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Start with a vendor bill, then follow a resolution through the handoff to Accounting. Use your workspace’s demo case and vendor for the fictional examples below.

1. Open the correct case

Open the case, confirm the client and Case-owning firm, then select Accounting in the case navigation. “Case” and “matter” mean the same thing in these guides. There are two places to work: If the case or Accounting section is missing, ask your administrator to check your role and case access.

2. Record one vendor bill

Example: a records vendor has billed the demo case $125 for medical-record copies, dated November 2, 2026, reference TRAINING-125-01. The vendor has not been paid. An expense records the individual case cost. A vendor invoice groups the charges on the vendor’s bill. In this example, the invoice links to the same expense—you enter the cost once.
  1. In the case’s Accounting → Case Expenses → All Expenses, look for the vendor, amount, and reference. Open the existing expense if it is already there.
  2. Otherwise, select Add Expense. Choose the demo vendor, Record Request, 125.00, and November 2, 2026. Enter Demo medical-records copy fee and put TRAINING-125-01 in Invoice #. Enter the due date if the bill provides one.
  3. Leave it unpaid. If funding is undecided, leave it undecided for Accounting to resolve.
  4. Select Add Case Expense, then reopen the expense and compare it with the bill.
Add Case Expense dialog showing Vendor / Payee, Expense Type, Amount, Date Charged, Description, and the Add Case Expense button.

Find Vendor / Payee and Expense Details in Add Case Expense. This is a layout example; use the $125 Record Request values above, not the defaults pictured.

Entering Invoice # creates the linked vendor invoice when you save the new expense. If a matching invoice is found, inspect it and choose Use Existing Invoice when it is the same bill. Open Finances → Accounting → Payables, find TRAINING-125-01, and verify its linked expense. This unpaid entry creates the invoice as Sent; that status does not mean you emailed the vendor or paid the bill. A review automation may subsequently change its status. What you should see: one $125 expense and one invoice linked to it. You do not need Create Invoice again. If you saved an expense without an invoice number, use the separate invoice steps. If a save fails or the browser closes, search for the original reference before entering it again.

3. Hand the invoice to its reviewer

With an enabled invoice-review automation, creating a matching invoice sends it to the designated reviewer. That person opens Approvals, checks the source bill, and records the decision. You can finish your entry without approving it yourself. What you should see next: approval can stage the invoice as To Be Paid. That means it is ready for the payment process; the vendor has not necessarily been paid. Accounting resolves undecided funding and records payment separately. If the reviewer cannot find a request, give the automation administrator the invoice ID, office, and creation time. They can check missing approvals. Creating another invoice is not a retry.

4. Prepare resolution terms

A resolution records the settlement or recurring-payment agreement. A check records money actually received under it.
  1. Open the case’s Accounting → Resolutions → Add Resolution.
  2. Choose the resolution type and enter the amount, dates, payor, and fee/referral terms from the approved agreement.
  3. Save the draft and reopen it to compare the terms. If you have accounting permissions and see Initial status, choose Draft for this handoff exercise.
For a worked fictional example, use Record a resolution and its first receipt.
Add Resolution form with Settlement, Recurring, and Back Fees choices; amount, date, payor, and fee fields; and a message explaining the Accounting handoff.

Legal staff enter the terms here. The message beneath the fee calculation explains that Accounting selects the deposit account and activates the draft. These amounts illustrate the form, not your firm's fee policy.

Your part is complete when the saved terms match the agreement and the reviewer/accounting owner has the case and resolution reference. Financial review records the review decision. Accounting separately selects the deposit account and activates the resolution. Neither action records a receipt or pays anyone.

5. Check the incoming payment and allocation

If you log receipts, follow the incoming receipt steps. Otherwise, pass the receipt evidence to Accounting. On the saved check, compare Date Received with when the firm received it and Deposit Date with the actual deposit. For recurring payments, Period Start and Period End describe the period the payment covers. An allocation assigns part of the receipt to a purpose or recipient. In this fictional example, $1,000 is split between a $125 expense and $875 client recovery:
Allocate Check Funds: Check Amount 1000 dollars, Total Allocated 1000 dollars, Remaining zero, with 875 dollars Client Recovery and 125 dollars Case Expense.

Check Amount and Total Allocated both equal $1,000, and Remaining is $0. This confirms the whole receipt is assigned. It does not confirm the recipients have been paid.

What happens next: Accounting tracks each recipient’s payment on the related disbursement. Deposited, fully allocated, and paid describe different steps.

6. Find the record again using its ID

Open the expense and find Record IDs & QuickBooks. Copy the full Expense ID when asking about that cost. For a receipt, open the check for editing and copy its stored Check ID. An expense can exist in Presolve without a QuickBooks link. Ask Accounting to check its export result; do not record another payment to get a link. See IDs and QuickBooks reference sync.

Finish the handoff

Use your firm’s usual task or message to give the next owner the case and office, record ID/reference, current status, and action needed. For example: “The demo vendor’s $125 bill is entered and linked to its invoice. It is Sent and unpaid; please review it.” Include any error or missing information. Once you can find and verify each original record, use bulk logging and review for multiple cases. The same checks apply to each row.