Credit Card Set Up with PPI

You can accept credit cards so that your clients can pay their bills using American Express, Visa, Master Card, or Discover cards.

Applying to PPI for a Credit Card Payment Account

Before using the credit card payment feature, you must fill out an application with Payment Processing Inc. (PPI).

To acquire the application form, contact PPI at 800-513-2579. When your application is approved, PPI will send you an information package that will help you get your account set up.

Note: AbacusLaw by CARET can only handle one credit card account with PPI.

Setting Up Credit Card Payment in Accounting Manager

Before you start this procedure, ensure that you received a “token” from PPI during account setup. A token is a long string of numbers and characters that are used to identify your firm when the credit card payment is processed.

1. In Abacus Accounting, select File > Setup > Company Preferences.
   
    
   
   
2. The Abacus Accounting Company Preferences window appears. Select the Credit Card Setup tab.
3. Holding Ctrl, click the drop-down menu, select Legacy PPI PayMover.
4. Check each type of credit card your firm accepts.
5. Select the Operating Deposit Account.
6. Enter the token provided by PPI. The token must be exact to be accepted
7. Click Done.
   
   

Configuring Matters for Credit Card Payment

After the credit card payment feature has been configured for your company in Accounting Manager, you are ready to set up matters so that any related bills can be paid for using a credit card.

1. Select Matters > Matters.
   
   
   
   
2. The Matters Browse window appears.
3. Highlight the matter and click Open.
   
   
   
   
4. The Matter Maintenance – Modifying existing Matter window appears.
5. Select the CC Info tab.
   
   
6. Check Charge credit card for bill payments.
7. Select the card.
8. Do any of the following:
9. To add a credit card to the matter:
   
   • Click Add. The Account Type window appears. Complete the information for the credit card and click Save. The program will try to authorize a one dollar hold on the card to verify that it is valid and to verify the address. If the authorization fails, the card can still be used, but you may experience problems when charging to it. Once saved, the first credit card entered will be the primary card
10. To delete a credit card for the matter:
    • Highlight the card and click Delete.
11. Making a credit card primary or secondary:
    • The primary credit card will be the first credit card charged for a bill. The secondary credit card is used if the authorization for the primary card fails. To define a credit card as the primary card, highlight the card and click Make Primary. To define a credit card as the secondary card, highlight the card and click Make Secondary.
      
12. Click Done for the Matter Maintenance – Modifying existing Matter window to save your changes for the matter.
    
    

Billing with the Credit Card Payment Feature

When the client is paying by credit card, bill the client as usual, but when you post a bill to a matter set up to paid for by credit card, Abacus Accounting will automatically create a payment and post it to the Enter Client Payments window (Billing > Payments Received).

Posting Client Payments with the Credit Card Payment Feature

Note that before posting the client payment, you can print a receipt to send to your client to show the payment. The designated credit card will be charged and the payment will be directed to your bank. Both the operating account and the matter billing activity ledger will reflect the new payment.

Post all client payments with credit card together. Furthermore, post all payments made with the same types of credit cards together. Posting client payments made by credit card together will help with bank reconciliation later.

Billing Format Codes for the Credit Card payment Feature

On the billing format code for bills paid with credit cards, you might want to include a note that the bill will be paid by credit card.