Design what your bills show

Start with the firm's default

Open Settings, Bill layouts. The register shows the default and how many matters, clients and matter types have chosen each layout. Search by name or change Active to see retired layouts. Standard carries the firm's earlier bill-printing choices.

Design a layout

Choose New layout, or open a layout and choose Edit.

1. Give it a name and describe when the firm uses it.
2. Choose no time detail, entries, or entries with rates. Group time by date, fee earner or activity. Choose whether names, hours and narratives print.
3. For a single fee line with its period, turn on Fees summary only. Time detail switches off while this is on.
4. Print each disbursement, group them by category, or print the total. Agency disbursements remain separate from the firm's other disbursements.
5. Print each tax and levy separately or show a single tax line.
6. Choose the remittance block, payment instructions and footer note.

The preview updates when typing pauses. It is an illustrative bill with two fee earners, time entries, disbursements and sample taxes. It changes no tax setting or client bill. On a phone or tablet, use Settings and Preview at the top. A preview expires after five minutes; refresh it to read it again.

Choose Save layout to open its record. The record shows the choices, the preview and the records using it. Search Used by and choose Matters, Clients or Matter types to turn through their pages.

Choose which layout applies

A bill takes the first choice it finds: the matter, its client, its matter type, then the firm's default. The matter's and client's Details editor and the matter type's editor have a Bill layout picker. Firm default clears that record's choice; inheritance still checks the next tier before the firm default. The read view links to the effective layout and says where it came from.

The pre-bill and posted bill show Layout in their facts. A posted bill keeps the layout's name, version and every choice as they stood when it posted. Editing a layout changes later bills and drafts, never an issued bill.

Help the client pay

When Show remittance block is on, the bill prints Pay to beneath a dashed rule at the foot of the last page. It names the bill's routed payment account, bank, branch, account number and SWIFT where held, or the mobile money number for a wallet. It also shows the bill number to quote, amount due, due date and firm name.

If no payment account is routed for the bill's currency and office, the block is omitted. An actual pre-bill preview says why. Set the route under Money routes; choosing a layout does not choose a different account.

Change the default or retire a layout

On an active layout's record, Make default replaces the current firm default after confirmation. Make another layout default before retiring or deleting the current one.

Retire takes a reason and stops new choices. Existing matters, clients and types retain it. Restore takes a reason and makes it available again. Delete takes a reason and is refused while any record still names the layout, including historical assignments. The refusal links to readable blockers; use Used by for the rest. Deleted records can be restored through the shared recovery workflow.

Every saved change, assignment and lifecycle action is recorded in the audit trail. If another person changes the layout first, reload its latest version before trying again.