Set up engagements for a client
Add and manage client engagements, including rates, recurring bills, surcharges, links, custom fields, and other engagement-specific settings.
Use the Engagements tab of the Clients screen to add or modify engagements for the selected client.
To access the Engagements tab, choose , and select the Engagements tab.
Add an engagement for a client
note
You can add multiple engagements to one or more clients using the
Edit Multiple Clients
window. To access the window, select the Edit multiple Clients
link at the bottom of the screen.- From the Setup menu, chooseClients.
- In the Clients screen, select the client for which you want to add an engagement.noteIf you are setting up a new client, first select the Add button and complete the client information on the Main tab.
- Select theEngagementstab.
- Select theEditbutton.
- Select theAddbutton at the bottom of the Engagements tab.
- In theIDfield, select an engagement template ID from the dropdown list (required).noteThe templates in this list come from the Engagement Templates setup screen (). If you have security permission, you can right-click in this list and use the context menu to add, edit, or delete an engagement template.
- Enter a description for this engagement in theDescriptionfield.
- If you want to export general ledger information to CS Professional Suite Accounting Products, enter the GL number in theGL Accountfield.noteCurrently, the general ledger export process only allows for account numbers of 11 characters or fewer.
- If your firm assesses tax, select aTax Areafrom the dropdown list. Atax areais a collection of assigned taxing authorities for a given geographic area. For example, the area in which a firm or client operates may have a state sales tax and a county sales tax. A tax area may also have different rates for goods and services.
- Under Groupings, select the office, category, and assigned staff for the engagement. These groupings are useful for filtering engagement lists and for report grouping.
note
If you mark an engagement as Inactive for a client (in the
Status
field), you can't create new time entries for the client using that engagement. If WIP exists for the engagement, however, it will still be available for billing and will appear on reports.Rates
- Select theRatessub-tab of the Engagements tab.
- Select an engagement rate for the current client from the following options.
- No Engagement Rate:The default rate for new engagements. If you choose this option, the application will use the rate from the activity instead of the engagement.
- Staff rate:When you select theStaff Rateoption, you must also choose a staff rate from the corresponding dropdown list.
- Fixed rate:If you select theFixed Rateoption, enter a dollar amount in the corresponding field (or select the Down arrow
button and enter the number on the dropdown calculator).
- Markup/down factor:You can enter an optional markup or markdown factor for the engagement.ExampleIf you want to mark up the engagement 50%, enter1.5.
note
The rates selected for engagements take precedence over the rate settings for activities when entering time.
Recurring Bills
If an engagement occurs regularly for the client, you can set it up as a recurring bill.
- Select the Recurring Bills sub-tab of the Engagements tab.
- Description:Select a description for the recurring bill from the dropdown list.noteDescriptions in this list are entered in . You can also right-click the list to add, edit, or delete items if you have security permission.
- Method:The available methods for handling WIP when a recurring bill is generated are:
- Adjustment: Use this method to create adjustment entries for recurring bills.
- Fixed Expenses + Time at Standard: Engagements set up for recurring bills with the Fixed Expenses + Time at Standard method will have their expense entries billed out at the amount specified when the recurring bill was set up on the engagement, and time will be billed at its standard amount (the calculated amount of the entries in Time & Expense Entry). To be billed, the entries must have a date on or prior to the invoice date used when generating the recurring bill. The entries must also be assigned to the engagement for which the recurring bill was set up. Available expense entries will be billed proportionately at the amount set up in Engagements setup, and time entries will be billed at their standard amounts.
- Fixed Time & Expenses: Engagements set up for recurring bills with the Fixed Time & Expenses method will have their entries billed out at the amount specified when the recurring bill was set up on the engagement. If the entries are for an amount greater or less than the recurring bill amount entered on the engagement, then the entries will be adjusted up or down during billing. To be billed, the entries must have a date on or prior to the invoice date used when generating the recurring bill. They must also be assigned the engagement for which the recurring bill was set up. The bill amount from the recurring bill should be allocated proportionately to the entries based on their amounts.
- Fixed Time + Expenses at Standard: Engagements set up for recurring bills with the Fixed Time + Expenses at Standard method will have their time entries billed out at the amount specified when the recurring bill was set up on the engagement, and expenses will be billed out at their standard amount (the calculated amount of the entries in Time & Expense Entry). To be billed, the entries must have a date on or prior to the invoice date used when generating the recurring bill. The entries must also be assigned to the engagement for which the recurring bill was set up. Available time entries will be billed proportionately at the amount set up in Engagements setup, and expense entries will be billed at their standard amounts.
- Progress:Use this method if your firm typically generates a recurring bill for a client before the time and expenses for the work are entered. Progress bills create negative WIP, and at some point you will have to match up the progress billings to actual time and expenses entered to clear the progress bills.When you set up a recurring bill with the Progress method, you will be required to enter the components of the progress bill (staff, activity, and so on). During billing, you will need to select a date for the invoice. The bill amount of the recurring bill will be the amount set up for the recurring bill on the client’s engagement and may include taxes or surcharges. The activity and staff associated with the progress bill come from the engagement setup.
- WIP at Standard: Engagements set up for recurring bills with the WIP at Standard method will have all their time and expense entries billed out at their standard amount (the calculated amount of the entries in Time & Expense Entry). To be billed, the entries must have a date on or prior to the invoice date used when generating the recurring bill. The entries must also be assigned to the engagement for which the recurring bill was set up.
- Amount:Enter the amount of the recurring bill. This field is not available when you chooseWIP at Standard.
- Staff:Select the staff associated with the recurring bill. This field is available only when you select the Progress or the Adjustment method.
- Activity:Select the activity associated with the recurring bill. This field is available only when you select the Progress or the Adjustment method.
Surcharges
If your firm adds a surcharge for this engagement, select the Surcharges subtab of the Engagements tab and select from the following options:
- No Surcharge:This option is the default for new engagements.
- Based on Activity:If you choose this option, the engagement uses the surcharge set up on the activity.
- Flat amount:If you select this option, enter or select a surcharge amount in the dropdown list.
Links
Select the
Links
tab to add links to files, websites, or documents outside of Practice CS, including documents stored in FileCabinet CS or GoFileRoom. The links you add to a client engagement apply only to the engagement to which you add them. You can also add links to engagement templates, which apply to all new engagements generated from that template.
Custom Fields
Use the Custom Fields tab to enter additional information for the engagement in the available fields (if any). Custom fields can be checkboxes, dates, lists, numeric fields, staff lists, or text-entry fields. Custom fields for dates have a dropdown calendar. Numeric custom fields have a dropdown calculator.
Practice CS lets you create your own custom fields and field names for offices, staff, activities, clients, engagements, projects, tasks, and time & expense entry. Using custom fields enables you to track additional information in the application. You can create checkboxes, date fields, numeric fields, text fields (up to 4000 characters long), lists, and staff lists. To create custom fields, choose , then , depending on where you want the custom fields to appear within Practice CS.
Modify an engagement for a client
- In the list of engagements, select the engagement you want to modify.
- Select theEditbutton.
- Make the necessary changes to the engagement information, groupings, rates, recurring bills, and/or surcharges.noteIf you change the engagement template ID of an existing client engagement by selecting a different ID from the dropdown list, the client’s engagement ID will be changed, but the information from the template won’t be copied in. Information from an engagement template is only copied into a client’s engagement for new engagements.
- Select theEnterbutton to save your changes.