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Contents
1. Getting Started .............................................................................................................................. 9
What Is Abacus Accounting? ................................................................................................... 9
Logging in to Abacus Accounting ............................................................................................. 9
Exiting Abacus Accounting..................................................................................................... 10
Accounting Basics .................................................................................................................. 10
Quick Review of Debits vs. Credits ........................................................................... 10
Hard Costs vs. Soft Costs ......................................................................................... 10
General Accounting Definitions ................................................................................. 11
Overview of Ledgers .............................................................................................................. 13
Daily, Monthly, and Year-End Activities in Abacus Accounting ............................................. 17
Daily Abacus Accounting Activities ........................................................................... 17
Monthly Abacus Accounting Activities ...................................................................... 18
Yearly Abacus Accounting Activities ......................................................................... 19
2. Setup ............................................................................................................................................ 20
Changing Your Company Preferences .................................................................................. 20
Changing General Information for Your Company Preferences ............................... 20
Changing the Check Types You Use ........................................................................ 22
Changing Your Company Address Information ........................................................ 23
Setting Up Multiple Companies .............................................................................................. 24
Setting Workstation Options................................................................................................... 25
Setting Display/Printing Options ............................................................................... 25
Setting Data Entry Options........................................................................................ 26
Setting Miscellaneous Workstation Options.............................................................. 29
Setting Email Options for Reporting .......................................................................... 31
Setting Spell Check Options ..................................................................................... 32
User Management .................................................................................................................. 32
Setting New Matter Defaults .................................................................................................. 33
Maintaining Timekeeper Codes ............................................................................................. 34
Adding/Editing Timekeeper Codes ........................................................................... 34
Maintaining Timekeeper Divisions ......................................................................................... 36
Adding/Editing Timekeeper Divisions ....................................................................... 37
Maintaining Timekeeper Titles ............................................................................................... 38
Adding/Editing Timekeeper Titles ............................................................................. 38
Maintaining Timekeeper Budgets........................................................................................... 39
Adding/Editing Timekeeper Budgets ......................................................................... 40
Maintaining Case Codes ........................................................................................................ 40
Adding/Editing Case Codes ...................................................................................... 41
Maintaining Client Expense Codes ........................................................................................ 42
Adding/Editing Client Expense Codes ...................................................................... 43
Maintaining Activity Codes ..................................................................................................... 44
Adding/Editing Activity Codes ................................................................................... 45
Maintaining Time Ticket Codes .............................................................................................. 47
Adding/Editing Time Ticket Codes ............................................................................ 47
Maintaining Task Based Billing Codes ................................................................................... 48
Adding/Editing Task Based Billing Codes ................................................................. 49
Abacus Accounting Reference Guide
Contents
Contents
iii
Contents
Contents
vii
1.
Getting Started
Your staff can easily and accurately record the time they spend on
handling client matters - and accurate time tracking is important for
your firms profitability and accountability.
You can support management decisions by providing up-to-theminute snapshot reports on your firms clients, matters, and
financial picture.
NOTE: You can also click the Billing button on the toolbar of
AbacusLaw to open Abacus Accounting.
Getting Started
2.
3.
Click Login.
Accounting Basics
This section provides some basic accounting information you may find
useful as you use Abacus Accounting.
Account
Prefix
1
2
3
4
5
Debit
Credit
Increase
Decrease
Decrease
Decrease
Increase
Decrease
Increase
Increase
Increase
Decrease
For example:
10
Getting Started
Hard costs are costs for which you write a check, such as paying
an invoice that you received from a court reporter.
Soft costs are costs for which you would NOT write a check, such
as faxes and photocopies.
Accounts Payable
Amount owed to a creditor for completed services.
Accounts Receivable
Amount billed to client but not yet paid.
Asset
Resources belonging to a person or business, tangible or intangible.
Includes accounts receivable, cash, inventory, equipment, good will,
etc.
Assets = Liabilities + Owners Equity
Balance
Sum of debit entries minus the sum of credit entries in an account. If
the debits are higher, there is a debit balance; if the credits are higher,
there is a credit balance.
Balance Sheet
Basic financial statement presenting an entity's assets, liabilities, and
the owners equity as of a specified date.
Bill
An itemized statement of charges for services sent to your clients.
Budget
Financial plan that serves as an estimate of future cost and revenues.
Calendar Year
Period of 12 consecutive months starting in January and ending in
December.
Getting Started
11
Credit
Entry on the right side of a double-entry bookkeeping system that
represents the reduction of an asset or expense or the addition to a
liability, equity, or revenue account.
Debit
Entry on the left side of a double-entry bookkeeping system that
represents the addition of an asset or expense or the reduction to a
liability, equity, or revenue account.
Disbursement
Payment by cash, check, debit card, or automatic withdrawal.
Double-Entry Bookkeeping
Method of recording financial transactions in which each transaction is
entered in two or more accounts and involves two-way, self-balancing
posting. Total debits must equal total credits.
Fiscal Year
Period of 12 consecutive months chosen by an entity as its accounting
period which may or may not be a calendar year.
General Ledger
Collection of all asset, liability, owners equity, revenue, and expense
accounts.
Income Statement
Summary of revenues and expenses over a period of time. Shows
profit or loss.
Invoice
An itemized statement of charges for services sent to you for payment.
Journal
Any book containing original entries of daily financial transactions. Also
called ledger.
Ledger
Any book of accounts containing the summaries of debit and credit
entries. Also called journal.
12
Getting Started
Liability
Debts or obligations owed by the debtor to the creditor.
Receivable
Amount of money due from customers or other debtors.
Revenues
Sales of products, merchandise, and services; and earnings from
interest, dividend, rents.
Trust
Ancient legal practice where one person (the grantor) transfers the
legal title to an asset, called the principle or corpus, to another person
(the trustee), with specific instructions about how the corpus is to be
managed and disposed.
Trustee
Person who is given legal title to and management authority over the
money or property placed in a trust.
Overview of Ledgers
A ledger is a collection of certain types of recorded transactions. In a
traditional sense, this could be a notebook where financial transactions
have been recorded. However, in Abacus Accounting, ledgers are
tables that are viewed through specific functions or windows.
Abacus Accounting has the following 4 major ledgers that it uses to
categorize and record financial transactions.
Getting Started
13
2.
14
Getting Started
3.
Exp. Code: Select the client expense code for this cost.
Getting Started
15
4.
Click Save.
16
Getting Started
1.
2.
If you have not created an online connection with you bank for
this account, you need to go to your online banking site and
download your statement in an .ofx format. Then, click the
Browse button for Input File and select the .ofx file.
3.
Your transactions for the selected time period are listed on one of 2
tabs: Matched Entries and Unmatched Entries. Matched entries
are those entries that are found both on your bank statement and in
Abacus Accounting. Unmatched entries are those that are found on
your bank statement, but cannot be found in Abacus Accounting.
The objective is to get all of the unmatched entries matched or
removed so that there are no transactions unaccounted for in
Abacus Accounting.
4.
populated with the existing record data. From this window, you
can enter the transaction into Abacus Accounting. For help,
see Processing Payables with the Demand Check Writer on
page 159.
5.
6.
You delete unmatched entries if they are not valid and should
not be in Abacus Accounting. To remove an entry from the list,
highlight it and click Delete. (This does not delete the entry
from Abacus Accounting it only removes it from the list.)
For more
information, see
Entering Time on page
95
Getting Started
17
Enter all soft costs incurred each day via cost and
adjustments.
Process daily payables.
Enter a client payment for each check received from
your clients.
Enter a trust deposit for each check received for the
trust accounts.
Enter deposits received from sources other than clients
via general ledger journal entries. Be sure to call these
entries Cash Receipts so they will appear on the bank
reconciliation.
Enter new clients and matters as needed.
Process trust checks as needed.
Process operating checks as needed.
Adding Matters on
page 69
Processing Trust
Checks on page 152
Processing Payables
on page 162
18
Getting Started
Merging Recurring
Payables for Payment
on page 177
Reconciling Bank
Accounts on page 256
Adding/Editing General
Ledger Journal Entries
on page 188
Backing Up Databases
on page 259
Closing the General
Ledger for a Year on
page 197
Getting Started
19
2.
Setup
20
Setup
2.
Use the following to help you change the settings on the window:
Firm Vendor ID: The vendor ID to be used for the Auto Trust
Check Request upon posting bills feature.
Next A/P Merge Date: The next date you want Abacus
Accounting to prompt you about recurring account payables
you have to merge. This date will increment by a month once
the entries have been merged.
Next G/L Merge Date: The next date you want Abacus
Accounting to prompt you about recurring journal entries you
have to merge. This date will increment by a month once the
entries have been merged.
Setup
21
3.
Rates: The rates to be used as default rates for sales tax, late
charges, and administrative costs that will be used when
adding new matters to the system. These rates can be
customized by matter.
Logo Bitmap: Click the browse button and select the location
of the image file (.bmp) you want to appear on your actual bills.
The logo image file needs to be 1 inch x 1 inch.
2.
22
Setup
3.
Setup
23
1.
3.
24
Setup
Email options
2.
25
Show Status Bar: When checked, the status bar will display.
The status bar is located at the bottom of the window and
provides general information about Abacus Accounting.
Printing Options
3.
26
Setup
2.
Enter key moves from field to field the same as the Tab
key: When checked, the Enter key will behave the same way
as the Tab key so that when you press Enter, the cursor will
move from field to field in a window.
Hide the type of entry from the Trust Deposit and Check
Screens: When checked, the Type of Deposit section will be
hidden on the Trust Deposits Add/Modify window and the
Type of Check Request section will be hidden on the Trust
Check Requests Add/Modify window. When checked, it will
also hide the Type of Check section on the Print Demand
Trust Checks window (when using the Trust Demand Check
Writer).
