Time & Billing FAQ's

How do I delete a Time or Expense Entry?
Do I have to perform a Month End and Year End closing in BalaBoss Client Navigator?
How do I edit a pending invoice?
How do I enter non-billable administrative time such Computer training, Vacation, Professional Development, etc.?
How do I reverse a WIP invoice that I release accidentally?
I am going on vacation for the next two weeks. How do I enter my vacation time prior to my vacation?
Import Activity - What is it and how do I use it?
Posting to WIP - Interim or Final, what is the difference?
I have received a payment from a client for an outstanding invoice. The payment includes interest. How do I allocate the interest?
I have posted time to WIP and I am no longer able to enter time for a prior period. Can I enter time for a previous period once Time and Expenses have been Posted to WIP?
What are the types of invoices that BalaBoss Client Navigator provides and when should I use them?

How do I delete a Time or Expense Entry?

Steps to delete a time or expense entry in BalaBoss Client Navigator:

From Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Time and Expense Entry. The T&E Entry form will appear.
Select the Time Sheet tab or the Expense Report tab.
Select the Staff Member you would like to delete a time entry for from the Limit to Staff field.
Select the entry you would like to delete by clicking anywhere on that row.
You should see a black arrowhead in the left margin.
Click on the black arrowhead, it will change to a white arrowhead.
Press the <Delete> key on the keyboard and you will be given the option to delete the record. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Note: A time or expense entry cannot be recovered once it has been deleted.

Note: Entries that have already been released to WIP (as part of an interim release) may not be deleted using the procedure described above. In such a case a reversing entry should be made.

Do I have to perform a Month End and Year End closing in BalaBoss Client Navigator?

A Month or Year End closing is not required in BalaBoss Client Navigator. However we do recommend that you produce all required Period End Reports at each Month End or Year end.

To generate Period End Reports:

From Client HQ select Reports. The Reports form will appear.
From Reports screen select Time & Billing Reports.
From the Time & Billing Reports screen, select Period End Reports.

How do I edit a pending invoice?

BalaBoss Client Navigator provides two methods make a pending invoice available for editing. You may optionally use Invoicing and Transfers or Pending Invoices:

Invoicing and Transfers

From the Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Invoicing and Transfers.
From the Client selection list, select the client for whom you created the Pending Invoice.
Note: A pending invoice is indicated by a check mark in the Inv Pend. column.
Double-click on any row with a check mark in the Inv Pend. column to edit the related pending invoice

Pending Invoices

From the Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Reports. The Time and Billing Reports form will appear.
Select Pending Invoices.

Double-click on the line item of any row to edit the related pending invoice.

How do I enter non-billable administrative time such Computer training, Vacation, Professional Development, etc.?

You enter non-billable time by setting up a "dummy" client. You may elect to have one "dummy" client for all members of staff to use. However many firms find it more convenient to have a "dummy" client setup for each member of staff.

To setup a "dummy" client for use by a staff member:

From Client HQ, click Add New Client.
Click the Partner drop-box to display the list of existing partners. BalaBoss Client Navigator requires that you assign a partner to each client.
From the Partner drop-down list, select the name of the partner that you want to assign to the client file. A temporary client number is automatically assigned and is visible in the Client Number field. BalaBoss Client Navigator will automatically open the Client Maintenance form . Enter the relevant information.
For example: For Roger Fulton enter RF as the Client No. and Roger Fulton Admin as the Client Name

To setup a non-Billable service category and non-billable service codes.

From Client HQ select System Administration. The Administration form appears.
Select Time & Billing Administration. The Time & Billing Administration form appears
Select Service Codes.
If you require a new category for non-billable service codes, click the Maintenance Button in the Category column to setup an appropriate category. For example you may setup a category called Non-Billable Activities.
Close the Category Maintenance form to return to the Service Code Maintenance form
Select the Activity Codes tab.
Enter appropriate information in respect of non-billable activities, for example:

Enter the alphanumeric code you have assigned to that activity. For example, 100.
From the Project/Category drop box select the appropriate Project or Category. For example, Non-Billable Activities.
In the Service Description column, enter the name of the Service Description. For example, Professional Development.
In the Default is Billable column, remove the check mark since the service code is non-billable.
In the Default Rate column, select the rate for which you would like to keep track of a particular service. For example, Cost.
Enter the optional GL Account Number (or description) used to track the revenue of this Activity code. This information will be used in Period End reporting.
From the Default Tax Code drop box, select the default tax rate that applies to this service code. For example, "E" for Tax Exempt.

