Invoice Production Workflow
Jay Sanchez avatar
Written by Jay Sanchez
Updated over a week ago

We asked Laurette Clash, one of our first LeanLaw Accounting Pros to explain how to lay out an Invoice Production Workflow. We hope you find this helpful.  Thank you, Laurette!

Each month and/or when a client invoice is required, the time and expense for a specific time is reviewed and approved in LeanLaw and forward to QuickBooks Online to create an invoice. 

Note: The impact of dates on the client invoices:

  • Invoice Dates: The “Time Period” determines the billable time/expense included on a client invoice.

  • Client Payments: The client payment included on an invoice is based on the invoice date; payment received from the last invoice date to the current invoice date.


Here are the procedures to prepare a client invoice:

Review Expenses:

In LeanLaw, the expenses need to be reviewed.

  1. Select the Expense Menu

  2. On the left side, there are filter fields; the following fields should be completed:

    Time Period = Enter the appropriate BILLABLE time period.
    Show Billed = Not Billed

  3. Review the expenses and make any necessary addition and/or edits 

Client’s Invoice Preparation:

Ready To Bill

  1. In LeanLaw, select the Billing Tab and the Ready to Bill will be highlighted.

  2. In the filter section, enter the appropriate Time Period to be billed.

    Time Period = Enter the appropriate BILLABLE time period.

  1. Stroll to the bottom of the Ready to Bill page and select Show All.

  2. Then right click your mouse and select print.

  3. The Client Master Report is used to track client invoice preparation.

  4. Record on the client master report, READY TO BILL REPORT.

  5. Under the Ready To Bill, each client/matters needs to be selected individually and review.

Select a client, then review the billable time/cost per client:

  1. Confirm the billable date range.

  2. Edits and/or Remove any time/costs and then select save

  3. To Edit/Remove time/cost transaction

    a) Select the transactions
    b) Edit the transactions
    c) Save

  4. Ready To Bill is the ONLY section that a time/cost can be Removed.

  5. After reviewing and completing any changes, select Prepare Invoice and a Draft Invoice will appear.

  6. As a Draft Invoice, each client can be reviewed, again and the time/costs can be edited.

  7. For the Invoice Date, enter the date the invoice was prepared.

  8. Edits and/or Remove any time/costs and then save.

  9. To edit/Remove time/cost transaction:

    a) Select the transactions
    b) Edit the transactions
    c) Save

  10. After reviewing and completing any changes, select Save Draft Invoice, then OK and the invoice will move to the Draft Section.

  11. After selecting OK, the time/costs is locked.  You can undo this if you made a mistake.

  12. Repeat steps d – f for each client until billable client that need to be invoiced are move to the Draft Section.

Drafts

  1. When all the clients have been reviewed and moved to Draft, Click the Drafts Tab.

  2. All the client invoices moved to the draft section will appear.

  3. Print a second Client Master Report

  4. Stroll to the bottom of the page and select Show All.

  5. Then right click your mouse and select print.

  6. The Client Master Report is used to track client invoice preparation.

  7. Record on the client master report, DRAFT REPORT.

  1. Click the top box by the date and all client invoices will be selected.

  2. Select Approve only, the number of approved invoices will appear, Select OK, and all selected client invoices will move to the Approved section.

 Approved 

  1. Click all the client invoices to Submit to QuickBooks

  2. Select Submit to QuickBooks, the number of submit invoices to QuickBooks will appear, Select Ok, and all selected client invoice will move to QuickBooks.

QuickBooks Online – Client Invoice Preparation

In QuickBooks Online, all “Approved” client invoices can be mailed and/or emailed to the client.

  1. On the left hand side, Select Sales Menu and at the top of screen, select All Sales

  2. Click the DATE heading, to sort by invoice date

  3. Select all the current invoice date boxes

  4. Click the down arrow in the Batch actions field, and select Print transactions to print the client’s invoices.

  5. Review and staple client’s invoice.

  6. Select Yes to record invoices were printed.

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