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How do I Handle Flat Fee Matter Billing When a Client Pays Upfront and Fees are Earned Throughout the Matter?

Objective:

  • Set up a Flat Fee Matter with periodic billing
  • Manage a manual payment plan on Flat Fee Matters
  • Flat Fee Matter with Milestone payments
  • Record partial trust request payments where the total fees earned is less than the amount paid to date

Environment:

  • Clio Manage

Additional Information:

n/a

Procedure:

  1. Set up an Hourly Matter with a Custom Rate of $0.00/hr to override any default hourly rates when adding time entries. You will need to type 0.00 into the box even though the default text reads the same. (How to apply a Custom Rate to a Matter)
  2. Create a Trust Request for the full flat fee amount for the Matter. (How to create a Trust Request)
  3. Record any payments already made against that Trust Request. The invoice will update to show the amount due at a later date, if applicable, and you can share this invoice with clients to show their outstanding balance. (How to Record a Manual Payment to a Trust Request)
  4. Create some Flat Fee Activity Categories that correspond with the different milestones in your process where you earn your fees. Whenever you reach that milestone, you can log a Time Entry and select that milestone category from the Activity Category drop-down. (How to Create a Flat Rate Entry in a Matter)
  5. When you are ready to record a transfer from the Trust to Operating Account at the time your fees are earned, follow the regular Billing Workflow to generate and record a payment against an invoice. (Video: Billing Workflow)

 

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