Invoicing Main and Sub-Matters

Invoices to be created from matters can be previewed in the Billable Matters folder. The views in the Billable Matters folder group billable matters by their main matter to make it easier to get an overview of how much is going to be invoiced through the main matter. The matters that aren’t main or sub-matters as well as sub-matters that are invoiced through the sub-matter are listed first in the view. When previewing an invoice for a main matter, the preview lists also all transactions of its sub-matters to be invoiced through the main matter but the preview does not list them by matter.

When a preliminary invoice is created from the main matter, the software creates sub preliminary invoices also for all its sub-matters to be invoiced through the main matter. For such sub-matters, preliminary invoices or invoices cannot be created individually without changing their invoicing to take place sub-matter based. Each of these sub preliminary invoices contains both transactions and expenses of sub-matter in question. The payer information for sub preliminary invoices is inherited from the main matter.
 

Creating Preliminary Invoices in the Main and Sub-Matter Structure

Preliminary invoices for matters that are a part of a main and sub-matter structure are created the same way as for normal matters. Sub-matters that are invoiced through the sub-matter are handled as normal matters and you can create a preliminary invoice as a periodical invoice, to a selected date, from selected phases and from selected transactions in the Transactions folder.

When you create a preliminary invoice for a main matter having sub-matters to be invoiced through the main matter, you can create a preliminary invoice normally as a periodical invoice, to a selected date and from selected phases.

When the main matter has sub-matters that are invoiced through the main matter, it’s also possible to create a preliminary invoice from selected transactions in the Transactions folder. However, since you can select to the preliminary invoice transactions both from the main matter and sub-matters, please note the exceptions in the different scenarios below.

To see all open transactions on the main and sub-matters that are invoiced though the main matter, select the ‘Open Transactions by Matter’ view in the Transactions folder.

1. If a preliminary invoice is created from the selected transactions of the main matter and of one or multiple sub-matters, the Sub Preliminary Invoices folder in the main preliminary invoice window contains all preliminary invoices by sub-matter. 
2. If a preliminary invoice is created only from the selected transactions of one or multiple sub-matters, a zero-priced main preliminary invoice is created for the main matter and the sub preliminary invoices are added under it. The zero-priced main preliminary invoice automatically gets the status ‘Reviewed’.
3. If a preliminary invoice is created from the selected transactions of the main matter and there is an existing zero-priced main preliminary invoice, the software gives an error message and informs the user about an unapproved preliminary invoice having the status ‘Reviewed’ or ‘Uplift/downlift’.
4. If there already is an open main preliminary invoice with sub preliminary invoices and a user tries and create a new preliminary invoice, one of the following options needs to be selected:
5. The new preliminary invoice is added to the existing preliminary invoice
6. The existing preliminary invoice is rejected and a new one created from the selected transactions
7. The creation of the new preliminary invoice is cancelled
8. If a preliminary invoice has first been created from the selected transactions of the main matter and of one or multiple - but not all - sub-matters, and the user then creates a new preliminary invoice from the selected sub-matter transactions, the software displays an error message. The user is informed about the need to invoice or reject existing preliminary invoices as the open preliminary invoices on the main or sub-matter prevent creating new preliminary invoices. This error message is also displayed when creating a new preliminary invoice in the situation where the status of any sub preliminary invoices is 'Approved' but the main preliminary invoice still has the status 'Open'.

When a preliminary invoice is created from the selected transactions, it is possible to add uninvoiced expenses to it. In the main / sub-matter structure, when uninvoiced expenses are selected to be added to the preliminary invoice, the software only adds uninvoiced expenses from the matters from where the transactions are selected.

NOTE! When you create a preliminary invoice from the selected transactions in the main / sub-matter structure and decide not to select any transactions from a specific matter, the expenses on this matter won’t be included in the preliminary invoices either.

Editing Main and Sub Preliminary Invoices

The different editing functions in the main/sub preliminary invoice structure work as follows:

• "Get New Transactions and Expenses" fetches new entries from the matter related to the preliminary invoice in question. E.g. if you select this function on a sub preliminary invoice, only transactions and expenses from the sub-matter will be imported to the preliminary invoice.
• "Print Order" in the main preliminary invoice also lists invoice rows of its sub preliminary invoices. In sub preliminary invoices, the function is disabled.
• Price adjustments need to be made separately for each preliminary invoice of the main and sub matters.
  • Changing payers or adding new payers to main or sub preliminary invoices is not allowed. The sub preliminary invoices will always inherit the payer from the main preliminary invoice.
  • For sub preliminary invoices, defining or changing payer shares, discounts and advances is also prohibited. However, until any of the sub preliminary invoices has been approved, it is possible to change payer shares or discounts of the main preliminary invoice, and the changes will also be updated to the sub preliminary invoices. The selection whether to use advance or not for the payer, is also allowed on the main preliminary invoice only.

NOTE! There is a special case in the main/sub preliminary invoice structure. When there is a fixed euro-based discount and, in the preliminary invoice, a change affects the total price, the discount needs to be reset and all approved sub preliminary invoices restored either as reviewed or open. This may occur e.g. when a transaction’s total price or its Fixed Price selection is changed, a price adjustment is made for the main or sub preliminary invoice or a sub preliminary invoice is rejected.
 