Default Time Ticket Type: Select the default time ticket type
to use when adding time tickets.
Setup
27
28
Setup
3.
Post Direct: When you select to post direct, your entries are
automatically posted for you. Check the types of entries you
want to post direct. RECOMMENDATION: New users should
not use post direct at all. If you choose to use post direct you
cannot edit your entries before they are posted.
Setup
29
2.
30
Setup
3.
2.
SMTP Server: Enter the SMTP server name for your email.
Server Port: Enter your server port number. Leave the value at
25 unless your system administrator tells you to change it.
Setup
31
3.
2.
3.
User Management
User management is performed in AbacusLaw. For more information,
refer to AbacusLaw documentation.
32
Setup
2.
Setup
33
3.
2.
34
Setup
Setup
35
Job Title: (optional) Select the job title for this timekeeper.
Note that titles are maintained separately see Maintaining
Timekeeper Titles on page 38. This information is used in 2
productivity reports: Hours report and Monthly Hours & Fees
Recap report.
4.
Select the Rates tab. For each rate level enter the dollar amount
for the hourly rate this timekeeper will charge.
5.
36
Setup
2.
Setup
37
3.
4.
5.
2.
38
Setup
3.
4.
5.
Setup
39
2.
3.
4.
Total Hours: Enter the total number of hours for the budget
year that you expect this timekeeper to bill.
40
Setup
2.
To edit a case code, highlight the case code and click Edit.
Setup
41
3.
4.
42
Setup
2.
To edit a client expense code, highlight the code and click Edit.
Setup
43
3.
4.
Per Item Cost: Enter the per item charge for soft/hard cost
expenses. For example, the per item cost for photocopies
might be 25 cents. (This is only a default amount - you can
modify this amount when entering costs.)
44
Setup
NOTE: You can only use activity codes when working with time tickets
if you have turned on Force Activity Codes on Time Tickets for your
company preferences (see Changing General Information for Your
Company on page 20).
Activity codes are also used for task-based billing. The activity codes
for task-based billing are established by the American Bar Association,
and Abacus Accounting is preloaded with these codes. For more
information, see Maintaining Task Based Billing Codes on page 48.
You maintain activity codes from the Activity Codes Browse window. To
open the window, select File/Setup/Activity Codes.
2.
Setup
45
3.
4.
Time Ticket Text: Enter the default text for this activity. This is
the text that will appear on the time ticket when the activity
code is selected. The text can be modified after adding it to the
time ticket.
Select the Rates tab. This tab lists rates related to the activity. You
can have up to 3 levels of activity rates so that different matters can
be charged different activity rates.
NOTE: Activity rate levels are assigned to matters through matter
maintenance. See Editing Rates for Matters on page 77for more
information.
For each rate level, select the type of rate: flat charge or hourly.
Then, if you selected a flat charge rate, enter the flat rate in the
46
Setup
Rate box; if you selected an hourly rate, enter the hourly rate in the
Hours box.
5.
2.
To edit a time ticket code, highlight the code and click Edit.
Setup
47
3.
4.
48
Setup
2.
To edit a task based billing code, highlight the code and click
Edit.
Setup
49
3.
4.
Category Code: Enter the 5-character code for the task as set
by the American Bar Association.
The type and level of detail of information you want printed on bills.
50
Setup
billing.
2.
To edit a billing format code, highlight the code and click Edit.
Setup
51
3.
Actual Bill Rpt File Name: The standard .rpt file used by
Abacus Accounting for actual bills is ACTUAL.RPT. However,
you can customize your actual bills by using a custom .rpt file.
To create a custom.rpt file, you can either outsource Abacus or
you can do it yourself by clicking the Edit button, which opens
the Report Editor (see Using Report Editor for Billing Format
Codes on page 56). If you are using a custom .rpt file, enter the
name of the file in the box.
NOTE: For window envelopes, you can use ACTUALL.RPT
and the output will be left-justified for window envelopes.
52
Setup
4.
PreBill Rpt File Name: The standard .rpt file used by Abacus
Accounting for prebills is PREBILL.RPT. However, you can
customize your prebills by using a custom .rpt file. To create a
custom .rpt file, you can either outsource Abacus or you can do
it yourself if you have CRYSTAL 8.5. If you are using a custom
.rpt file, enter the name of the file in the box.
Hours Per Ticket: Check to include the hours for each time
ticket included on the bill.
Fees Per Ticket: Check to include the fees for each time ticket
included on the bill.
Date Per Ticket: Check to include the date for each time ticket
included on the bill.
Fees Totaled: Check to include the total fees of all time tickets
for the current billing period. Printed at the end of the time
ticket section of the bill.
Setup
53
Start New Page: When checked, all trust information in the bill
will begin on a new page.
5.
54
Setup
paper from one bin (containing your letterhead paper) and the
remaining pages of the bill to be printed on plain paper.
Fee Detail Level: Select the type of fee information you want
recapped on the bill. Detail includes detailed timekeeper
information including hourly rate, hours worked, and total fees
of each timekeeper who worked on the matter during the time
period covered by the bill. Summary excludes this detailed
timekeeper information.
Cost Detail Level: Select the type of cost information you want
printed on the bill. Detail includes an itemized list of each cost
incurred during the time period covered by the bill. You can
also check Date of Cost Detail Only to include the date of
cost in this itemized list and/or check Check Number Detail
Only to include check number information in the itemized list.
Summary lists costs incurred during the time period covered
by the bill summarized by client expense code (for example, all
photocopy charges will be grouped as one amount).
Setup
55
6.
56
Setup
Page Footer: The footer at the end of the report. Appears only on
the last page of the report.
Setup
57
After you have made your changes to the report, click Save
Report. You will be prompted to enter a name for your custom
report file. You cannot use the name actual.rpt. You must enter a
different name for your custom report file.
58
Setup
Adding/Editing Accounts
1.
2.
3.
Setup
59
60
Setup
NOTE: This connection only works if your bank has Direct Connect
to MS Money.
If your bank was listed, then the Advanced Details tab is
completed for you by Abacus Accounting. If your bank is not one of
the available banks listed, then you may need to contact them for
help in completing the settings on the Advanced Details tab.
Setup
61
5.
6.
2.
On the Default Accounts tab, select the default accounts you want
to use for the listed types of transactions. For example, for
Operating Cash Acct. Default, you might select your operating
account to be the default account to be used for your general
operating transactions.
NOTE: If you run on a cash-based system, leave all receivable
fields blank.
3.
62
Setup
Select the Payroll Accounts tab. This lists all the default accounts
for types of payroll processing transactions. Again, select the
Abacus Accounting Reference Guide
default accounts you want to use for the listed types of payroll
transactions.
Abacus Accounting assumes that you have a payroll account
separate from your operating account. So, if you do NOT have a
separate payroll cash account, be sure to change Payroll
Checking Account to your cash operating account on the Payroll
Accounts tab.
4.
Maintaining Vendors
Vendors are the individuals and businesses that provide services to
your firm, such as printers, court reporting firms, transcription services,
messengers, landlord, office supplier, etc.
You maintain vendors from the Vendors Browse window. To open the
window, select File/Setup/Vendors.
Billing vendors are those vendors that can be associated with billing
transactions. To see only billing vendors on the Vendors Browse
window, check Show Billing Vendors Only.
Setup
63
64
Setup
Add a vendor
Edit a vendor.
Highlight a vendor and then click the Select Action arrow. A list of
actions appears. Click the action you want to perform for the
selected vendor.
Adding Vendors
1.
2.
Click Add.
3.
AbacusLaw opens where you can add the vendor as a name. After
you click Save, a window appears asking you if you want to
establish this name as a vendor for accounting purposes. Click
Yes.
4.
Setup
65
5.
Editing Vendors
NOTE: You can only edit a name with a Class of VENDOR in Abacus
Accounting.
1.
2.
Highlight the vendor and click Edit. The Vendor Modify existing
Vendor window appears.
3.
66
Setup
4.
Setup
67
5.
68
Setup
3.
Matters
Adding Matters
You add matters in AbacusLaw and then link them to Abacus
Accounting so that they show up on the accounting side.
1.
2.
3.
If you see the name to bill for the matter listed on the tab,
highlight the name and click BillTo.
If you do not see the name to bill, click Add link. The Names
Browse appears. Select the name to add and click OK. The
Name-to-Matter Link window appears. Select the BILLTO link
type and click Done.
Matters
69
4.
70
Matters
Activity Rate Level: Enter the rate level for the activity codes
to use for this matter when entering time tickets. Minimum
Retainer: Enter the amount of the clients money you want to
have in the operating account as a balance at all times.
Matters
71
5.
Matter Fee Warnings: Lets you set warning limits for matter
fees. Enter the dollar amount to initiate the warnings and the
amount for a warning that you have reached the escalation
limit.
Viewing Matters
Select Matters/Matters. The Matters Browse window appears.
To see matters for a specific client, set Client Number to the client.
Edit a matter.
Highlight a matter and then click the More Actions arrow. A list of
actions appears. Click the action you want to perform for the
selected matter.
Editing Matters
While you add matters in AbacusLaw, you can edit them in Abacus
Accounting for additional functionality.
72
Matters
2.
Highlight the matter you want to edit and click Open. The Matter
Maintenance Modifying existing Matter window appears.
3.
Open Date: Enter the date on which you opened the matter for
this client.
Case Code: Select the case code for the type of law related to
the matter.
Matters
73
4.
Tax Status: Select whether services for the matter are taxable
or not.
2.