Select the Expense Codes tab

In the Service Code column, enter the alphanumeric code you have assigned to that expense. For example, 900. From the Category drop box select the appropriate Category. For example, Non-Billable Disbursements.
In the Service Description column, enter the name of the Service Description. For example, Long Distance Telephone.
In the Default is billable column, remove the check mark since the service code is non-billable
If you have a default amount for this expense, enter it in this field. For example, if your long distance rate is $0.35/minute, enter 0.35 in this field.
Enter the optional GL Account Number (or description) used to track the revenue of this Expense code. This information will be used in Period End reporting.
From the Default Tax Rate drop box; select the default tax rate that applies to this Expense code. For example, "E" for Tax Exempt.
When all Activity and Service Codes are entered select Close.

Entering non-billable Time and/or Expenses

From Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Time and Expense Entry. The T&E Entry form will appear.
Select a Staff member for whom you are entering administrative time, press the <Tab> key.
Specify the Date, press the <Tab> key.
From the Client list select the "dummy" client you created (as described above), press the <Tab> key.
Select the applicable Project if applicable, then press the <Tab> key.
From the Service list select your non-billable activity or expense code you created (as described above), then press the <Tab> key.
Enter any notes. When finished press the <Tab> key.
Enter Hours or Quantity, press the <Tab> key.
If no Rate or Amount is displayed please enter the desired amount.
If you are satisfied with the entry press the <Enter> key.

How do I reverse a WIP invoice that I release accidentally?

If an invoice was released accidentally or if an incorrect amount was billed you can correct the error as follows:

Procedure summary

Generate a Progress Bill with an equal but opposite amount of the original invoice
The Progress Bill will replace the WIP used in the original invoice.
Create a new invoice, selecting the new Progress Bill from WIP as the amount of WIP to be invoiced.
Adjust the new invoice amount to the amount that should have been invoiced and release the new invoice.

Procedure detail

From the Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Invoicing and Transfers.
From the Client selection list, select the client for whom you would like to reverse the invoice.
Select Progress Bill. The Pending Invoice form will appear.
Create your Progress Bill with an equal but opposite amount with the same date as the invoice that was mistakenly released.
Release the Progress Bill type invoice you created. Concurrent with release of the Progress Bill, BalaBoss Client Navigator will create a new WIP entry created for that client.
Return to the Invoicing and Transfers form. Select the new WIP item (created by release of the Progress Bill) by placing a check mark to the left of that line item.
Click on Bill Selected Items. The Pending Invoice form will appear.
Create a new invoice with the correct amount and date and release the new invoice.

Note: When any invoice with an amount greater than or less than zero is generated the invoice total is released to Accounts Receivable. When you generate an invoice to reverse a previous invoice you will have two separate entries in Accounts Receivable. Plus you will have a third entry for the correct invoice. Although your net Accounts Receivable amount will be correct, you will have to adjust for the first two invoices via the Receipts and Adjustments utility to clear them.

Follow these steps to offset multiple open items:

From the Time and Billing Switchboard select Receipts and Adjustments.
Select the Date for the adjustment.
From the Client selection list, select the client requiring the adjustment.
Enter the Reference for the transaction. For Example: Adjustment.
By default the Amount Received must remain at zero
Enter the exact amount of the invoice outstanding in the Adjustment column for each of the open items you want to clear.
Note: The Total of the adjustments must add to zero. Therefore the amount above the Unallocated Amount label should read zero.
Select Process Receipt to process the adjustments.

I am going on vacation for the next two weeks. How do I enter my vacation time prior to my vacation?

