Setup user preferences

Setting up user preferences for billing

Use the Billing tab of the
User Preferences
 dialog to select how to bill your clients or engagements, how to display WIP during billing, and to specify rounding methods for billing at standard. You can also choose certain defaults for Detail Billing.
From the
Setup
 menu, choose
User Preferences
, and then go to the Billing tab.
note
Your firm’s administrator can specify default user preferences when setting up new staff in the application (Setup > Firm > Preferences tab). Staff members with security privileges can later change these preferences if they want. To restore the firm’s defaults at any time, select the
Reset to new Staff defaults for Firm
 link.

Settings

  • Default invoice date
    : The date you choose in this field will be the invoice date for each client displayed in Detail Billing. You can choose
    Today’s date
    ,
    Period end date
    , or
    Last date used
    .
    note
    This date serves as a WIP cut-off date. Only WIP dated on or before this date will be available for billing.
  • Default WIP through:
     Choose a date from the drop-down list for the WIP that you want to bill. This date must fall on or before the invoice date. If you select
    Custom
     from the drop-down list, select a date from the drop-down calendar.
    note
    This date serves as an additional WIP cut-off date, further restricting the WIP available to bill on an invoice. Only WIP dated on or before this date will be available for billing.
  • Automatically apply open credits
    : Mark this checkbox to have the application automatically apply open credit amounts (receipts, credit memos, or write-offs) to a client’s invoice when you save the invoice. When you save the invoice, the application will apply the full credit amount, or a portion of the amount equal to the invoice if the invoice amount is less than the open credit amount. Oldest credits are applied first.
    note
    This checkbox is available only if you do not have the approval process enabled for billing. You can automatically apply open credits with Detail Billing, Quick Bill, Standard Bill, recurring bills, and integrated invoices.
  • Automatically display Apply Open Credits dialog
    : When this checkbox is marked, the
    Apply Open Credits
     dialog opens automatically when you save an invoice for a client with open credits in Detail Billing. In this dialog, you can manually enter the amounts to apply, or have the application automatically apply the credits.
    note
    This checkbox is available only if you do not have the approval process enabled for billing.
  • When you mark the
    Implied decimal on amounts
     checkbox, the application enters
    .00
     after amounts that you enter. When the checkbox is not marked, the application inserts a decimal two places to the left of the number that you enter.
  • Mark zero invoices as printed
    : Mark this checkbox if you want to flag zero invoices as printed so that they are excluded from printing invoices and statements.

Selection

  • In the
    Bill by
     field, select either Clients or Engagements from the drop-down list. Your selection here determines whether the Billing screen shows client engagements or clients only.
    note
    If you are licensed for the Project Management module, you can also choose to bill by projects.
  • When you mark the
    Show WIP when selecting clients to bill
     checkbox, the
    Billing
     screen shows the WIP balances in the WIP Amt column. If you do not want to view this column during billing, clear this checkbox.
  • Automatically select subsidiary Clients when selecting parent Clients
    : If you have clients designated as subsidiary clients in a client family, they will be automatically selected when you select the parent client for billing when this checkbox is marked, even when the subsidiary clients are not shown in a list because of a filter or search.
    note
    To designate a client as a subsidiary of another client, mark the
    Subsidiary Client in Client family
     checkbox on the Billing and A/R tab of the Clients setup screen.

Detail Billing

Use the
Start-up tab
 field to choose which tab you would like to be active whenever you open Detail Billing, either Summary or Time & Expenses.
Mark the
Automatically check spelling
 checkbox to the application check spelling of input during billing.

Bill at standard rounding

  • You can choose to round your billing amounts when billing at standard. Options for rounding are:
    • No rounding
      : This is the default option.
    • Standard rounding
      : Any fraction of a rounding increment from .00 to .49 will be rounded down, and any fraction of .50 or greater will be rounded up.
    • Always round up
      : Any fraction of an amount will always be rounded up to the nearest rounding increment.
  • If you chose to round billing amounts, enter a dollar amount in the
    Rounding increment
     field.

Time & Expense Descriptions

Mark the checkbox for each of the following descriptions if you want to display them in the Time & Expense tab of Detail Billing.
  • Client
  • Engagement
  • Project
  • Staff
  • Activity
  • Comment
  • Biller Note
Select
OK
 to save your preferences and exit the
User Preferences
 dialog.

This article applies to:

  • Product: DT Practice