Highlight the matter you want to edit and click Open. The Matter
Maintenance Modifying existing Matter window appears.
3.
4.
74
Matters
Activity Code Rate Level: Enter the rate level for the activity
codes to use for this matter when entering time tickets. For
more information about activity codes, see Maintaining Activity
Codes on page 44.
Matters
75
5.
76
Matters
1.
2.
Highlight the matter you want to edit and click Open. The Matter
Maintenance Modifying existing Matter window appears.
3.
Select the Mth Schd. tab. (You will only see this tab if you selected
Monthly Fee for billing mode on the Billing tab.)
4.
5.
To add an entry for a billing period, click Add. The Add Monthly
Billing Item window appears. Enter the amount to bill for the billing
period and click OK.
6.
The new billing period entry will be listed in the table. To edit an
entry, highlight the entry and click Details. To delete an entry,
highlight the entry and click Delete.
7.
2.
Highlight the matter you want to edit and click Open. The Matter
Maintenance Modifying existing Matter window appears.
3.
Select the Rates tab. The rates on this tab are used for the
selected matter only. There are 3 different schedules so that you
can change your rates up to 3 times while working on a matter.
Under each schedule, each timekeeper and his/her hourly rate is
listed depending on the criteria of the schedule.
This is how Abacus Accounting determines the hours and rates
when entering a time ticket. (This is applicable to hourly matters
only.)
Matters
77
4.
78
Matters
Date Range: The date range for which the rates listed are
applicable for the matter.
Abacus Accounting Reference Guide
5.
Abacus Accounting uses the sales tax and interest rates entered
for your company preferences (see Changing General Information
for Your Company on page 20). If you need to override these
values for the selected matter only, select the Sales Tax & Int.
Rate tab. Enter the rate information for this matter only.
Matters
79
6.
2.
Highlight the matter you want to edit and click Open. The Matter
Maintenance Modifying existing Matter window appears.
3.
4.
5.
80
Matters
1.
2.
Highlight the matter you want to edit and click Open. The Matter
Maintenance Modifying existing Matter window appears.
3.
4.
Matters
81
Fee Sharing
Overview of Fee Sharing
With fee sharing, payments received for a matter are automatically
distributed between timekeepers based on the matter's fee sharing
percentage, rather than crediting the timekeeper for actual hours
worked.
82
Matters
2.
3.
4.
When you look at the Fee Distribution tab, you will see that the
fee amounts are automatically distributed between timekeepers as
defined for the matter, regardless of how many hours the
timekeepers worked.
Referrals Report
Matters
83
84
Matters
1.
Open the matter in the Matter Maintenance window and click the
Billing tab.
2.
For Billing Mode, select Flat Fee and enter the Flat Fee
amount.
Matters
85
3.
86
Matters
1.
2.
Highlight the matter you want to edit and click Open. The Matter
Maintenance Modifying existing Matter window appears.
3.
Select the Closing Info tab. (You will only see this tab if you
entered a closing date for the matter on the General tab.)
4.
5.
2.
Write Off Date: The date the write off will be posted to the
matter billing activity ledger. NOTE: If you are on an accrual
based accounting system; you will also have to enter a posting
Matters
87
date. This is the date the entry will be posted to the general
ledger.
3.
88
Matters
1.
2.
Under From, select the matter that is currently associated with the
matter billing activity you want to transfer.
3.
Under To, select the matter that you want to be associated with the
matter billing activity.
4.
Under Date Range, select the type of transfer you want to perform.
Select:
5.
Click Transfer.
2.
Under From, select the matter that is currently associated with the
trust activity you want to transfer.
3.
Under To, select the matter that you want to be associated with the
trust activity.
4.
Under Date Range, select the type of transfer you want to perform.
Select:
5.
Click Transfer.
Matters
89
1.
2.
Select the matter and enter the date range for the report. Matter
financial information is listed in the fields.
3.
4.
90
Matters
1.
2.
Under Client Matter Information, select the matter and enter the
date range for the report.
3.
Date of Last Bill: Check if you want the report to include the
date on which the last bill was generated for this matter.
Matters
91
92
Matters
4.
5.
4.
When a client is paying a bill for services that have been earned,
the money goes into the operating account.
For more information, see Adding/Editing Client Payments on page
121.
Step 5b: Deposit money into the trust account
If the client has given you a retainer, the money needs to be
deposited to the trust account.
For more information, see Trust Deposits on page 148.
93
94
Entering Time
Overview of Time Tickets
Time tickets record time spent (billable or nonbillable) on client-matters
by timekeeper. While time tickets are stored in Abacus Accounting,
they can be entered using either AbacusLaw or Abacus Accounting.
Using AbacusLaw is the easier and quicker method, but using Abacus
Accounting provides more flexibility and control.
FAQ
Q: Should I enter time using AbacusLaw or Abacus Accounting?
A: Use AbacusLaw to enter time tickets unless you are a very large firm
where one person has been appointed to enter time.
NOTE: If you click the Bill button for an item already billed,
AbacusLaw will let you edit the original time ticket.
2.
3.
Click Done. The time ticket has been added to Abacus Accounting
(without ever having to open Abacus Accounting!).
95
Get more detail about a time ticket by highlighting the time ticket
and clicking Details.
2.
Set one criterion or multiple criteria for the time tickets you want to
find. Selection criteria include:
Start Date, End Date: Use to find tickets dated within a time
range.
If you want to find a single, specific time ticket, do not use any of
the other criteria. Only enter the number of the time ticket you want
to find in the Ticket Number field.
96
3.
Click Retrieve. The time tickets meeting the criteria are listed.
2.
3.
Complete the fields on the window for the time ticket as follows:
97
Task Base Code: [Only appears if (1) you have the company
preferences set to Force Activity Code on Time Tickets
selected for the company preferences (see Changing General
Information for Your Company on page 20) and (2) the matter
is set to use an activity code rate level on the Billing tab of the
company preferences (see Editing Billing Information for
Matters on page 74.] The code set up for the task for the time.
Time Ticket Type: The billing type for this time ticket where:
Billable indicates that time on the time ticket is billable.
Flat Charge only used on hourly matters for which a service
is performed based on a "flat charge," not the hourly rate.
No Charge indicates that time on the time ticket is not to be
charged. (Time tickets with this code are printed on bills.)
98
4.
99
1.
2.
Under From, select the matter that is currently associated with the
time tickets you want to transfer.
3.
Under To, select the matter that you want to be associated with the
time tickets.
4.
Date Range if the time tickets you want to transfer fall within a
specific date range. When you select this option enter the date
range in the boxes provided under the Date Range section.
Ticket Range if the time tickets you want to transfer fall within
a specific ticket number range. When you select this option,
enter the ticket number range in the boxes provided under the
Ticket Range section. Note that time tickets equal to or
between the time ticket transaction numbers you specify will be
transferred.
Single Ticket if you want to transfer one time ticket only. When
you select this option, enter the time ticket number in the box
provided under the Single Ticket section.
5.
6.
Click Transfer.
2.
3.
Client Exp. Code: Select the client expense code for the
transaction. SPD, HPD, and FPD will always be recorded as a
credit. FEE should only be used for balance forwards it will
be set to Billed.
NOTE: For more information about expense codes, see
Maintaining Client Expense Codes on page 42.
Cost Per Item: If the selected client expense code has been
set up with a per item cost, this amount will automatically
appear.
4.
2.
3.
To set the billing criteria for the bill (which determines the activity to
be billed), click Add. Three new tabs appear:
After you have made your billing criteria selection, click Add to
Billing Run. The original Prebill/Bill Selection window reappears
with client-matter bills containing the selected billing activity listed.
4.
5.
6.
With prebills or bills listed, you can do any of the following from this
window:
Originating timekeeper is the person who brought the clientmatter (business) into the firm.
E = End of Matter
H = On Hold
To select billing activity for all billing frequencies, enter an asterisk
(*) in the box.
Type of Law Code: To include billing activity for only one specific
case code, select the code. To select billing activity for all case
codes, enter an asterisk (*) in the box.
Billing Mode: To include billing activity for only one specific billing
mode, enter the billing mode in the box, where:
H = Hourly
F = Flat Fee
C = Contingency
M = Minimum Fee
To select billing activity for all billing modes, enter an asterisk (*) in
the box.
All Matters by Client: To include billing activity for all matters for
one specific client, select the client number. To select billing activity
for all clients, enter an asterisk (*) in the box.
At Least X Dollars: Use this field to include billing activity for only
matters with a balance due equal to or greater than the amount
entered.
Include all Billed items past the Fee/Cost Cut Date in the Prior
Balance: If your fee/cost cutoff date is set to a specific date, the
only billed items included in the prior balance will be through that
date. If you check this option, the prior balance will be any entry
that has a billed status even if it is after the fee/cost cutoff date.
Under Dates, you select the date range for the billing activity you
want to see for the bill. Select:
Date of Bill: Enter the date for the bill.
Start Date: Enter the beginning date for fees, costs, and payments
you want to include on the bill. The start date only applies to
unbilled activity - it is best to use the default start date to include all
unbilled activity.
Fees/Costs Cut Date: Enter the ending date for fees and costs
you want included on the bill.
Payments Cut Date: Enter the date on or before which you want
payments that have been posted to the matter billing activity
calculated in the bills.
The following describes how to set the criteria for billing activity from
this tab:
Under Dates, you select the date range for the billing activity you
want to see for the bill.
Date of Bill: Enter the date for the bill.
Start Date: Enter the beginning date for fees, costs, and payments
you want to include on the bill.
Fees/Costs Cut Date: Enter the ending date for fees and costs
you want included on the bill.
