Note: General retainers are typically supported for U.S. firms only.

Many firms require the ability to receive client funds prior to starting work (in the operating account in addition to the trust account). When you receive client payments, you can allocate them to be saved in the general retainer.

Before you begin:

• General retainers must be enabled in your system. See Setting Up General Retainers to learn more.

To do this:

1. In Actionstep Practice Management, click the global Create button and choose Client Receipt from the Billing section. (You may need to click Show all to view this option.) The New Client Receipt window appears.
2. Enter the receipt Amount. If the general retainer option has been enabled, you will see a blue box appear at the bottom of the window, which will allow you to deposit the funds in the retainer. 
   
3. Review the remaining fields on the form. (See Processing Client Payments for help with individual fields.)
4. If the matter has one or more invoices that require payment, you may choose to enter the Pay amount for each invoice and that value will be deducted from the general retainer payment. 
   
5. Click Save to save the client receipt. Any amounts allocated to the general retainer can now be viewed by clicking the General retainer link in the left-side menu.
   

Additional Resources:

• Setting Up General Retainers
• Paying Bills Using General Retainer Funds
• Transferring Funds Between General Retainers
• Refunding a General Retainer
• Replenishing a General Retainer

Updated June 01, 2026 16:59