Creating a Supplier Invoice/Vendor Invoice

In this article

• Using the Standard Method for Creating a Supplier Invoice
• Using the Quick-Entry Wizard for Creating a Supplier Invoice

Supplier invoices (also called vendor invoices) are the bills you receive from third parties that you are required to pay. 

There are two ways you can create a supplier invoice in Actionstep: the standard method and the quick-entry wizard method, which allows you create multiple invoices in quick succession. This article covers both. 

Using the Standard Method for Creating a Supplier Invoice

This workflow includes an in-depth 3-step process to gather the basic details of the invoice. 

To create a supplier invoice:

1. In Actionstep, click the global Create button and choose Purchase from the Accounting section. (You may need to click Show all to view the complete list of options.) The New Supplier Quote Step 1 window appears.
   NOTE:  Your system may use another term like Supplier Invoices, Payables, or Vendor. Choose the option that shows the term your firm has chosen. 
2. Choose Purchase Template or Supplier Invoice from the Purchase Type options.
3. Optionally, click the Template drop-down list and choose the template you want to use.
   NOTE: Templates allow you to pre-configure your supplier invoices—specifically, your default supplier, line items, and amounts you might use in an invoice. Templates can save you time you'd otherwise spend on data entry.
   
   You can easily create a template by completing the steps described below. When the invoice is created after Step 8, click the Convert To drop-down list along the bottom of the invoice and choose Purchase Template. 
4. Click Next. Step 2 of this process is shown.
5. Provide the following information:
   • Our Reference: This field shows an internal sequential reference number that Actionstep assigns to supplier invoices. If needed, you can manually enter a reference number, but you may experience issues if you enter a reference that is already being used by another supplier invoice. 
   • Supplier Invoice #: Enter the number of the invoice in this field. The invoice number is often displayed near the top of the invoice. Providing the invoice number enables you to search for the invoice using that reference.
   • Supplier Invoice Date: Enter the date the supplier issued the invoice. Recording this will help you understand when it is due.
6. Click Next. Step 3 of this process is shown. 
7. Provide the following information:
   • Supplier: Enter the name of the person or company who issued you the invoice and who must be paid. To search for the contact in Actionstep, enter the name. A list of all contacts matching the name will be shown. (Your results includes other information about the contact, like address, city, phone number and if the contact is an individual or company). To filter by other options, click Filter Results at the bottom of the search box.
     
     NOTE:  Actionstep expects a contact record for the supplier in the system. This field allows you to search for that contact. If the contact doesn't exist in your system, either click New Participant at the bottom of the search box or click the Create new participant icon next to the drop-down list.
     
   • Related Matter: Select a matter in your system that you want to associate with the supplier invoice. You can use this field to charge the supplier invoice to a client or record your costs against each matter. Reports like the Multi-Matter Profitability Report give you insight into your profitable matters if you record costs against them.
   • Currency: Choose the currency type for the supplier invoice and then enter the exchange rate for the currency type in the field next to it. (This field is only available if you have multi-currency enabled on your system.)
   • Shipping Address: If you order goods to be delivered on behalf of a client, provide the address that the goods should be shipped to.

8. Click Finish. The draft invoice is displayed so you can provide additional line-item details about the invoice. 

9. Click New Line Item. A row of options are added:

   • Enter the Order and Item Code.
   • Select the Expense Account.
   • Check that the correct tax rate is selected in the [Tax Type] column.
   • Enter a description in the Title column.
   • Adjust the quantity (QTY), if needed.
   • Enter a Unit Cost or Unit Sell.

10. Click Save and choose the specific type of save you want to complete.

Using the Quick-Entry Wizard Method for Creating a Supplier Invoice

If you need to create multiple supplier invoices in succession, you can use a quick entry wizard, which presents you with the basic information you will need for the invoice.

To create a supplier invoice using quick-entry method:

1. In Actionstep, go to Accounting > Supplier Invoices/Purchases/Payables/Vendor (or whatever term your firm uses to denote supplier invoices). 
2. Choose Supplier Invoice. The Supplier Invoice page appears.
3. Click Quick Entry Wizard. The Quick Entry Wizard window appears. 
4. You will likely only need to populate four of the above fields for each supplier invoice: Use template (if applicable), Supplier, Supplier Invoice #, and Supplier Invoice Date. However, the following provides information about all of the available fields: 
   • Use Template: Optionally, click the Template drop-down list and choose the template you want to use.
     NOTE:  Templates allow you to pre-configure your supplier invoices—specifically, your default supplier, line items, and amounts you might use in an invoice. Templates can save you time you'd otherwise spend on data entry.
   • Supplier: Enter the name of the person or company who issued you the invoice and who must be paid. To search for the contact in Actionstep, enter the name. A list of all contacts matching the name will be shown. (Your results include other information about the contact, like address, city, phone number and if the contact is an individual or company. To filter by other options, click Filter Results at the bottom of the search box.)
     
