Following along in MyCase is recommended as you read the article.
Table of Contents
Overview
Non-trust retainers or Credits are used when a firm receives funds in its operating account that have not been earned or billed for yet. In MyCase, these funds can be deposited as Credits, which can be used for record-keeping or to apply to future invoices.
Enable Non-Trust Retainers and Credit Accounts in Your Settings
Note: You must be an Admin on your account to enable this function.
Click the Settings button.
Click on Client Billing & Invoice Settings under Firm Settings.
Select Edit Preferences, then check the box to 'Enable' Non-Trust Retainers and Credit Accounts.
Once enabled, you will see a Deposit into Credit button on your Billing Dashboard.
Non-Trust Retainer Requests
In MyCase, you can request non-trust retainer funds online through the Client Portal. This feature is designed to be quick and easy for any billing user to request them.
Click the Request Funds icon on the Billing dashboard.
Your client will receive a customized email to pay their retainer.
After you create and send the Request for Funds to your client, they will receive the request in their email and can click the blue button to View Request.
When your client clicks the View Request button in their email and are also logged into their Client Portal, a new tab will open in their web browser.
They will be taken directly to a form to pay via credit card or eCheck.
If the client is enabled but not logged into their Client Portal when they click the View Request button in their email, a new tab will open in their web browser. They will be able to pay the request via credit card, or they can pay via eCheck if they click the Pay with eCheck hyperlink and log in to their Client Portal.
If your client has not enabled the Client Portal, clicking the email link will take them to a payment page where they may pay by credit card.
You can also send reminders on all outstanding Requests for Funds outside the Client Portal.
Receiving Payments from Non-Trust Credit
If your contact has available funds in their credit account, you can apply their credit funds to an invoice. You can also show the credit summary or full credit history on the invoice to show your client where their money was applied and how much they have left.
You can apply their non-trust retainer or credit to an already-created invoice.
Open the invoice by going to the Billing tab and selecting Invoices.
Click the Record Payment button.
Select From Credit Account.
Select your client's name from the Select User Account dropdown, which shows their available balance.
Type in the Amount you would like to apply to the invoice.
Click the Make Payment button.
Accessing Credit History
You can review a client’s credit history to see how much prepaid credit the client has available, what’s been used, and what remains. This helps them ensure accurate billing, answer payment-related questions, issue refunds when needed, and confirm that all transactions are recorded correctly.
To view a client's credit history:
Navigate to the client’s Contact Details.
Go to the Billing tab.
Select Credit History.
From there, you can see the client’s available credit balance and how much has been used. Click View to see details.
Making Deposits into Credit Account
You can record a retainer from a client that is held until it is earned.
Navigate to the client’s Contact Details.
Go to the Billing tab.
Select Credit History sub-tab.
Click Deposit into Credit.
Select Payment method, input the date, the amount of the deposit, and enter notes (optional).
Click Deposit funds.
Then, click Confirm Deposit.
You can view the deposit in the Credit History on the client details page and via the main Transactions tab.
Making Withdrawals from Credit Account
You can transfer funds from the client's credit account to the firm's operating account after the firm has earned the money.
Navigate to the client’s Contact Details.
Go to the Billing tab.
Select Credit History sub-tab.
Click Withdraw from Credit.
Select the Credit Account for withdrawal.
Select the date, if different from the default.
Enter the Amount.
Add Notes (optional).
Click Withdraw.
You can view the withdrawal in the Credit History on the client details page and via the main Transactions tab.
Refunding from Credit Account
When a client has a remaining balance in their credit account that needs to be returned to them, you can issue as a refund.
Navigate to the client’s Contact Details.
Go to the Billing tab.
Select Credit History sub-tab.
Click View next to the remaining deposit(s) you want to refund.
Click Refund.
Enter the Refund Amount, Refund Date, Notes (optional).
Click Refund.
Please Note:
