| Statements Overview | 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Statements are created using the Generate Statements utility. There are several important concepts that pertain to statements in Tabs3 Billing. All users who generate statements need to be made aware of these concepts.
Which Clients will have Statements Printed?
Order of Information on Statements
An important concept in Tabs3 Billing is the difference between “draft” statements, “pre-bills,” and “final” statements. Draft statements are one-off reports that show a snapshot of what could be billed. Pre-bills create tracking records, and are designed to be reviewed and approved prior to sending to a client. Tabs3 Billing gives you the option of printing transaction reference numbers on draft statements and pre-bills for easy editing purposes. When draft statements and pre-bills are displayed using the Preview option or accessed via the Pre-Bill Tracking window, you can drill down to individual client, fee, cost, and payment records, allowing you to edit data directly from the statement. Pre-bills can be created from the Generate Statements window, or by running a Detail Work-in-Process Report. Pre-bills can be rerun, reviewed, and approved, then used to generate a final statement in the Pre-Bill Tracking window. Generating a pre-bill is optional.
Tip: During the review process, use the Comments pane to make note of who is performing the review, what needs to be changed, and when the statement is ready to be sent to the client. These comments are preserved throughout the billing process, and can be viewed on the Pre-Bill Information or Final Statement Information window. Comments are not available once a final statement has been updated.
Final statements represent a statement that is ready to be provided to a client. Transactions included on a final statement are protected, and any change will require a new statement to be generated that reflects the changes. You cannot delete a transaction that is included on a final statement. You must first "unbill" that statement before you will be allowed to delete the transaction.
The billable totals included in final statements are not permanent until the Update Statements utility is run. This means that you can run final statements multiple times. However, whatever information was shown on the last final statement for the client is the information that is updated by the Update Statements utility.
It is important to note that you must run the Update Statements utility before sending email statements or running the productivity and accounts receivable reports. The Update Statements utility updates all billed fees, costs, payments and retainers (regardless of the Statement Date) to accounts receivable, recalculates the client ledger totals, as well as the current month's timekeeper, category and transaction code productivity figures. If productivity or accounts receivable reports are printed before updating, the reports will not reflect the information from statements generates since the last time the Update Statements utility was run.
Statements that have been updated by the Update Statements utility can be reprinted using the Reprint Updated Statements utilities. If you need to reverse the update process, you can use the Undo Updated Statements utilities.
Note: When running final statements, it makes no difference whether the final statements are printed to the printer, displayed on the screen, or saved to a file or the Tabs3 DropBox. Final statements are still considered processed and the changes are made to the included transactions. A common mistake is thinking that if you display a final statement (instead of printing it) the changes are not made to the transactions.
Note: Transactions with "S - Save" in the Status field are treated slightly differently than transactions with "P - Print." When transactions with "S - Save" in the Status field are run on a final statement, the Status is changed to "s - Save/Update." When these transactions are updated, the Status field is changed back to "S - Save." Additionally, the date is incremented by one month (except for Type 4 transactions).
Note: Duplicate statements, email statements, and envelopes are not generated when draft statements are run. However, cover statements are generated.
Which Clients will have Statements Generated?
When statements are run, the options selected in the Generate Statements window as well as a client's previous balance, work-in-process, and client information settings determine if a statement will be processed.
- Generally, clients with a previous balance or work-in-process that is released for billing will have a statement processed.
- You can select to include clients with work-in-process, without work-in-process or both. Reminder statements can easily be printed that will not include current work-in-process.
- If the Release To Bill check box for a client is cleared, then the client will not have a statement printed regardless of whether the client has a previous balance or work-in-process. This check box must be selected in order to have a statement printed. Keep in mind that if the client's Bill On Demand check box is selected, the Release To Bill option will automatically be cleared when the Update Statements utility is run. This is done to prevent the client from automatically being billed the next time batch statements are printed. Clients with a status of Bill On Demand are usually billed by running single statements instead of being billed in batch. (Exception: Clients whose Bill On Demand check box is selected and Release To Bill check box is cleared will have a reminder statement generated.)
- If desired, you can also specify threshold billing options at the client level or when printing statements so that only clients with work that exceeds a specified amount will be billed.
- When generating email statements for clients, the statements are output to the Email Statements window when running final statements. However, if a client is configured for both email and mail statements, the statement is printed and sent to the Email Statements window. Draft statements are not sent to the Email Statements window.
Client Funds Note: Statements will also print for clients who have client funds activity or billable client funds. If the client has a client funds balance but no client funds activity or billable client funds, a statement will only print if the Include fund balance on statements for clients with only a fund balance option is selected in Tabs3 Customization.
Trust Integration Note: Clients with only a trust account balance or trust account activity will be included if the Generate statements that only have a trust balance or remittance request check box is selected in Customization.
Order of Information on Statements
The fee transactions typically print in date order on the statement. If there are multiple fee transactions for the same date, then the secondary sort order is by reference number (not timekeeper). However, if the statement template being used is configured to use a Fee Subtotal option, then the fee transactions are first sorted by the specified Fee Subtotal option.
Note: The Reorder Fees utility can be used to change the order in which fees are displayed on the statement.
The cost, payment, and client funds transactions print in date order on the statement (provided the statement template is not set up to subtotal costs by transaction code). If there are multiple cost transactions of the same type for the same date, then the secondary sort order is by reference number.
| See also: | Formatting the Statement |
| Pre-Bill Tracking | |
| Email Statements Overview | |
| Types of Client Billing Addresses | |
| Knowledge Base Article R11466 - Statement Printing Order | |
| Knowledge Base Article R11471 - Printing Tabs3 Statements on Specialty Paper |
) are registered trademarks of Software Technology, LLC.