Payments Cut Date: Enter the date on or before which you want
payments that have been posted to the matter billing activity
calculated in the bills.
trust account, and a break out of the total amount due for fees,
hard costs, soft costs, taxes, late charges, admin charges, and
retainers with a box for you to enter the amount to be paid from that
matters trust account. If the billing format for the matter has been
set up to show trust transactions, the amount applied to the bill
from the trust account will be shown on the bill.
For Trust Cutoff Date, enter the ending date for trust activity you
want included in the Trust Recap section of the bill. The Trust
Recap section will only appear if it is part of the billing format code
for the particular matter.
View the prebills/bills you want to print (see Viewing Prebills and
Bills on page 103).
2.
3.
4.
If you selected Email, the email appears and you can complete
it and send it. If this is the first time youve emailed from
Abacus Accounting, you will be prompted for your email
settings.
The options down the left side of the window determine the format
for the naming of the file. For example, if you chose Use Matter
Number Only, the file might be named 123456.xls. Choose one of
the naming conventions for your file.
Do not Delete the Bills from the request list: When selected,
bills will NOT be deleted from the list on the Prebill/Bill Selection
window after printing.
Select the location to print the files: Select the path for the file
the place where the file will be stored.
Select the format of your export file: Select the type of file you
want to generate (for example, an Excel file).
Click Done to generate the file.
Adjusting Prebills
To correct prebills:
If there is a problem with a time ticket, edit the time ticket (see
Adding, Cloning, or Editing Time Tickets on page 97).
2.
Click the linked ticket number for the time ticket you want to edit.
3.
On the bill preview, click Add Time Ticket. The Time Tickets
Entering New Time window appears.
2.
Enter the information for the time ticket and click Done.
To edit a cost/adjustment:
1.
Double-click in the Cost Detail area on the bill preview. The Cost
Detail subreport appears.
2.
Click the linked ID number for the cost/adjustment you want to edit.
3.
To add a cost/adjustment:
1.
On the bill preview, click Add Cost or Adjustment. The Costs &
Adjustments window appears.
2.
Important note:
Once you add or edit a time ticket or cost/adjustment on the bill, the
change is made in the system. Closing the bill preview, does not
reverse your changes.
Speed Billing
Speed Billing lets you print and post bills in just a single step.
However, be cautious when using Speed Billing because the
process prints and posts together. This means that bills will be
automatically posted, so mistakes will require un-posting bills, then reprinting the bill. Be sure all your standard billing matters have been
scrutinized for errors prior to Speed Billing.
Note that Speed Billing will not include contingent matters, on hold
matters, end of month matters, and matters with split billing. Speed
Billing will include closed matters and will only show matters with either
unbilled activity or non-zero balances.
The start date for Speed Billing is always 01/01/1900.
1.
2.
Under Dates, you select the date range for the billing activity you
want to see for the prebill/bill. Select:
Date of Bill: Enter the date for the prebill/bill.
Fees/Costs Cut Date: Enter the ending date for fees and costs
you want included on the prebill/bill.
Payments Cut Date: Enter the date on or before which you want
payments that have been posted to the matter billing activity
calculated in the prebills and bills.
3.
[only applicable to bills] The Trust on Bill section can only be used
if you have the Trust module AND money for the client/matter has
been put in a trust account. Select:
Do Not Apply Trust to Bill to ignore all trust money when billing.
Automatically Apply Trust to Bill to automatically apply from
each matters trust account the amount due. The billing format for
the matter must be set up to show trust transfers so that the
amount applied to the bill from each matters trust account will be
shown on the bill.
NOTE: Abacus Accounting will never take out more money than is
in the matters trust account.
For Trust Cutoff Date, enter the ending date for trust activity you
want included in the Trust Recap section of the bill. The Trust
Recap section will only appear if it is part of the billing format code
for the particular matter.
4.
Use the At Least X Dollars field to include billing activity for only
matters with a balance due equal to or greater than the amount
entered.
5.
If your fee/cost cutoff date is set to a specific date, the only billed
items included in the prior balance will be through that date. If you
check Include all Billed items past the Fee/Cost Cut Date in the
Prior Balance, the prior balance will be any entry that has a billed
status even if it is after the fee/cost cutoff date.
6.
7.
The Speed Bill Selection window changes to list the bills that match
the selected criteria. Highlight the prebills/bills you want to process.
To select all bills, click Select All. Check Do not reuse invoice
numbers if you want new numbers assigned to bills instead of
reusing the last invoice number if there is no new activity on the bill.
8.
9.
If you selected Print& Post, the selected bills are sent to the
printer and posted.
If you selected Email & Post, the email appears and you can
complete it and send it. If this is the first time youve emailed
from Abacus Accounting, you will be prompted for your email
settings. After the email is sent, the selected bills are posted.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Print if you want to print the cover page from your printer.
Posting/Unposting Bills
Posting Bills
As bills are printed they are made available for posting. After youve
sent a bill to the client, you need to post the bill in Abacus Accounting
manually. Once a bill is posted, the billing information is automatically
transferred to your matter billing activity, your accounts receivable, and
various reports. Also, once posted, a bill is assigned a number in
Abacus Accounting.
TIP: Remember when the bills are ready to go to the POST office, they
are ready to be posted!
Bills must be posted to complete the billing cycle. If you do not post
bills, next months bill will contain last months billing detail!
1.
NOTE: If there are bills that have trust transfers on them and you
are prompted to complete Firm Vendor Number and Trust
118 Managing Your Billing Cycle
3.
4.
5.
Unposting Bills
Unpost bills when you need to reverse the posting of a bill from the
matter billing activity and your accounts receivable. When you reverse
a bill, the program removes the posting transaction from the matter
billing activity, moves time tickets from a Billed to an Unbilled status,
and moves costs from a Billed to an Unbilled status.
RECOMMENDATION: Its better to correct billing activity on the next
bill only unpost a bill if it is absolutely necessary.
Some things to note about the unposting process:
When you unpost a bill and then repost it, the bill will get a new
invoice number.
You CANNOT unpost a bill in a fiscal year that has been closed if
you are on an accrual based accounting system.
If you are unposting a bill where a trust check has been applied as
a client payment, it may result in a credit balance if fees or costs
are changed on that bill.
When unposting a bill for a minimum fee matter, you MUST unpost
all bills PRIOR to the one you need to unpost.
To unpost a bill, select Billing/Unpost Bills. The Unpost Bills window
appears. Select the matter, highlight the incorrect bill, and click
Unpost.
NOTE: When you unpost a bill and then repost it, the bill will get a new
invoice number.
Client Payments
You need to record all payments of bills to the appropriate clientmatter.
The order in which the system automatically breaks out client payments
is as follows:
1.
Hard Costs
2.
Soft Costs
3.
Fees
4.
Late Charges
5.
Taxes
6.
Retainers
2.
3.
4.
Select the Breakout tab. This tab lists information about how the
payment is to be distributed. If you selected a bill on the General
Info tab, the Billing Distribution box lists balances relating to the
selected bill number.
Click Done.
NOTE: Dont forget to post your client payment or it wont appear in the
matter billing activity!
2.
3.
Click Deposit Slip. The deposit slip appears. Change the page
settings as follows:
Date of Deposit: This defaults to the current date, but you can
change it if you like.
form up and down and left and right so you can get the
information to print exactly in the fields of pre-printed forms.
4.
2.
Check the deposit date to ensure that is the date the money went
into the bank.
3.
4.
Click Post.
1.
2.
3.
Click Done.
1.
2.
Cut Off Date: The date on or before the billed matters are to
be included on the statement.
3.
4.
Destination: Select the output format you want for the cover
page.
2.
3.
2.
Highlight the bill and click Edit. The Unpaid Invoice Maintenance
Modify window appears with the General Information tab
selected. This tab displays information about the client and matter
for which the bill was generated. Edit the information as necessary.
3.
4.
5.
2.
Highlight the transaction you want to view or edit and click Open.
The Matter Billing Detail Modify window appears.
3.
4.
2.
Click Show Bills to open the View Linked Bills window, which lists
bills for the selected matter. To view a bill listed, highlight it and
click Show PDF Bill. To email a bill listed, highlight it and click
Email Bill.
Split Billing
What is Split Billing?
Split billing occurs when multiple clients share the cost of a lawsuit, for
example, in the case of class action suits or in the case of representing
a minor with 2 divorced parents splitting the legal bill.
With split billing, you bill each client as a percentage of the whole. You
set up a master matter, and then you set up sub matters for each party
to be billed for the master matters time and costs. There is no limit to
the number of sub matters you can bill from a master matter.
NOTE: Trust transfers are not automatic for split billing.
Create the master matter and master name. Link the master matter
to the master name using a BILLTO link (see Adding Matters on
page 69).
2.
Create a name and matter for each person who will be sharing the
fees/costs of the master matter. These matters will be linked to the
master matter as sub matters. Each sub matter must have its own
matter number and a BILL TO link.
In Abacus Accounting:
1.
Select the Billing tab and set Billing Format Code to SB.
Click Done.
3.
Click Done.
2.
Highlight the line items you want to split. To select all line items
listed, click Select All.
3.
Click Split Selected Items. The window now lists all selected line
items. Each line item is split for any sub matters assigned to the
master matter according to the default split amount assigned to
the sub matter.
4.
If you are satisfied with the split amounts, go to the next step. If
you want to override the default split amount for one or more line
items, do the following:
Double-click the line item for which you want to change the
split amount or percentage.
5.
Click OK.
Once you are satisfied with the split values, click Print to open the
Split Billing Edit report. Print the report and file it.
IMPORTANT: Do not skip this step. The Split Billing Edit report is
crucial information that you most likely will need to reference later.