Preliminary Invoice Review Process With Main and Sub Preliminary Invoices

When the review process of preliminary invoices is in use, also the sub preliminary invoices need to be reviewed separately. If there is a review process set on the business unit level, where the matter owner reviews the preliminary invoices, and different users are set as owners on the main and sub-matters, the main preliminary invoice and sub preliminary invoices are reviewed by different users. Therefore, the main preliminary invoice can be marked as reviewed before the sub preliminary invoices have been reviewed.

The sub preliminary invoices are reviewed as normal preliminary invoices. If reminders have been activated for new preliminary invoices to review, users will receive the reminders of new sub preliminary invoices to be reviewed as well.

If a preliminary invoice reviewer also wants to review the main preliminary invoice, a direct link to it is found in the General tab of the sub preliminary invoice:

If the Sub Preliminary Invoices folder is visible in the preliminary invoice window, the preliminary invoice is a main preliminary invoice for a main matter that has sub-matters to be invoiced through it.

When the sub preliminary invoices have been marked as reviewed, they can be approved.  Once all sub preliminary invoices are approved the main preliminary invoice can also be approved. NOTE! To be able to approve the main preliminary invoice, all its sub-preliminary invoices need to be either approved or rejected.

Approving Preliminary Invoices Without the Preliminary Invoice Review Process

The main preliminary invoice and its sub preliminary invoices are all verified and approved separately. The main preliminary invoice cannot be approved until all its sub preliminary invoices have either been approved or rejected. To speed up the process, you can manage the following things in the main preliminary invoice’s window:

• Review the transactions and expenses of the sub-preliminary invoices in the Sub Preliminary Invoices folder
  • Make changes to transactions and expenses of the sub preliminary invoices in the Expenses and Transactions folders by selecting the views “All transactions by matter” and “All expenses by matter”
  • Select multiple sub preliminary invoices at once, and mark them as approved

When the review process of preliminary invoices is not in use, the ‘Mark as Reviewed’ button is not enabled for a preliminary invoice. However, marking the preliminary invoice’s transactions and expenses as reviewed changes also the preliminary invoice status to ‘Reviewed’. By using this function in the main preliminary invoice folders, you can mark the transactions/expenses on the sub preliminary invoices as reviewed to keep track of which registrations and preliminary invoices you’ve already checked.

After approving the main preliminary invoice, the status of its sub preliminary invoices can no longer be changed. If a sub preliminary invoice needs to be edited, the main preliminary invoice must first be restored as reviewed after which the same ‘Restore as Reviewed’ is enabled also for the sub preliminary invoices.

Creating Invoices from Main Preliminary Invoices

Creating an invoice from a main preliminary invoice is only possible when all the transactions and expenses on its sub-preliminary invoices will be included on the actual invoice.

Once an invoice from the main preliminary invoice has been created, the status of its sub preliminary invoices will be ‘Invoiced’. Cancelling of the invoice changes the status of both the main preliminary and sub preliminary invoices accordingly.

When the main matter has sub-matters which are to be invoiced through the main matter, price adjustment and the change of payer share are disabled when an invoice is created directly from the main matter, without creating a preliminary invoice first.

For sub matters and sub preliminary invoices to be invoiced through the main matter, the parameters determining the general expense are fetched from the main matter or the main preliminary invoice. The general expense can be set for a preliminary invoice, the matter of the preliminary invoice, the principal, the invoicing business unit, the business unit of the user processing the preliminary invoice or the main business unit.

The invoice created from the main matter enables selecting a specification page by matter. When the “Specification by matter” is selected in the Invoice Printing Parameters window, the specification page prints transactions by matter and expenses under the main matter.

You can select this ”Specification by matter” parameter in a main/sub-matter structure

• When previewing a preliminary invoice of the main matter or previewing / printing the main matter’s invoice as a PDF or as an email attachment
• When previewing or printing the payment demand which concerns the main matter’s invoice
• When printing a PDF file to be attached to an e-invoice sent to Maventa. 

The "Specification by Matter” can be set as default in the business unit, customer, or matter parameters. 
 

Managing Subscriptions in the Main/Sub-Matter Structure

The main/sub-matter structure enables the use of subscriptions, which create matter-related fixed subscription fees to be invoiced from the customer.

In the main/sub-matter structure, the subscription can only be selected from the matter to be invoiced. Thus, it is not possible to create a subscription for a sub-matter that is invoiced through the main matter, but the main matter’s subscription can be selected as the default subscription of the sub-matter, so that the information is updated for its transactions. First create the subscription for the main matter, open the sub-matter and, in the Default Subscription field of the Invoicing tab, select the subscription you just created.

When the main matter’s subscription is selected as the default subscription for the sub-matter, all transactions created for the sub-matter will automatically be included in the subscription.

NOTE! Transactions created for the sub-matter before the main matter’s subscription is set as the default subscription, cannot be included in the subscription. You can change the total price of these transactions to zero manually or create new transactions and delete the old ones.

If the sub-matter has a default subscription and its invoicing is changed e.g. from the main matter to the sub-matter, the Default Subscription field is cleared.

The invoicing of a seasonal fee, created according to the subscription, cannot be changed between the main matter and sub-matter. The seasonal fee must first be invoiced or deleted, and the invoicing matter must be changed only after that. An uninvoiced seasonal fee can only be removed when deactivating the subscription.

A manually created transaction can be included in the transaction’s subscription as a zero-priced by selecting the Include in Subscription button or the Subscription field in the Invoicing tab of the transaction. Transactions belonging to the same matter can be included in the subscription simultaneously as well.