Overview

A Client/Trust Payment records money paid from a Client or Trust Account.

Payments can be recorded either directly from a Client/Trust Cash Account or from within a Matter, allowing firms to choose the workflow that best suits their processes.

Throughout this guide, Client/Trust refers to both Client Accounts and Trust Accounts/Ledgers, depending on your jurisdiction.

Throughout this guide, the term Client/Trust is used to reflect different terminology accross jurisdictions for the same functionality.

Client/Trust Payments update the Client/Trust Ledger immediately and reduce the available balance. Always review the payment details before posting. 

Benefits

Client/Trust Payments allow you to:

• Pay funds directly from a Client/Trust Account.
• Allocate payments to one or more Matters.
• Record payments using different payment methods.
• Process payments directly from a Matter or Cash Account.
• Maintain a complete audit trail of Client/Trust transactions. 

Accessing Client/Trust Payments

Client/Trust Payments can be created from several locations.

How Client / Trust Payments Work

When a Client/Trust Payment is posted:

• Funds are deducted from the selected Client/Trust Account.
• The payment is allocated to one or more Matters.
• The Client/Trust Ledger is updated immediately.
• Available balances are recalculated.
• Warnings are displayed if the payment exceeds the available or cleared balance.

Recording a Client / Trust Payment 

From a Client/Trust Cash Account

Navigate to:

Banking → Client/Trust → Select Account → New Entry → Payment

Step 1 – Create the Payment

The Pay From Account is automatically populated with the selected Client/Trust Account.

Step 2 – Select the Payee

Begin typing the payee's name in the Pay To field.

• Select an existing Entity from the list.
• If the Entity does not already exist, a purple New icon is displayed.

Selecting New creates a new Entity using the name entered.

Creating an Entity from the payment screen creates a basic Entity record only. After posting the payment, open the Entity record to complete any additional information, such as contact details, addresses and banking information.

Step 3 – Select the Payment Method

Choose the required Payment Method.

A payment details window opens where you can enter the required banking or payment information.

Click Save.

Before posting the payment, you can click the Information (i) icon next to the Payment Method to review or update the payment details.

Step 4 – Enter Payment Details

Complete the payment information.

Step 5 – Allocate the Payment

Click Add Allocation.

For each allocation:

• Select the Matter.
• Review the available Client/Trust balance.
• Confirm or amend the Description.
• Enter the payment Amount.

Repeat Add Allocation if the payment is being split across multiple Matters.

Step 6 – Post the Payment

Click:

• Post, or
• Post and New

From a Matter

Navigate to:

Matter → Client/Trust Ledger → Post Payment

The Matter is automatically populated.

Complete the remaining payment details and click:

• Post, or
• Post and New

Use the Client-Cleared Funds tile on the Matter to review available cleared funds before posting the payment.

Insufficient Funds

If the payment exceeds the available or cleared balance, Efimis displays a warning.

Continuing may result in a negative Client/Trust balance. The ability to overdraw a Client/Trust Account is controlled by user permissions. Users without the required permission cannot complete the transaction.

What Happens Next?

Once the payment is posted:

• The Client/Trust Ledger is updated immediately.
• Available balances are reduced.
• Allocations are recorded against the selected Matter(s).
• The transaction becomes part of the permanent audit trail.

Best Practices

• Confirm sufficient available and cleared funds before posting.
• Allocate payments to the correct Matter(s).
• Verify the payee and payment details before posting.
• If creating a new Entity, remember to update the Entity record with the remaining contact and banking information after the payment has been posted.
• Use clear Reason descriptions to support auditing and reporting.
• Only proceed with insufficient funds warnings where authorised by your firm's policies.
• Use Matter-based payments where possible to reduce manual data entry.
• Review all payment details carefully before posting, as payments immediately affect Client/Trust balances.