During the normal operation of BalaBoss Client Navigator you are not permitted to enter future transactions in Time and Expense entry. It is not recommended that you perform the following procedure for entering Time and Expenses other than non-billable vacation time.

If you would like to enter your Vacation time before leaving, set your Windows Date/Time Properties ahead to the last day in which you would like to enter your time.

To change the Date on your workstation:

From the Windows desktop, click Start
Select Settings, select Control Panel.
Select Date/Time
the Date/Properties form will appear
Select the Month, Day and Year (if necessary) for the last entry that your would like to enter prior to your leaving.
Click OK

Once the date has been changed log into BalaBoss Client Navigator and you will be able to enter your time for the duration of your vacation.

Note: Please remember to correct the date on your workstation when finished.

Import Activity - What is it and how do I use it?

Each time a user accesses or leaves a client file in Client HQ, BalaBoss Client Navigator logs that information in an Activity Record.

If you use BalaBoss Client Navigator whenever you are dealing with a client either with BalaBoss Client Navigator directly or via the BalaBoss Client Navigator Launch Pad, that activity will be logged. In effect you are automatically and effortlessly writing your time sheet in real-time!

BalaBoss Client Navigator has provided an easy method to import your activity records into BalaBoss Time and Billing.

Prior to importing, the selected staff member must have been setup with a Default Service Code.

From the Client HQ select System Administration. The Administration form appears.
Select Time & Billing Administration. The Time & Billing Administration form appears
Select Staff Setup and Staff Rates .
Select the Default Service Codes tab.
Select the Service Code from the available drop list.

The automatic recording of activity built into BalaBoss Client Navigator may result in time fragments of less than your minimum billing period. Therefore the import utility provides the facility, at your option, to round-up your time to the nearest decimal portion of an hour as entered selected by you.

To import time into Time and Expense entries do the following:

From Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Time and Expense Entry. The T&E Entry form will appear.
Select the Import tab. The Automatically Import Activity form will appear.
From Staff Member drop list select the Staff Member you wish to import activities for.
Select the Date Range for the period you would like to import time for. The activities within the specified date range should appear on your screen.
Select or deselect Delete source activity records of imported transactions and On import round up decimal time to nearest check boxes. Specify the round up decimal time if necessary.
Select the Import Transactions button.

Also at your option, imported activity records may be erased from the activity log. This action is recommended to avoid duplicate importing.

You may print or preview a report of the records that are about to be imported/deleted.

Tip: After the records have been imported, they may be edited in your time-sheet by double-clicking on the relevant line item. Subject to your security rights, any values in the imported records, including service codes, may be adjusted in the usual way.

Posting to WIP - Interim or Final, what is the difference?

Posting to WIP is a procedure that controls the release of Time and Expense entries (also referred to as Unreleased WIP) to WIP. There are two methods of Posting to WIP and they are detailed below.

Interim Posting

Interim posting allows you to Post to WIP time for a specific client for a specific date range. This allows you to proceed with billing this client and still maintain the regular final posting procedure and reporting data. Once an item is selected for an Interim Billing you are not able to amend it, but you can still view the item on your T&E entry screen so it does not distort your time sheet data

To perform an Interim Posting:

From Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Time and Expense Entry. The T&E Entry form will appear.
Select the Post to WIP tab. The Post to WIP form will appear.
Select the date range for the period you would like to Post to WIP.
Select the Interim Posting check box. The Client selection list will appear below.
Select the Client for the Interim Posting. The Time and Expenses for the selected Client are displayed.
Select the Post to WIP button. Please read the Interim Post-Process Confirmation prior to Posting.
Select OK to begin the Posting process.

Final Posting

The Final Posting procedure should be executed after you have printed all your pre-posting reports and satisfied yourself that all relevant time and expense entries for the period have been correctly entered. Final posting releases all Unreleased WIP entries to WIP. This allows you to proceed with the normal billing cycle.

Note: Unreleased WIP may be edited until it has been posted to WIP. Thereafter an adjusting entry is required for any modifications.