6.
Double-check your split values one last time before you process
the results. Use the Preview Prebill and Print Prebill buttons to
help you review the bills before processing.
NOTE: The next step will process your split billing results. The
system will move matter billing activity from the master matter to
the sub matters. Once this process is done, the system is altered
and there is no way to undo the changes. Be sure you want to
process the split billing results. There is no way to undo them.
7.
Enable task based billing for the matters billing format code. Select
File/Setup/Billing Format Codes to open the Billing Format Codes
Browse window.
Highlight the matters billing format code and click Edit. The Billing
Format Code Maintenance window appears. Select the Reporting
Options tab. Check Task Based Billing and save.
2.
3.
When you print the bill, set the Destination to LEDES 1998B.
LED File
When printing a LEDES bill, Abacus generates a LED file with one line
for each entry (Time Tickets and Costs). Each line has 24 fields.
The following describes each field and where to find the field in
Abacus.
Invoice Date (INVOICE_DATE) - Date of Bill [Billing > Print Bills >
Add > Date of Bill]
print the actual bill; usually on top of bill. You may also use the
Billing Report Reports > Billing.]
Line Item Number of Units (LINE_ITEM_NUMBER_OF_UNITS) Number of Items from Cost and Adjustment [Calculates number of
items based on Per Item Cost to the Amount Total of posted cost]
Line Item Adjustment Amount
(LINE_ITEM_ADJUSTMENT_AMOUNT) - Total amount of Time
Ticket or Cost [Matters > Matter Billing Activity > Open Matter >
View total amount. Fees and Admin charges will always be 0 For
costs it will be per item costs listed on the Client Expense Code.]
Time Ticket [Matters > Matters > Select Matter > Responsible
Timekeeper]
Timekeeper Classification (TIMEKEEPER_CLASSIFICATION) Set Seniority level in Timekeeper Codes [File > Setup >
Timekeeper Codes > Select Code > Click Edit > Make Seniority
level]
1-5 = PT (Partner)
6-10 = AS (Associate)
11-15 = OC (Of Counsel)
16-20 = LA (Legal Assistant)
21+ = OT (Other)
5.
Trust Accounts
2.
Highlight the trust transaction you want to change and click Open.
The Matter Trust Activity Modify window appears.
Change the following settings to help you edit the information for
the trust transaction:
3.
Click Done.
IMPORTANT: You should not delete payments made to/from the trust
account. The ledgers will not update correctly. Instead, either void the
trust check (see Voiding Checks on page 175) or enter a negative trust
deposit (see Adding/Editing Trust Deposits on page 148). For example,
if you write a trust check that is incorrect and you void that check, you
can delete both transactions.
If you delete a trust transaction by accident, you must make an
adjustment in the general ledger. See Adjusting Trust Activity on page
190 for more information.
Trust Deposits
Trust retainers are applied to trust accounts. In Abacus Accounting,
depositing a trust retainer is called a trust deposit. To work with trust
deposits, open the Trust Deposits window by selecting Trust/Trust
Deposits.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Click Done.
5.
2.
Note that when you delete a trust deposit, all transactions in the deposit
will be deleted. If you just want to delete one transaction in the deposit,
enter a trust deposit (see Adding/Editing Trust Deposits on page 148)
exactly like the incorrect deposit EXCEPT place a minus sign (-) in front
of the amount, making it a negative deposit. Then, you can enter the
correct trust information.
1.
2.
3.
Select the matter and account number you want to include in the
printout. To include all matters or accounts, enter an asterisk (*).
NOTE: Typically, you will only change the setting on this window if
you are working with a real estate closing!
4.
Click Print.
2.
3.
4.
Date of Deposit: This defaults to the current date, but you can
change it to the correct date for bank reconciliation purposes.
2.
Check the posting date to make sure that it is the same date as the
date of the deposit.
3.
4.
Click Post.
Trust Demand Check Writer: You use the Trust Demand Check
Writer to print and record a trust check all in one step.
2-Step Method for Trust Checks: You (1) add a trust request and
then (2) print the requested trust checks.
Both methods give you the same results printed and recorded trust
checks. Generally, you should use the Trust Demand Check Writer to
process trust checks. However, there are 2 instances where you need
to use the 2-Step Method for Trust Checks:
(1) For real-estate closings, use the 2-Step Method for Trust Checks.
There are so many checks involved in closings, the 2-step method can
save you some time as you can set up the checks ahead of time (in
step 1).
(2) If you have allowed fees and costs for a matter to be paid out of
trust (which is set during the billing process), then during posting,
Abacus Accounting will generate trust checks for bills for each matter to
be paid out of trust. In this situation, Abacus Accounting has performed
the first step of the 2-Step Method for Trust Checks. So, it wouldnt
make sense to use the Trust Demand Check Writer just perform step
2 of the 2-Step Method for Trust Checks.
2.
Set Account Number to the trust account you want to write the
check against.
NOTE: This is the account set up in the Chart of Accounts
not your actual bank account number.
Complete the check just as you would a paper check. Note that
you cannot write a check for an amount more than the balance
of the matters trust.
3.
4.
5.
Check/Post Date: The date that will appear on the check and
the posting date. Change as necessary.
Click OK and the check is printed and/or posted to the matter trust
activity.
2.
3.
Vendor ID: Select the vendor who is being paid with the check.
If there is no vendor, click the lookup button. The Vendors
Browse window appears. Click Misc. Vendor.
Amount: The total amount of the trust check. You can only
write a check up to the dollar amount in the matters trust.
Memo: Any note for the check (such as matter name or case
number). This information is printed at the bottom of the check.
NOTE: You cannot print trust checks from the Trust Checks Request
window. Printing check requests has to be done in a second step see
Step 2: Processing Trust Check on page 157.
2.
Highlight the check request you want to print and click Print. The
following window appears:
3.
4.
Under Sort Options, specify how you want the report sorted by
client matter or vendor.
5.
Click Print.
1.
2.
From the Selection Criteria tab, you can set criteria for the trust
checks you want to print. (If you want to print all requested trust
checks, go to the next step.) Set your print criteria as necessary.
Under Sort Options, select the order in which you want the checks
printed.
3.
4.
Highlight the check you want to print and click Print. The following
window appears:
5.
6.
Click OK and the check is printed and/or posted to the matter trust
activity.
1.
2.
Enter the start and end date for the interest distribution period (as
recorded on your bank statement). This creates the date range for
the interest earned period.
3.
Enter the amount of interest earned for the selected date range (as
recorded on your bank statement).
4.
5.
6.
7.
Click Distribute.
6.
Accounts Payable
Processing Payables
You process payables by writing checks or making debit transactions
against your operating accounts. There are two different methods you
can use to create checks:
Demand Check Writer: You use the Demand Check Writer to print
and record a check all in one step.
2-Step Method for Payables: In this procedure you (1) add a
payable and then (2) write a check against the payable.
Both methods give you the same results printed and recorded
checks. However, there are three differences you need to consider
before you pick a method to use:
(1) The Demand Check Writer is limited in that you cannot expense
more than one account. If you need to charge against more than one
account (for example, monthly credit card charges), use the 2-Step
Method for Payables.
(2) If you need to control your cash flow, use the 2-Step Method for
Payables. This will allow you to enter and post the payable, but you
wont have to print the check immediately. For example, you can wait
until after you received payment from a client.
(3) Use the 2-Step Method for Payables when multiple expense
accounts are involved.
1.
2.
3.
If you do not need an actual check for this payment because it was
processed with a debit card or bank transaction (like an automated
payment), select ATM/Debit Card/Bnk Chrgs Transaction. This
will post your debit card/bank transaction entries to the appropriate
ledgers without actually issuing a check.
4.
Complete the form just as you would a paper check. Note that for
Payee you click the lookup button, highlight a vendor on the
Vendors Browse window, and click Done. SHORTCUT: You can
just start entering the name and if the name exists in the Abacus
Accounting database, it will be completed for you.
If you do not see the vendor you want, you can click Add to add
the vendor or you can click Misc. Vendor, which opens a window
that prompts you for an ad hoc vendor name.
NOTE: Never use a miscellaneous vendor if the person or
company receiving the check is to receive a 1099. Miscellaneous
vendors are not included in 1099 filings.
5.
6.
Exp. Code: Select the client expense code for this cost.
7.
8.
GL Posting Date: The date that will appear on the check and
the posting date. Change as necessary.
9.
Do Not Print: Select this option if you do not want to print the
check. (If you selected ATM/Debit Card/Bnk Chrgs
Transaction on the check form because this was a debit card
or bank transaction, the Do Not Print option is selected for you
automatically.) Abacus Accounting will update the general
ledger, but will not print a check. It will also update the matter
billing activity ledger (if applicable) and the vendor ledger.
Click Print.
Add/edit payables.
Adding/Editing Payables
1.
2.
3.
4.
Select the Client Section tab. Select the client-matters for whom
the payable transaction is being made. Then, for each matter,
select the expense accounts to charge and enter the amount to
charge each account. Page 2 is provided to give you additional
entry lines so you can enter up to 10 client accounts in a single
transaction.
5.
Select the Firm Section tab. Select the accounts to be debited for
the transactions and the amount to be charged against each firm
expense account.
NOTE: A common misconception is that the cash account should
be used on the Firm Section tab. But, usually, expense or liability
accounts are used.
Page 2 is provided to give you additional entry lines so you can
enter up to 10 firm expense accounts in a single transaction. If you
have more than 10 firm or client expense accounts, you need to
split the invoice into 2 parts.
6.
Click Done to save the account payable. The window clears so that
you can add more payables.
7.
