Table of Contents
Overview
MyCase allows you to earmark and track trust funds for each client's case. This is particularly useful if a single client has multiple cases, each with its own dedicated trust funds and minimum balances.
How do I earmark a set of funds for a particular case?
There are two ways in which you can earmark funds for a case. The first of which is upon initial deposit of trust funds:
Navigate to the Billing Tab > Deposit into Trust modal. From this modal (below), you will be asked to select the relevant contact and bank account information. You will also be given a new option to "Allocate Funds" to the desired case. Leaving this option blank or selecting "Unallocated" will simply leave the funds earmarked for the client, not an individual case. Unallocated funds can be used toward any of the client's cases.
You may also earmark funds for a case retroactively, after the initial deposit has been made. Navigate to the relevant client's file in MyCase and select Billing > Trust Allocations Tab:
This view will display all of the cases tied to the client, as well as the trust balances allocated to each case. Simply click on the dollar amount next to the case to which you want to allocate funds. This will bring you to the following modal where you can earmark the necessary amount (note: if multiple trust bank accounts are tied to this client, you will be able to allocate funds from all accounts in this modal).
How Do I Move Trust Funds From One Case to Another?
If a client has trust funds allocated to one case but the money is actually needed on a different matter, you cannot transfer the balance directly between the two case allocations. Instead, the funds must first be returned to Unallocated, then allocated to the case that needs them. This section walks through that process, as well as the separate steps required when moving funds between two different clients.
Moving Funds Between Two Cases for the Same Client
This is a two-step process performed from the client’s Trust Allocations tab.
Step 1: Return the funds to Unallocated
Navigate to the client’s file and select Billing > Trust Allocations.
Locate the case the funds are currently allocated to and click the dollar amount next to it.
In the allocation window that appears, reduce the allocated amount to move the desired sum back to Unallocated.
Save your changes.
Step 2: Allocate the funds to the new case
From the same Trust Allocations view, locate the case you want to move the funds to and click the dollar amount next to it.
Enter the amount you’d like to earmark for this case.
Save your changes.
Moving Funds Between Two Different Clients
Reallocation within Trust Allocations only works within a single client’s own cases. To move trust funds from one client to an entirely different client, use a withdrawal and a deposit instead:
Open the source client’s file and go to Billing > Trust History.
Click Withdraw from Trust and enter the amount being moved. Include a note describing where the funds are going, for your own records.
Open the destination client’s file and go to Billing > Deposit into Trust.
Record an offline deposit for the same amount, and allocate it to the appropriate case if applicable.
Note: This method is inherently an offline, manual process in MyCase — it does not move funds at your bank. If the two clients’ funds are held in the same physical trust account, no bank transfer is needed; if they are held in different bank accounts, you will also need to move the funds at the bank to keep your records and actual balances in sync.
What Happens to Trust Funds When a Case Is Closed?
Trust funds allocated to a case remain visible on the client’s Trust Allocations page even after that case is closed — the balance is not deleted or hidden. However, MyCase restricts what you can do with those funds while the case is closed, which can be confusing if you aren’t expecting it.
What You Can’t Do While a Case Is Closed
Funds allocated to a closed case will not appear as a selectable option when you try to:
Click Withdraw from Trust from the client’s Trust History tab
Click Record Payment > From Trust Account on an invoice, even if that invoice belongs to the closed case
This is easy to miss because the balance still displays correctly on the Trust Allocations page — it simply won’t populate in either dropdown described above until the case is reopened.
How to Access Funds Allocated to a Closed Case
Navigate to the case and reopen it.
Complete the trust action you need — withdraw the funds, or apply them to an invoice from the client’s trust account.
If the case should remain closed going forward, close it again once the trust action is complete.
Best Practice Before Closing a Case
To avoid this extra step, review the client’s Trust Allocations page before closing a case with a remaining balance. Consider one of the following while the case is still open:
Reallocate the remaining balance to Unallocated or to another open case, or
Withdraw the balance and refund it to the client if the matter is fully resolved.
How do minimum trust balance notifications work after I have allocated trust funds to a case?
After you have allocated funds to a client's case(s), you will need to designate the minimum amount by going to the client's file and selecting Billing > Trust Allocations and then clicking the pencil icon under Minimum Trust Balance. From here, you can designate the minimum trust balance required for each case.
NOTE: If you have not allocated any funds to a particular client's case, you may continue to use their client-level minimum trust balance. However, if you have allocated funds to one or more of their cases, you must establish case-level minimum trust balances in order to be notified of low balances.
How do I keep track of a client's trust account transactions?
To view a historical record of trust account transactions for a particular client, navigate to their file in MyCase and select Billing > Trust History. From this view, you can view all trust account transactions as well as filter the history by individual case and/or bank account.
How will tracking trust by case impact my QuickBooks sync?
Allocating trust funds to a case will not have any impact on your QuickBooks sync. These allocations are simply earmarking funds for a particular matter. We will not denote these allocations in your sync to QuickBooks.