     NOTE:  Actionstep expects a contact record for the supplier in the system. This field allows you to search for that contact. If the contact doesn't exist in your system, either click New Participant at the bottom of the search box or click the Create new participant icon next to the drop-down list.
   • Shipping Address: If you order goods to be delivered on behalf of a client, provide the address the goods should be shipped to. 
   • Supplier Invoice #: Enter the  invoice number in this field. The invoice number is often displayed near the top of the invoice. Providing the invoice number enables you to search for the invoice using that reference.
   • Supplier Invoice Date: Enter the date the supplier issued the invoice. Recording this will help you understand when it is due.
   • Our Reference: This field shows an internal sequential reference number that Actionstep assigns to supplier invoices. If needed, you can manually enter a reference number, but you may experience issues if you enter a reference that is already being used by another supplier invoice.
   • Currency: Choose the currency type for the supplier invoice and then enter the Exchange rate for the currency type in the field next to it. (This field is only available if you have multi-currency enabled on your system.)
   • Matter: Select this checkbox if you need to add multiple line items to a single matter. Then select the matter from the drop-down list that appears. (Otherwise, you can specify your Matter(s) in the list down below.)
   • Amounts include [tax type]: This controls whether the amounts you enter in the line item section will be inclusive of sales or exclusive. This field will be displayed differently in different regions. In Australia and New Zealand, it's Amounts include GST. In the UK,  it's Amounts include VAT.
5. In the table, enter the following information about the item you are being billed for. You must enter at least one line item:
   • Matter: This column only appears if you have not linked the supplier invoice to a matter. If it appears, then you can choose a matter that will be linked to this line item's cost. If you want to bill the cost to a client, you must populate this column or have the whole invoice linked to a matter.
     
     For example, let's say you engage the services of a contractor to work on one matter. In this case, you will link the whole supplier invoice that the contract gives you to the matter. If you have documents couriered on a daily basis that are only charged per month by the courier company, then the supplier invoice from the courier company would not be linked to a single matter. For any couriers that you can link to specific matters, you would create a separate line item in the supplier invoice for each matter, so that you can break the courier costs down by the matter they are for.
     
     
   • Account: Select the general ledger account that you would like this item coded to. (This is an easy way to categorize what type of expense this item is for.)
   • Tax: Choose what sales tax rate will be applied to this line item. This field should show the default tax rate when you select the general ledger account from the Account field.
   • Bill: To bill this line item to your client, toggle this to on. Actionstep will automatically create a billable expense record for the appropriate matter. 
     NOTE:  To bill the cost of a supplier invoice to a client, the following parts of a line item must be specified:
     1. The Matter column (if the supplier invoice is not already linked to a matter).
     2. Bill is toggled to on.
     3. The UTBMS column (if your client requires UTBMS codes).
     4. A value set against the line item.
   • Exp Code (only available if billing using LEDES or UTBMS): Uniform Task-Based Management System (or UTBMS) is a process where the items you bill are categorized based on a fixed set of codes. This is a system required by some clients of law firms to help them understand the breakdown of what they are being billed for. In the supplier invoice line item, if you bill this line item onto your client, you can assign a UTMBS code to that billable item as you create it. 
   • Description: Enter the description of the line item.
   • Quantity: Enter how many items are in this line item. For example, you might have been charged for leasing five computers at $125 each. In that case, you would enter 5 in the Quantity column and 125 in the Unit Cost column, which calculates a total cost of $625. Or, you might have worked with a contractor to supply extra legal services. They complete 35 hours at $150 per hour. In that case, you would enter 35 in the Quantity column and enter 150 into the Unit Cost column, which calculates the total cost of $5,850.
   • Unit Cost: This is the cost of each item in the line item.
6. Optionally, click Add Line to add another item. 
7. Choose your Save option. If you have a number of supplier invoices to enter, click Save and Create New. The record will be saved and you can enter the next supplier invoice's details. The previous supplier invoice will be summarized at the bottom of the window. When you enter your last supplier invoice, click Save and Close.

To find and edit any supplier invoices you've created, go to Accounting > Supplier Invoices/Purchases/Payables/Vendor (or whatever term your firm uses to denote supplier invoices) > Supplier Invoice and click the name of the supplier. 

To associate a document with the invoice, click the paperclip icon at the end of the row for the invoice you want to document. Then, click in the Files to upload field and browse to and select the file. 

Related Articles:

• Creating a Supplier Invoice/Vendor Invoice
• Accessing Supplier or Vendor Invoices