To Post to WIP do the following:

From the Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Time and Expense Entry. The T&E Entry form will appear.
Select the Post to WIP tab. The Post to WIP form will appear.
Select the date range for the period you would like to Post to WIP.
Select the Post to WIP button. Please read the Final Post-Process Confirmation prior to Posting.
Select OK to begin Posting process.

I have received a payment from a client for an outstanding invoice. The payment includes interest. How do I allocate the interest?

BalaBoss Client Navigator includes the facility to charge interest to clients on a Notional basis. Subject to the criteria determined by you, the interest amount appears on the Client Statement. However the interest is not written to Accounts Receivable. If your client makes a payment to you based on the statement amount then that payment could include interest not reflected in your Accounts Receivable. Upon receipt of payment you need to avoid reflecting an amount due to the client. The solution is to "add" the interest to the invoice at the time of receiving payment.

From the Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Receipts and Adjustments.
Select the Bank to which you are making the deposit.
Select the Date of the Receipt.
From the Client selection list, select the client from whom you have received the payment.
Enter the Reference for the transaction. For Example: Cheque # 1234.
Enter the Total Amount Received (including interest) in the Amount Received field.
Enter the Total Amount Received (including Interest) for the outstanding invoice in the Receipt Allocation column in the row for the related invoice.
Click in the Adjustment field for that invoice. The updated Current Outstanding amount will appear to the right. There should be a credit amount outstanding.
Enter the credit amount in the Adjustment field. For Example: -5.25 or (5.25).
Press <Enter> on the keyboard. The Current Outstanding Amount should now equal zero.

I have posted time to WIP and I am no longer able to enter time for a prior period. Can I enter time for a previous period once Time and Expenses have been Posted to WIP?

After final posting your time and expense entries to WIP BalaBoss Client Navigator automatically resets the Transaction Cut Off Date for Time and Expense Entry.

If you need to enter Time & Expenses for a prior period you can adjust the date in Transaction Cut Off Date Maintenance (subject to security permissions granted by your System Administrator).

Note: Prior period entries may impact on the integrity of any reports for the period you may have printed before making the adjusting entries.

To change your Transaction Cut Off Date do the following:

From Client HQ select BalaBoss Time & Billing. The BalaBoss Time & Billing Switchboard will appear.
Select Time & Expense Entry.
From the Time & Expense Entry form select the T&E Entry tab.
In the Date selection window select the Transaction Date Window Maintenance button.
Change the Transaction Cut Off Date to the required date by selecting the Calendar button to the right of the Transaction Cut Off Date.
Select Close.

What are the types of invoices that BalaBoss Client Navigator provides and when should I use them?

BalaBoss Client Navigator provides for the creation of four types of invoices

Bill Selected Items

Select items by checking the related check-boxes. Click Bill Selected Items to identify the WIP items that will be marked for transfer by the creation of a pending invoice.

Note: Items will not be transferred from WIP until the pending invoice is released.

Generating an invoice using Bill Selected Items

To generate an invoice using current WIP items, you can select the items you would like to bill by selecting the check box to the left of that Particular WIP item (or you can use Select All to choose all the WIP items. A check mark will appear beside the selected item(s).
Select Bill Selected Items. The Pending Invoice form will appear.
Generate your invoice with desired amount. When the invoice is released it will clear the WIP items.

Progress Bill

No WIP items should be selected. Click Progress Bill to setup a pending invoice that is not linked to specific WIP items.

Note:: Upon release of the pending invoice an item of equal and opposite value to the invoice will be added to the client's WIP.

Progress Bill + Selected Expenses

Only expense items should be selected. Click Progress Bill + Selected Expenses to setup a pending invoice that is only linked to specific WIP expense items.

Note: The selected expense items will be transferred from WIP when the pending invoice is released. Also upon release of the pending invoice an item of equal and opposite value to the progress bill portion of the invoice will be added to the client's WIP.

Non WIP Invoice

No WIP items should be selected. Click Non-WIP Invoice to setup a pending invoice that is not linked to specific WIP items.

Note:: Upon release of the pending invoice there will not be any impact to the client's WIP.

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