NOTE: You cannot print checks from the Enter/Post Payables window.
Printing checks for payables has to be done in a second step see
Step 2: Writing Checks against Payables on page 169.
Printing AP Checks
1.
2.
From the list on the Check Selection tab, highlight the checks you
want to print. If you want to highlight more than one check, press
and hold the CTRL key while you highlight checks. When they are
all selected, click Print.
3.
GL Posting Date: The date that will appear on the check and
the posting date. Change as necessary.
4.
Click OK.
Splitting AP Checks
1.
2.
Highlight the check you want to split and click Split. The Split
Payable window appears.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Click Save.
2.
When you pay the credit card bill, again create an AP demand
check for the payment. But this time, the cash account is the
account the money came out of for the payment, and the expense
account is the credit card liability account.
Click Done to save your changes. The invoice will now be listed on the
Print AP Checks window where it can now be paid.
Deleting Checks
As long as a check is not reconciled or billed, you can delete it.
NOTE: Deleting a voided check deletes both the original check entry
and the voided check entry.
Recurring Payables
What if you have an automatic payable that is scheduled every month?
Dont manually generate it in every month set up a recurring payable!
You can set up recurring payables so that when they are due, you can
generate them with less effort.
Once recurring payables have been set up, you can generate them
each time they are due.
To manage recurring payables, select A/P/Recurring Payables. The
Recurring Payables window appears displaying all payables that are
due to be generated.
Abacus Accounting Reference Guide
2.
Due Day: The day of the month the recurring payable is due,
th
such as the 10 day of every month.
4.
Select the Breakdown tab. From this tab, you determine how the
payable is to be debited to your expense accounts. Select the
account numbers to debit and then enter the amount for each
account selected.
5.
Click Done.
1.
2.
In the Month box, enter the number of the month for the payment.
For example, if you are paying your recurring payable transactions
for March, enter 3. (The program gets the day from the date you
entered when you set up the recurring payable.)
3.
4.
5.
The date you entered for Next A/P Merge Date in your company
preferences, you will be prompted to add the payable. For
example, if the original payable date was January 15, then you will
th
be prompted to add the same payable on the 15 day of every
month thereafter. Select to add the payable.
2.
4.
Exp. Code: Select the client expense code for this cost.
5.
6.
Click Save.
8.
9.
If you have not created an online connection with you bank for
this account, you need to go to your online banking site and
download your statement in an .ofx format. Then, click the
Browse button for Input File and select the .ofx file.
Your transactions for the selected time period are listed on one of 2
tabs: Matched Entries and Unmatched Entries. Matched entries
are those entries that are found both on your bank statement and in
Abacus Accounting. Unmatched entries are those that are found on
your bank statement, but cannot be found in Abacus Accounting.
The objective is to get all of the unmatched entries matched or
removed so that there are no transactions unaccounted for in
Abacus Accounting.
10. On the Unmatched Entries tab, you need to match, add, or delete
You delete unmatched entries if they are not valid and should
not be in Abacus Accounting. To remove an entry from the list,
highlight it and click Delete. (This does not delete the entry
from Abacus Accounting it only removes it from the list.)
12. Once you have adjusted all transactions to your satisfaction, you
2.
Select a vendor and set the start and end date for the transactions
you want to see.
3.
Highlight the vendor transaction you want to view or edit and click
Edit. The Vendor Activity Modify window appears.
4.
5.
7.
General Ledger
Date Range: Set the date range for the journal entries you want to
view.
Source: Select the function that generated the entry. For example,
if you want to see only payroll transactions posted to the general
ledger, you would select Post Payroll.
Amount: Enter the amount for the journal entries you want to find.
Ending Balance: The ending balance for the selected date range
and account.
Click Refresh after you have set your criteria.
NOTE: Deposits and checks are listed in the general ledger NOT by
matter, but by total deposit. To view details of deposits (i.e. matters
affected), use the Daily Posted Cash Receipts report. To view details of
checks, use the Cash Disbursements Detail report.
From this window, you can:
2.
3.
The following defines each field on the window. Note that you can
change the cleared status.
Date: The date that the entry was posted to the general ledger.
Account Number: The number of the account affected by the
entry.
Account Name: The name of the account affected by the entry.
Journal Entry Number: The number of the journal entry as
assigned by Abacus Accounting. Note that the number is
immediately followed by the type of journal entry.
Amount: The amount of the transaction.
Debit/Credit: Indicates if this transaction was a debit or credit.
This transaction is for Rent: For credit transactions only. Check if
this transaction is a rent payment.
Code: If a check was written, the vendor code of the payee for the
check.
Name: If a check was written, the name of the payee for the check.
Reference: Internal data recorded by Abacus Accounting when the
entry is posted.
Source: The functionality used to enter the entry.
2.
Highlight the journal entry you want to edit and click Edit.
3.
4.
Click Done.
2.
On the General tab enter the information for the journal entry.
4.
5.
6.
2.
Click Add. The Post General Ledger Journal Entries Add window
appears.
3.
4.
Skip the Debit Accounts tab and Credit Accounts tab - you do
not need to use them for this type of entry.
5.
6.
2.
3.
Enter the general ledger journal entry just as you do for regular
journal entries. See Adding/Editing General Ledger Journal Entries
on page 188 for help.
For Date, enter the first date of the occurrence. Every subsequent
month, a recurring journal entry will be created for the same day of
the month.
1.
2.
In the Month box, enter the number of the month for the posting.
For example, if you are creating your recurring journal entry
transactions for March, enter 3. (The program gets the day from the
date you entered when you set up the recurring journal entry.)
3.
4.
5.
The journal entries will now appear in Post Journal Entries window.
To post an entry, highlight it and click Post.
1.
The date you entered for Next G/L Merge Date in your company
preferences, you will be prompted to add the entry. For example, if
the original journal entry date was January 15, then you will be
th
prompted to add the same entry on the 15 day of every month
thereafter. Select to add the journal entry.
2.
The journal entries will now appear in Post General Ledger Journal
Entries window. To post an entry, highlight it and click Post.
Reversing a journal entry will not affect the matter trust activity
or matter billing activity.
1.
2.
3.
In the Journal Entry Type box, select the type of journal entry you
are reversing.
4.
Account Budgeting
Abacus Accounting lets you set up annual or fiscal budgets so you can
compare actual to expected expenses, revenue, etc. You can create
budgets for any income or expense account in your chart of accounts.
Budgeting is performed from the General Ledger Budget window. To
open the window, select G/L/GL Budget. This window lists all accounts
with budgets.
2.
3.
Fiscal Year, a box appears for you to enter the month in which
your fiscal year starts. After you enter the starting month, Abacus
Accounting displays the months on the screen in order by your
fiscal starting month. For example, if your fiscal year starts in May,
the month display will be May, June, July, etc. instead of January,
February, March, etc.
4.
Select the account number. Then, enter the budget year and the
total budget to use.
5.
Notice that the total amount you enter is divided equally between
the months listed. For each month listed, adjust the budgeted
amount as necessary.
6.
Click Done to save your changes and return to the General Ledger
Budget window.
1.
2.
Select the month and enter the year you want to close.
3.
In the Report Group to run box, highlight the report group you
want to run for the closing.
4.
Click Done. The selected report group will run and the backup
process will start.
Detail for the income and expense accounts is deleted and net
profit/loss is rolled into the general ledger account setup in the
Default Account Setup for Profit/Loss.
Detail for the Asset, Liability, and Capital accounts is deleted and
the balances are rolled into a summary file. For these accounts you
will have a balance forward, but no detail for the time frame closed.
The entries in the cash disbursement and cash receipt table are
deleted for items cleared on the bank reconciliation for the selected
time frame.
Closing a year in Abacus Accounting does not affect the matter billing
activity, matter trust activity, vendor ledgers, or payroll records.
1.
2.
3.
Enter the dates for the date range that includes the data you want
to close.
4.
Click Begin.
2.
Change the dates to when you last performed month- and year-end
closings.
IMPORTANT: Year-end closing date cannot be changed once it is
processed.
3.
Click Done.
8.
Payroll
Overview of Payroll
Abacus Accountings payroll functionality provides you with a payroll
calculating and reporting tool that is integrated with the accounting
modules. This integration with the accounting modules means the
program can automatically process those payroll transactions that
affect your general ledger without you having to re-enter data.
2.
3.
4.
Click Done.
202 Payroll
Rate: Enter the rate assigned by the state for unemployment taxes.
Cut Off: Enter the maximum gross dollar limit for the state per
year. Once this amount is reached, Abacus Accounting will no
longer list that states unemployment taxes as a payable on your
quarterly tax report.
Click Done to save your changes.
Payroll 203
2.
204 Payroll
3.
Tax State: The state in which the employee pays state taxes.
Payroll 205
4.
206 Payroll
Pay Rate: For hourly employees, enter the hourly wage (such
as $10). For salaried employees, enter the pay-period salary.
For example, for a salaried employee whose salary is $48,000
annually and is paid monthly, enter 4000 ($4,000.00).
Select the Tax Information tab. Complete the tax information for
the employee. Note that the fields on this window change
depending on the tax state selected.
5.
6.
7.
When you are finished, click Done to save the employee profile.
Payroll 207
Processing Payroll
Payroll is processed from the Process Payroll window. To open the
window, select Payroll/Process Payroll.
2.
Click Add. The Process Payroll Add window appears. The table
lists employees in your firm who are paid through payroll. For an
employee to be listed, he/she need to have an employee profile set
up in Abacus Accounting. (See Managing Employee Profiles on
page 203.
NOTE: For an employee to be listed, the selected pay frequency
needs to match the employees pay frequency.
