Find unbilled time and disbursements

Work that isn't billed is work you haven't been paid for. Use this guide to find unbilled time, fees, and disbursements, then turn them into an invoice.

Find unbilled entries for a specific matter

To find unbilled time and disbursements for one matter:

1. Open the matter in either the Smokeball Desktop App or Smokeball Web App.
   • If your firm is on the Smokeball Grow or Prosper+ plan, you can access both Apps.
   • If your firm is on the Smokeball Bill or Boost plan, you can only access the Smokeball Web App.
2. Select the Time & Disbursements > Time & Fees or Disbursements tab (Desktop App) or the Time & Fees or Disbursements tab (Web App) to access the list of entries.

3. Check the Billed column on the right-most side of the list. If this is blank, it means the entry has not been applied to an invoice yet.

   

   

4. (Optional) You can print the list of unbilled time and disbursement entries by selecting the Print or Export button above the list.

   

   

Find unbilled entries across all matters

There are a few ways to find unbilled entries across all matters, all done in the Smokeball Web App:

• Navigate to Invoices > Create Invoices and check the Unbilled column. Use the filters in the left panel to narrow the list.

  

• Navigate to Matters and check the Unbilled column.

  

• Navigate to Reports and run one or more of the following reports:
  • Unbilled Time & Disbursements – Summary - Best for finding totals by staff member, client, matter, matter type, or practice area.
  • Unbilled Time & Disbursements – Details - Best for entry-by-entry review before billing. It also shows whether an entry is on a draft invoice, billable, or written off.
  • Aged Unbilled Disbursements - Best for tracking unbilled disbursements as at a specified date.
  • Time and Disbursement Entries - Best for comparing billed and unbilled hours and amounts by timekeeper or across all timekeepers.
  • Unbilled and Unpaid Overview - Best for tracking unbilled for each matter against credits and trust balances.

Check the Activity View

If you suspect time was never recorded, find activities that haven’t become time entries yet.

On the Smokeball Desktop App (Grow and Prosper+ plans only), you can check the Activity View to convert activity entries into time/fee entries:

1. Select Activity from the left menu of the main Smokeball Desktop App window.
2. Check Show where Time Entry is not set, a setting located on the left panel.

3. The Time entry? column will display a green Add button next to activity entries that have yet to be converted to time entries. Click on Add to convert them.

   

Next Steps

After identifying unbilled time and disbursements, there are a few actions you can take to clear them from the list:

• Create an invoice to bill your unbilled items.
• Write off unbilled time entries (WIP) you don’t plan to bill.
• Enter, modify, or delete a time or fixed fee entry
• Enter, modify, or delete a disbursement entry