     field.
  5. In the
    Type
     field, select either
    Expense
     or
    Time
     from the drop-down list. The default for new activities is
    Time
    .
    note
    • This is a required field.
    • If you select Time for the activity type, you must then specify a rate for the activity: No activity rate, a Staff rate, or a Fixed rate.
    • If you select No activity rate, there will be no default rate for the activity, and you must enter the rate manually during time & expense entry.
    • If you select Expense for the activity type, you can then specify a Unit Price and Unit Cost for the activity. The activity will be available on the Expense tab of the Time & Expense Entry screen.
  6. In the
    Class
     field, select Administrative, Billable, or Nonbillable from the drop-down list.
    note
    • Once you have entered data using an activity, you cannot change its class; this field becomes disabled for activities that are in use.
    • Administrative activities can only be used with clients who are designated as Administrative clients on the Main tab of the Clients setup screen.
  7. If you selected Administrative as the activity class, the
    Administrative type
     field becomes active. Choose a type from the drop-down list. The choices are General, Accruable Benefit, or CPE.
    note
    If your firm is licensed for the Staff Management module, administrative activities that are designated as accruable benefits can be administered using that module. For example, DT Practice can track the accrual and use of vacation time based on settings you establish for that benefit.
  8. In the
    Status
     field, select Active or Inactive. If you select Inactive, the activity is not available for use in time entry.
  9. In the Surcharge calculation section, you can select a method for assessing a surcharge on the activity.
    • If you selected Time in the
      Type
       field, the options available are No surcharge, Hourly, or Percentage.
    • If you select Expense in the
      Type
       field, the options available are No surcharge, Per unit, or Percentage.
    After you select a method, enter or select the amount of the surcharge (either percent or currency) from the drop-down calculator.
  10. Select a grouping for the activity from the
    Category
     drop-down list.
  11. If you have selected Time in the
    Type
     field, the available options will be for rates. Choose one of the following:
    • No activity rate:
       If you select this option, there will be no default rate entered during time entry. You will need to manually enter a rate in order to save the transaction.
    • Staff rate:
       If you select this option, select a staff rate from the drop-down list. The rate descriptions in the list are set up in the
      Staff Rate Descriptions
       screen and are matched up with individual staff rates in the Rates tab of the
      Staff
       setup screen.
    • Fixed rate:
       If you select this option, enter a fixed rate, or enter it using the drop-down calculator.
      note
      If you want to set up a standard nonchargeable time with a zero extended WIP amount, select
      Non-billable
       in the
      Class
       field, select the
      Fixed rate
       option, and enter
      $0.00
       for the fixed rate amount.
    If you have selected Expense in the
    Type
     field, the available options will be for amount calculations.
    • Unit price:
       Select a unit price from the drop-down calculator. The default price is $0.00.
    • Unit cost:
       Select a unit cost from the drop-down list. The default cost is $0.00.
      note
      The unit cost must be less than or equal to the unit price.
  12. You can optionally mark the
    Round amount
     checkbox for Rates to round the amount calculated in time and expense entry.
  13. Mark the
    Charge Service Tax
     checkbox if your firm charges service tax for this activity.
  14. Mark the
    Charge Sales Tax
     checkbox if your firm charges Sales Tax for this activity.

Custom fields

The Custom Fields tab contains all of the custom fields you have created for the Activities screen.

This article applies to:

  • Product: DT Practice