208 Payroll
3.
Pay Frequency: Set Pay Period Ending Date and then select
your firms pay period type (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.).
4.
5.
Payroll 209
From this window, you can modify paychecks for various reasons.
To modify regular or overtime hours for an hourly employee:
Click Done.
Click Done.
To enter/modify sick and/or vacation hours used for the pay period:
Enter total number of hours the employee is being paid in the Sick
Hours or Vacation Hours boxes. Do not change Accumulated
Hours. Do not reduce Regular Hours if the employee is being paid
for the sick/vacation hours.
NOTE: Abacus Accounting will not prevent you from assigning
more sick/vacation hours than have been accumulated.
210 Payroll
Printing/Posting Paychecks
1.
2.
Highlight the paychecks you want to print. Click Select All to select
all paychecks.
3.
4.
5.
Click Done.
Payroll 211
2.
3.
212 Payroll
4.
5.
Payroll 213
9.
Reports
Accounts Payable report (after all invoices have been entered and
posted). Your accountant will need this for tax purposes.
Report Customization
The firm name printed on reports comes from the name used to
register AbacusLaw. Registration is performed in AbacusLaw. Refer to
the AbacusLaw Reference Guide for more information.
Emailing Reports
One option to generate a report is to email it to someone. Before you
use this option, be sure to set up your email report settings. See
Setting Email Options for Reporting on page 31 for help with this.
214 Reports
Saved Reports
Posting reports are automatically saved in the system. To see saved
posting reports, select Reports/View Saved Reports. The Saved
Reports window appears listing the saved posting reports.
Filter the report listing by changing the Start Date, End Date, User
ID, or Report Type fields.
Reports 215
1099/1096 Reports
Comment [SH11]: updated entire topic
216 Reports
2.
3.
Once the 1099 fields are calculated and any adjustments are made
to the vendor values, you can print the 1099 forms.
Set the other criteria for the 1099 form. NOTE: Placement
Setting is a line adjustment for the forms.
Reports 217
4.
After printing the 1099 forms, you can run the 1096 Annual
Summary report.
218 Reports
For these reports, you need to use preprinted forms. You can purchase
these forms from Safeguard Business Systems (1-800-432-7701).
Reports 219
2.
3.
4.
5.
Include Items Due Through: The due date through which you
want invoices included.
Age Items as of: The date you want used to age the invoices.
220 Reports
2.
Under Select Report, select whether you want to print the audit
trail or a transaction log. The audit trail lists user activity; the
transaction log lists deletion actions.
3.
Under Date Range, set the date range for the report.
4.
5.
Reports 221
7.
Billing Reports
Generating Billing Reports
1.
Select Reports/Billing.
222 Reports
2.
3.
4.
5.
Billing Report
This report lists a breakout of fees, costs, late charges, taxes, hours,
and trust billed on an invoice for the selected client-matter.
Reports 223
224 Reports
2.
3.
4.
5.
Balance Sheet
This report summarizes all asset, liability, and capital accounts.
Reports 225
Source: The function that was used to post the journal entry to the
general ledger.
NOTE: The General Journal Listing report can be run for closed years.
226 Reports
Income Statements
This report summarizes all income and expense accounts.
Following are criteria that you might need defined when generating this
report:
Compare This Year vs Last Year: This will compare the current
years income and expenses to last years income and expenses. If
you select this format, you need to indicate if the prior year has
been closed. Then, you need to enter the month (MM) and year
(YYYY) you want included.
Reports 227
Following are criteria that you might need defined when generating this
report:
Matter Reports
Generating Matter Reports
1.
Select Reports/Matter.
228 Reports
2.
3.
4.
5.
Billed and Posted Items Through Cutoff Date: The last day you
want included on the report.
Reports 229
Billed and Posted Items Through Cutoff Date: The last day you
want included on the report.
Suppress Zero Costs Due: Check if you do not want matters with
zero cost balances due included in the report.
230 Reports
Reports 231
232 Reports
Time Ticket Type: Select the type of time tickets to include in the
report. (Selecting All will include all the types listed.)
Date Range: Enter the date range for the report. Only write offs
occurring on or within the date range will be included in the report.
Reports 233
Payroll Reports
Generating Payroll Reports
1.
Select Reports/Payroll.
234 Reports
2.
3.
4.
5.
Year: Enter the 4-digit year for which you are generating the return.
State: Select the state you are generating the return for.
Reports 235
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In Part II, complete items 1, 2, 3 (a, b, and i), 3a, 3b, 6, 7, 8, 9, and
10.
6.
7.
Year: Enter the 4-digit year for which you are generating the return.
State: Select the state you are generating the return for.
236 Reports
1.
Enter you firm name, address, date quarter ended, and employee
identification number or use the label supplied by the IRS with your
return packet.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Reports 237
Following are criteria that you might need defined when generating this
report:
W-3 Transmittal
This report generates the required W-3 transmittal form to file along
with the entire Copy A page of forms W-2 to the Social Security
Administration.
NOTE: You need preprinted W-3 forms. Contact Safeguard Business
Systems (1-800-432-7701) to order the forms.
Following are criteria that you might need defined when generating this
report:
Productivity Reports
When Are Productivity Reports Updated?
Productivity reports dealing with fees and costs are updated any time a
client payment is entered through payments received. Productivity
reports dealing with billed time are updated when bills are posted.
Productivity reports dealing with unbilled time are updated as soon as
the data is entered into Abacus Accounting.
Select Reports/Productivity.
Reports 239
2.
3.
4.
5.
240 Reports
For flat fee matters, if no time tickets are entered, the responsible
timekeeper will be credited with the fees. If time tickets are entered in a
flat fee matter then the fees will be credited proportionately to the
actual time ticket timekeeper in regards to the percentage of time spent
working on the matter. The same rule applies with contingency matters.
If flat rate time tickets are entered, the actual time ticket timekeeper is
credited with the fees.
The Paid Fees portion of the report is calculated from the information
entered under the Fee Distribution section for payments received.
Hours Report
This report provides different metrics for hourly reporting. This report is
helpful for large law firms with multiple offices.
The following describes all the fields in the completed report:
Net Billable Hours: Includes hours for all BL, TR, and FR type
time tickets for the timeframe specified for all billing modes.
Net Billable Dollars: The total dollar amount of time tickets for the
timeframe specified.
For hourly/minimum fee matters, BL and TR type tickets are
calculated on an hourly rate. FR type tickets are calculated on the
amount of the ticket.
For flat fee/monthly fee matters, the total dollar amount is
calculated on the percentage of total hours worked (calculates
percentage based on hours x hourly rate).
For contingent matters, hours are valued at zero (0).
Net Daily Avg. MTD: Value of Net Billable Hours divided by the
Reports 241
Net Daily Avg. YTD: Value of YTD Hours Net Billable divided by
the number of work days YTD.
Gross Hours: Total of hours in the Net Billable Hours column and
the NonBillable/No Chrg Hours column.
Gross Dollars: Value of time tickets, including BL, TR, FR, MS,
and NB (only type not included is NC). Flat Fee, Monthly Fee,
Minimum Fee, and Contingent value as noted in Net Billable
Dollars column.
YTD Hours Net Billable: Includes all BL, TR, and FR type time
tickets and all billing modes.
YTD Hours Gross: Includes all hours YTD Hours Net Billable +
YTD NonBillable/No Chrg Hours.
YTD Dollars Billed: Calculates the fees the same way as the Net
Billable Dollars column except this is YTD.
242 Reports
Total Due will sort from the highest total due to the lowest total
due.
Client/Matter Desc will sort by client last name and further by
matter description.
Client/Matter Num will sort by client and further by matter number.
Referrals Report
This report lists total fees billed, fees paid and fees due by referral
source for each client that source generated.
NOTE: The referral source is grouped by the referral phone number.
Following are criteria that you might need defined when generating this
report:
Clients Opened Between: Date range for the open date of matters
to be included in the report.
Reports 243
244 Reports
Items Through: The cut-off date of the report. All items up to and
including the cut-off date will be on the report.
Timekeeper: Check All to include all timekeepers. Check
Timekeeper Initials to select a timekeeper for the report. Note that
you can also select the originating, responsible, or assigned
timekeeper for a matter. (Different types of timekeepers are
assigned to matters during matter maintenance see Editing
General Information for Matters on page 73.)
Trust Reports
Generating Trust Reports
1.
Select Reports/Trust.
Reports 245
2.
3.
4.
5.
246 Reports
Reports 247
Setup Reports
Generating Setup Reports
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
248 Reports
Report Groups
You can group common reports into a report group. This lets you print
reports in a batch, instead of having to print them one at a time. For
example, report groups could be very useful for printing month end
reports, as you probably print the same reports each month.
Reports 249
To use a report group, you first need to set it up. You only need to do
this one time. Then, you can generate the reports in a report group in a
batch.
You maintain reports groups from the Report Group Maintenance
window. To open the window, select Reports/Report Groups.
Run a report group, which generates all the reports in the group to
your specifications.
2.
250 Reports
3.
2.
3.
4.
For each report in the group, highlight the report in the Included
box and click Details. A window appears that will let you set the
criteria for the individual report. Notice that you will not be allowed
to set time period. That is because you will set one time period for
the entire group when you run the report group.
5.
2.
In the Report Group Name box, select the month end report group
and set your criteria under Run Selected Report Group with
These Dates.
3.
To print the reports in the group, select Printer and click the
Print button.
Reports 251
252 Reports
10.
Housekeeping
Voiding Checks
When you void a check, the money is added back to the account the
check was written against and a reverse transaction is made to the
matter billing activity, so the client will not be responsible for the charge
on the bill.
