Learn how to enter your firm’s costs, disbursements or disbursements in Smokeball.
Smokeball Desktop App
- Select an existing matter, then select the Time & Disbursements tab.
- Select Disbursements to open the Disbursement entry window.
- Enter the date of the disbursement, then enter the subject, description, quantity, and price of the disbursement.
- Set up activity codes so you can use the Activity drop-down menu to automatically fill in most of these fields and save time entering the same disbursement.
- Tick whether the disbursement is Billable, or if you wish to write it off.
- Select Save or Save & New to continue entering disbursements.
Note: You can also access the Time & Disbursements window from the Time & Disbursements tab. Any entries created here must be assigned to a matter before saving.
Quickly enter and review manual entries
You can also create disbursement entries from the bar at the top of the Disbursements tab in a matter.
Delete a disbursement
To delete a disbursement, right-click it and select Delete Disbursement.
Smokeball Web App
- Open a matter, then select the Disbursements tab.
- Select New Disbursement Entry.
- Enter the date of the Disbursement, then enter the subject, description, quantity, and price of the Disbursement.
- Select the toggles to choose whether the disbursement is Billable, or if you wish to write it off.
- Select whether this entry is a regular disbursement or an anticipated disbursement.
- If it's an anticipated disbursement, enter the supplier name, supplier reference and your payment due date.
- If you toggle the Payable to Supplier or Supplier Paid option, you will be presented with fields to enter the supplier's payment details.
- This option marks the disbursement as paid, so a journal entry dated to today's date will be sent to Xero or MYOB (if your firm uses these integrations).
- This option marks the disbursement as paid, so a journal entry dated to today's date will be sent to Xero or MYOB (if your firm uses these integrations).
- If it's an anticipated disbursement, enter the supplier name, supplier reference and your payment due date.
- Attach a file to this disbursement if applicable.
- Tick Print Cheque to generate a cheque to a contact, and select if you wish to print it now, later, or manually. Refer to our office payments article to learn more about cheque printing.
- Select Save or Save & New to continue entering disbursements.
Quickly enter and review manual entries
You can also create disbursement entries from the bar at the top of the Disbursements tab in a matter.
Good to Know
To calculate GST on the disbursement, you must enter at least the number 1 in the Quantity field.
If you are entering a disbursement that has no GST component (such as court filing fees), you can change the GST amount to 0 in the GST field of the disbursement entry.