Refunding Clients in Abacus Accounting

Use this procedure when refunding money to a client from the operating account. When refunding money to a client from a trust account, use the Trust Demand Check Writer.

Refunding a client deletes the client payment transaction from Matter Billing Activity and restores the client invoice amount.

NOTE: When client payments are returned for insufficient funds, handle them as a bounced check.

1. Select Billing > Refund to Client.
   
   
2. The Enter Client Refunds window opens. Click Add.
   
   
   
3. The Enter Client Refunds - Add window opens with the General Info tab selected.
   
   
   
   • Enter or select the matter number.
   • For Payee, select the payee (whom to pay) as necessary. If you are refunding money from the operating account to the trust account, then the payee will be the firm.
   • In Refund Amount, enter the total amount to refund.
   • Check Write Off the Refund in Matter Billing Activity if you want the refunded amount written off.
   • Enter a description.
     
     
4. Select the Breakout tab and enter the distribution of the refund amount. To automatically calculate the Taxes field amount, check Populate Tax based on Tax Jurisdiction of the matter.
   
   
   
5. Select the Fee Distribution tab. If you refunded fees on the Breakout tab, select the Fee Distribution tab and enter the refund amount for the timekeeper.
   
   
   
6. Click Done to save your changes.
   
   
7. Back in the Enter Client Refunds window, change Refund Date to the date that the refund check will be issued from the bank account. Then, highlight the client refund and click Post. Click Done to close the window.
   
   
   
8. The refund will be listed on the Print AP Checks window. Print the refund check just as you would a payable. When printing the payable check, you can select an electronic transfer, or you can actually print the check.