Creating a Disbursement Template (Admin)

Modified on Wed, 12 Feb at 2:27 PM

In this article:



Using disbursement templates, you can create a pre-defined set of disbursements which you can then use when creating actual disbursements in your system. If you're frequently creating the same types of disbursements, being able to apply a template that already includes the information you want to enter can save you time and reduce the chance for errors. 


NOTE:  Disbursements are created using the timesheet or they can be added specifically to the matter. (See Entering Disbursements for instructions.) These disbursements are sometimes referred to as soft disbursements. This is not the same functionality as creating a disbursement (purchase recharge) from an expense charged on a supplier Invoice.




Creating the Template


To create an expense / disbursement template:

  1. In Actionstep, go to Admin > Billing. The Billing page appears.
  2. Find the Disbursement templates section. (It may be called Expense templates in your system.)
  3. Click Create new template. The New Disbursement Template window appears.
  4. Provide the following information:
    • Description: Enter a description of the disbursement. (This text will appear on the invoice.)
    • Unit of Measure: Click the drop-down list to choose unit of measure: Each or Hour.
    • Sort Order: Enter a number so you can arrange your disbursements in order of most used. For example, if you enter a higher number, this template will be sorted lower in your list (meaning it is less used.)
      NOTE:  Consider entering numbers in groups of ten so you can fit disbursements you create later in between. For example, if one template's sort number is set to 10 and another is set to 20, when you create a third template and you want it sorted before third position, you would want to add a sort number between 11-19. 
    • Amount per Unit: Enter the cost of the disbursement and optionally select Is this amount inclusive of Tax if you want taxes applied to the amount. (The tax amount used will depend on the option chosen in Tax Code.)
    • Default Quantity: Enter a quantity. (Normally for a template, this would be 1. But, for example, let's say you typically complete 6 property searches. You could enter 6 and add them at once rather than six times.)
    • UTBMS Expense Code: Optionally, if you use UTBMS, enter the code associated with the expense.
    • Account Code: Enter the GL account this charge will post to when charged to the client.
      NOTE:  In some cases, you may choose for this to be a clearing account to offset the cost. It does not need to be an income account unless you are using Xero.
    • Tax Code: Enter the tax code applicable to the disbursement.
      NOTE:  If you are using Xero, Xero requires that the tax code maps correctly to the defined account code in Xero so if you are charging tax, the income account must be a tax applicable account in Xero
  5. Click Save to save your changes when you're finished.


Now, when you create a disbursement, you can choose this template and have the details for the disbursement automatically entered:


TIP:  You could use a disbursement template if you charge a percentage for something. For example, you might charge an administration fee that is 3% of your professional fees. You can create a disbursement template called Admin Fee for the quantity of 1 and charge 0.03. When you enter the disbursement against the matter you can enter the professional fee into the quantity. For example, let's say you've charged a $1,000 professional fee. If you enter 1,000 for the quantity, the system will then calculate 1000 x 0.03 = $30, which is your admin fee. 




Editing or Deleting an Existing Disbursement Template 

You can edit and delete existing disbursement templates. 


To do this:

  1. In Actionstep, go to Admin > Billing. The Bill page appears.
  2. In the Disbursement templates section, find the template you want to work with and click its link. The Edit Disbursement Template window appears.
  3. Perform the task you need: 
    • To edit the template, make your required changes and click Save to save them.
    • To remove the template, click Delete and then provide the reason and confirm the deletion. 





 

Was this article helpful?

That’s Great!

Thank you for your feedback

Sorry! We couldn't be helpful

Thank you for your feedback

Let us know how can we improve this article!

Select at least one of the reasons
CAPTCHA verification is required.

Feedback sent

We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article