1.
2.
For Cash Account Number select the cash account the check
was written against.
3.
In the Check Number box, enter the number of the check you want
to void.
4.
Housekeeping 253
5.
In the Date of Void box, make sure that the date is the date you
want to void the check.
6.
Click Void.
Check Register
You can view the transactions for any account using the Check
Register window. To open the window:
Select Trust/Trust Check Register to view the check register for the
trust account.
You can change the account number if necessary and then set the date
range for the transactions you want to view.
254 Housekeeping
The Deposit Breakdown window appears listing the detail of the deposit
broken down by client, matter, matter description, and invoice.
The detail information is only available for the cash accounts. Detail
information is only available for client payments processed through
Payments Received and for trust deposits processed through Trust
Deposits.
Note that the deposit breakdown is only provided for viewing you
cannot print it and it is not included in reports.
Housekeeping 255
2.
3.
256 Housekeeping
If you have not created an online connection with you bank for
this account, you need to go to your online banking site and
download your statement in an .ofx format. Then, click the
Browse button for Input File and select the .ofx file.
Your transactions for the selected time period are listed on one of 2
tabs: Matched Entries and Unmatched Entries. Matched entries
are those entries that are found both on your bank statement and in
Abacus Accounting. Unmatched entries are those that are found on
your bank statement, but cannot be found in Abacus Accounting.
The objective is to get all of the unmatched entries matched or
removed so that there are no transactions unaccounted for in
Abacus Accounting.
4.
5.
6.
You delete unmatched entries if they are not valid and should
not be in Abacus Accounting. To remove an entry from the list,
highlight it and click Delete. (This does not delete the entry
from Abacus Accounting it only removes it from the list.)
Housekeeping 257
258 Housekeeping
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
For trust accounts, print the trust check register (select Trust/Trust
Check Register) and Trust Reports - Detail report and compare
them to the bank statements.
Check for any outstanding items from last month. Are they still
outstanding or have they cleared?
Backing Up Databases
Back up the Abacus Accounting database through the AbacusLaw
backup utility. See the AbacusLaw documentation for more information.
Housekeeping 259
Reindexing Databases
Although Abacus takes every precaution to secure your data,
unforeseen problems, such as power outages, can affect you index
files.
This can appear as an "Open Error" on start up, as an "Internal Error"
at run time, or as records appearing out of order or missing altogether.
Most "Internal Errors" are caused by index file corruption.
Abacus will normally detect errors and issue a message indicating that
it is deleting all index files. However, if no message appears and you
think index files may be corrupted, you can follow these steps to
reindex the files.
1.
2.
3.
Click Start.
FAQ
Q: What do I do if I get error 7200?
A: Usually the problem is that people are in Abacus Accounting or
AbacusLaw. Make sure all users are logged off Abacus. If you still get
the error, contact Customer Support.
Packing Databases
When records are deleted in Abacus Accounting, they are no longer
visible to you, but still exist in the database as records marked for
removal. When a database is "packed," it is rewritten to permanently
remove deleted records and recover disk space. This is similar to
deleting files in Windows and then having to empty the Recycle Bin.
To pack Abacus Accounting databases, select File/Utilities/Pack. The
Pack Database window appears. Click Start to start the packing
process.
260 Housekeeping
11.
Productivity Tools
Calendar
Abacus Accounting provides a perpetual calendar for you to view any
time.
To open the calendar, do one of the following:
From any date field, press F9 or click the lookup button. The
calendar appears. Click a date and click OK and the date is pasted
in to the field.
Use the left and right arrow buttons to move to different months.
Click the year and use the up and down arrow buttons to move to
different years.
To resize the popup calendar to see multiple months, use the Size
setting.
Calculator
For an online calculator, select File/Utilities/Calculator.
2.
Select the table (for client or matter) and field you want to modify.
3.
4.
Under Change to, enter the new value for the field. Continuing the
example from the previous step, you would enter Sally Jones in
the Change the selected field to box.
5.
Importing Data
You can import data from other applications into Abacus Accounting.
Import modules determine the type of imported data that will be
accepted by Abacus Accounting. Here are the import modules
available for purchase in Abacus Accounting:
1.
2.
In the Select Type of File for Import box, select the type of data
you want to import into Abacus Accounting (the import module).
The fields appearing below the box will change depending on the
import module selected.
3.
Click the browse button for the Input File box and select the file to
be imported.
4.
Complete the remaining fields for the import module you selected.
For Cable and Wireless Call Accounting System and Lucent-CAS
Call Accounting System:
Exp Code: Enter the expense code for long distance telephone
charges.
Postage Expense Code: Enter the expense code you use for
postage charges.
Expense Codes: Enter the expense codes you use for each
type of charge.
5.
Click Start.
2.
Make sure that your real estate closing software is set up for
Quicken. (In DoubleTime, you do this by selecting
Preferences/User Settings. Select the Accounting tab. Under
Accounting Software, select Quicken and year format YYYY.)
3.
Export the checks and deposit data to an export file. Store the file
in the directory you created in step 1.
In Abacus Accounting:
1.
2.
3.
In the Select Type of File for Import box, select the real estate
closing module to use.
4.
For Input File, click the browse button and select the file you
exported from the real estate closing software. This file should
have a Quicken extension (.qif).
5.
For Account, select the cash trust account to be used for this
closing (or verify the trust account number that has been entered
by Abacus Accounting). It is important that you use the trust
account for this closings deposits and disbursements.
6.
Enter the client and matter numbers. This must be done manually.
Once the client and matter numbers are entered, verify that the
description is correct.
7.
Click Start.
8.
When the import process is complete, deposits from the real estate
closing will be added as trust deposits and disbursements from the
real estate closing will be added as trust check requests.
Exporting Data
You can export data from the program database for use in other
programs. You can export:
2.
Click Next.
3.
On the next window, select where you want the tables exported to
(drive and path).
4.
Click Begin. The program will create a TXT file for each table
exported, entitled the table name (for example,
AccountsPayable.txt).
2.
Click Next.
3.
On the next window, select where you want the tables exported to
(drive and path).
4.
Click Begin.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Click Done.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Click the Account Type arrow and select the type of account you
want to work with (X-Charge - ACH or X-Charge - Credit Card).
6.
7.
8.
12.
Timeslips
Back in the Valid WHAT Entries window, click Add again. This
time, enter DOCUMENT and click Done. Change the
description if desired and click Done.
2.
3.
4.
Timeslips 277
or
DocsCode=New What Code
The new setting should look like this: DocsCode=CONTRACT
2.
Now, the default WHAT code for billing documents will be CONTRACT.
You can use any built-in WHAT code or create your own.
Matters to Gold
Matters to Gold is a feature that lets you move all of your matters to
Abacus Accounting at once. This feature is very handy for TimeSlips
users that want to migrate to our Accounting program.
Matters to Gold will import the matter name and Client as BILLTO
records, but it does not import any historical financial data.
To use the feature, ensure that Abacus (Gold version) is set up and
linked to the Abacus Accounting. (Accounting is linked when you see a
green dollar sign in the lower-right corner of AbacusLaw.) Then, press
and hold the Ctrl key and select Tools/Accounting/Make Matters
Billable.
278 Timeslips
13.
Support
Using Help
Use Help to get the answers you need quickly while you are using
Abacus. There are two ways to access Help: Open the Help system or
press F1 to open context-sensitive help for the current window.
Contacting Sales
Call 858-452-4245 or 800-726-3339 Monday through Friday from
6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific time or email sales@abacuslaw.com.
Support 279
Troubleshooting
The Abacus website provides an extensive knowledgebase that
provides troubleshooting support. Go to www.abacuslaw.com, then
click Support Center, then click Knowledge Base.
Training
In addition to on-site training, our Abacus Certified Consultants offer
training over the telephone, using CDs, and through webinars.
Contact Customer Support for more information or go to
www.abacuslaw.com and click Training.
Other Resources
In addition to the help system and the manuals that were shipped with
the software, you can find more documentation for Abacus at
http://www.abacuslaw.com, then click Support Center, then click
Knowledge Base.
280 Support
14.
Index
support, 279
Task Based Billing Code Listing report, 249
task based billing codes: adding/editing, 49;
maintenance, 48
task-based billing format code, 51
tax status, 99; selecting for matters, 74;
setting defaults for new matters, 33; setting
through case codes, 42; setting through
client expense codes, 44
Tax Status section: showing/hiding, 28
TB, 51
technical support, 279
Time Entry Abbreviation Code Listing report,
249
time ticket codes: adding/editing, 47;
automating insertion, 28; maintenance, 47
Time Ticket Diary Listing report, 233
time ticket types: showing/hiding, 28
Time Ticket window: showing/hiding time
ticket types, 28
time tickets: adding, cloning, editing, 97;
automating spell check, 27; automating text
through activity codes, 46; automating text
through time ticket codes, 47; automating
time ticket code insertion, 28; default, 27;
definition, 95; entering from AbacusLaw,
95; forcing activity codes, 21; managing in
Abacus Accounting, 95; transferring, 99;
types, 98
Time Tickets window, 95; showing/hiding Tax
Status section, 28
timekeeper, 97
Timekeeper Budget Listing report, 249
timekeeper budgets: adding/editing, 40;
maintenance, 39
Timekeeper Cash Receipts report, 243
timekeeper codes: adding/editing, 34;
maintenance, 34
timekeeper divisions: adding/editing, 37;
maintenance, 36
Timekeeper Listing report, 249
Timekeeper Performance Summary report,
244
timekeeper rate level: setting defaults for new
matters, 33
timekeeper titles: adding/editing, 38;
maintenance, 38
286 Index
Index 287