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Trust / Client Matter Balances Report

Note: In the UK, trust accounts are called client accounts. Throughout this article, any reference to a trust account also means a client account.

 

Brief Description

The Matter Balances report provides insight into where trust funds are being held. It displays the amounts that are available to be used for each matter. The balances are calculated on the transaction date, regardless of whether the reconciliation is required to be by date entered.

 

Use Cases

This report is useful for showing the balance of all matters as at a certain date for matters that are reconciled against the general ledger.

 

Finding and Using the Report

  1. In Actionstep Practice Management, go to Reports > Trust Reports. (Your menu may show Reports > Trust Reports > Reports List.)
  2. In the General section, click Client Matter Balances. The report is displayed.

Then, refer to these articles for help generating and saving reports for future use:

 

Available Filters

  • Period Ending: Enter the end date for the period.
  • Trust / Client account: Choose 1-5 trust / client accounts you want included in the report.
  • Order by: Choose how you want to sort the data in the report: by Matter ID, Matter Name, Client, or Balance.

 

Report Output

Depending on the Order by filter you selected, the report provides an itemized list of balances. The table includes the following columns:

  • Matter / Matter Name / Matter Type: This shows the matter number, matter name, and matter type.
  • Client / Assigned To: Shows the client name and who the matter is assigned to.
  • [Trust / client account names]: If your report includes multiple trust / client accounts, this shows (for each account) the amount associated in that account for the matter (excluding controlled money accounts).
  • Total: Shows the total amount in trust / client for each matter across all trust / client accounts on that matter.
  • Totals (at bottom of report): Shows a summary of these various totals.

 

Additional Notes

The final section of the report displays the balances of each account listed in the report, and compares these balances with the corresponding balance in the general ledger. Additionally, if there is a statutory deposit account involved (such as a specific account required by law), its balance is also compared to the general ledger balance for trust / client accounts.

Any discrepancies between the balances in the report and the general ledger should be zero, meaning there should be no difference or variance between them. This ensures that the financial records are accurate and balanced.

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