Did you know that you can split fees and costs between multiple matters in Tabs3 Billing? Split Billing provides the ability to enter fees and costs once, but split the charges between multiple matters. You must first determine which client you will be entering fees and costs for; this is your “main client.” Next, determine which clients/matters will be splitting the bill, and for what percentage each party will be responsible.
To configure clients for split billing
- From the File menu, point to Open and select Client.
- From the Split Billing tab, in the Client ID field, select the desired main client.
- Click the Add button to open the Split Billing Matter window.
- Select the desired Split Matter ID.
- Enter the desired Split Billing Percentages for the split matter.
- Enter the desired Statement Options settings for the split matter.
- Click OK.
- Repeat step 3 for each additional split matter. (Note: This may include the main client.)
- Select the desired Split Fee Options and Split Cost Options.
- Press Ctrl+S.
Fees and costs may be entered before and/or after configuring split billing, but keep in mind that when it comes time to perform the split, only those fees and costs entered for the main client will be split amongst all parties.
When you are ready, you can Perform Split Billing (Statements | Statement Preparation | Perform Split Billing). Transactions that have already been split cannot be split again so this can be run as often as needed. Perform Split Billing should be run prior to generating statements every time in order to make sure that all transactions are billed appropriately.
If, after performing the split, you need to change the way in which transactions should be split, simply Undo Split Billing (Maintenance | Transaction Related | Undo Split Billing). This will revert all split transactions for the selected Main Client ID and Split Billing Ref # that are still work-in-process to their pre-split values. This provides a way to make adjustments as needed.
If you have even one client who splits amounts due with other matters, and you’ve been splitting the fees and costs manually, make your billing easier by using the Split Billing feature in Tabs3.
For more information on split billing features, see Knowledge Base Article R11616, “All About Tabs3 Split Billing,” the Billing Adjustments Guide, and the Split Billing Training Video.
It is important to have a good backup of your data. To ensure that the data from your backup routine is good, you should periodically test your backup system. We recommend that you schedule and perform the testing of your third-party backup procedure periodically throughout the year.
Knowledge Base Article R10456, “Testing Your Backup System,” provides information on different ways to test your backup, including step-by-step instructions to test restoring both a single file and an entire directory, and how to compare restored files using the FC command.
Do you want to be able to back up data throughout the day, helping to ensure you always have a viable backup that requires less reentry of data? HotBackup, a Platinum feature, provides the ability to back up data while users are working! HotBackups can be scheduled, or can be run on demand.
Our Knowledge Base can be accessed at support.Tabs3.com. You can also access our Knowledge Base while in the software by selecting Help | Internet Resources | Knowledge Base.
Did you know that the Tabs3 Billing software comes with a one-user “Try Before You Buy” basic license of PracticeMaster that is free to use? If you don’t already use PracticeMaster, this basic license provides the ability to try out PracticeMaster and see how much practice management software will benefit your firm. Think you don’t need dedicated practice management software? If you’re relying on programs not designed for law firms, you’re missing out.
The Try Before You Buy basic license includes:
- Seamless integration with Tabs3 Billing clients.
- A PracticeMaster Matter Manager that lets you quickly see client information at a glance – check out related contacts, calendar entries, a billing summary, emails, and more. PracticeMaster allows you to link clients and contacts to any file, making it easier for everyone to find the information they need.
- A firm-wide calendar that ensures everyone in the firm can see upcoming meetings and client appointments. Additionally, you can integrate calendar records and contacts with Outlook, ensuring that everyone in the firm has access to contacts and matter information saved by anyone in the firm.
- Integration with third-party programs such as Microsoft® Outlook®, Word, Excel®, PowerPoint®, Adobe® Reader or Acrobat®, ScanSnap™, WordPerfect®, and more. Integration with these programs provides the ability to save your client and matter related documents to PracticeMaster’s document management program, journal emails to PracticeMaster, create fees, save research, and more.
- A Conflict of Interest Search used to quickly find information in the Client, Contact, Journal, Calendar, Document Management, Fee, and/or Cost files. Conflict of Interest searches help ensure that ethical walls in a firm are maintained.
- Timers to track your time on different projects and matters and make sure you’re billing for the work you perform.
- Customization. Add, edit, delete, and rearrange fields in any file. Want to see information in a different order, or only see certain fields? Use filters and QuickViews to show only the records that are pertinent to what you’re working on, in the order you want to see them.
Give PracticeMaster a chance to change the way your law firm runs by saving time and money using the free one-user “Try Before You Buy” basic license. You’ve got nothing to lose.
For more information about PracticeMaster features included in the “Try Before You Buy” license, also known as PracticeMaster Basic, see Knowledge Base Article R11548, “PracticeMaster Feature Comparison.” If you have any questions regarding PracticeMaster features, contact your local consultant, or contact Technical Support at (402) 419-2210.
When it comes to tracking your matters, accounts receivable, work-in-process, and funds balances at a glance as well as providing quick access to individual entries for fees, costs, payments and more, the Tabs3 Billing Matter Manager can be used to organize your matters all from one place.
See how Tabs3 Billing’s powerful Matter Manager can save you time by making it easy to maintain your clients’ matters.
Watch this three-minute video here:
Training Videos can be accessed at Tabs3.com/videos. You can also access the videos while in the software by selecting Help | Training Videos.
Did you know that there are several keyboard shortcuts you can use to quickly adjust the date in any Date field?
- To quickly set the date to the current system date, press T (Today) or D (Date).
- To open the QuickDate Calculator, which can be used to calculate a past or future date, press Q (QuickDate) or M (Date Math).
- To change the value of the Date field to mm/dd/yyyy, press C (Clear).
- To increase or decrease the month, press PgUp/Page Up or PgDn/Page Down, respectively.
- To increase the day, press one of the following:
- Up-Arrow
- >
- . (period)
- To decrease the day, press one of the following:
- Down-Arrow
- <
- , (comma)
Additionally, if either no portion of the date is highlighted or the entire date is highlighted, pressing + (plus) or – (minus) will increase or decrease the day, respectively. However, keep in mind that if any segment of the date is highlighted, pressing + or – will increase or decrease that segment.
