Set a fee estimate on a matter

You can set an estimate of billable fees and expenses to budget your matters and internally track how much a matter is being billed.

To set an estimate:

1. Double-click the Info field under Matter Details.
2. Select the Billing tab, then select the Billing Type from the drop-down menu.
3. Enter the amount you believe the matter will cost in the Fee/Estimate field.
   
4. Select the OK button. 

Send internal Client Portal notifications when Billing approaches

You can set up Client Portal notifications sent to staff working on the matter when the amount of fees and expenses exceeds 70%, 85%, and 100% of the estimate.

To do this:

1. Navigate to Smokeball Settings from the gear icon on the top-right corner of Smokeball.
2. Select the Time & Billing tab, then tick Send Client Portal notification when matter approaches the estimate.
   

Important Notes:

• Only one message will be sent per threshold.
• If an estimate is updated (e.g. estimate amount increases if a matter is going to take longer), a notification will be sent again when it passes the newly set thresholds.
• Notifications are triggered after the system checks changes in fees and disbursements, such as new entries being added.