Time or Fixed Fee Entry

There are several ways to enter your time or fixed fee entries in Smokeball. It is important to note that if you are not already working within a matter, you will need to specify an appropriate matter.

Most Smokeball users manually enter or use AutoTime to automatically generate time entries in the Smokeball Desktop Application.

Time & Fees can be edited in the web app as well. Any entries made in Smokeball Desktop or the web app will be available in both places.

Whether you are manually entering or time or using AutoTime, this article walks through how to create Time & Fixed Fee Entries in all areas of Smokeball:

Time or Fixed Fee Entries on Smokeball Desktop

There are two places to review, enter, or edit time on the Smokeball Desktop Application.

The best practice is always working from a matter. Select the Time/Fee button from the Action Bar.

1. 1. Enter the date, hours/rate or fixed/rate, and subject.
      • You can also distinguish between the amount of time to be billed but the total amount of time to complete the work using the Working and Billing fields. Time entered in the Billing fields will show up on invoices. You can also track this information in the Time Adjustments - Details report. 
   2. Provide additional descriptions (optional).
   3. Review what the time entry will look like on an invoice.
   4. Save. You can also select Save & New  to add several entries at once.

From the Smokeball Home Screen, Time or Fixed fees can be entered following a similar process. Note: Make sure to always tag a Matter for each entry if you enter your time manually on this screen.

• For quick manual entry of time or fees, set up Activity Codes and use the quick Time & Fees entry bar.
  • This feature is available in Matters and the Time & Fees Tab.
  • Learn more about Activity Codes.

• If editing multiple entries, the best practice is to use the Time Entry Review toolbar. Learn more about editing time entries in the desktop version of Smokeball. 

• You can also delete a time entry by right-clicking on the entry and selecting Delete Fee.
  • Note: It is not possible to delete multiple time and fee entries at the same time.
  • Deleting a time and fee entry is permanent.
  • You cannot delete a time/fee entry that is already associated with a finalized invoice.

You can also display a summary of the types of work that make up a time entry by right clicking on the Subject column: 

Create Time & Fee Entries in the web app 

Time & fee entries can be edited in the web app as well. Any entries made in Smokeball Desktop or the web app will be available in both places. 

Create a Time Entry in the web app

Select New Time Entry from your Matter and work your way down the New Time /Fee Entry window.

1. Enter the date, hours/rate or fixed/rate, and subject. Note: Set up Activity Codes.
   • You can also distinguish between the amount of time to be billed but the total amount of time to complete the work using the Working and Billing fields. Time entered in the Billing fields will show up on invoices. You can also track this information in the Time Adjustments - Details report. 
2. Optional: Provide additional descriptions.
3. Review what the time entry will look like on an invoice in the Preview pane on the right side of the window.
4. Select Save. You can also select Save & New to enter several entries at once.

You can also select Add Time Entry from the Create New button on the Home Screen or from the global Time & Fees View.

For quick manual entry of time or fees, set up Activity Codes and use the quick Time & Fees entry bar. Activity codes are available for both individual matters and the global Time & Fees page.

Edit Time or Fixed Fee entries in the web app

If editing multiple entries, the best practice is to use the time entry review toolbar.

1. Select Time Entry Review to open the toolbar.
2. If you need to mark multiple items as billable or non-billable, use the checkboxes to individually select the time/fee entries and then use the Bulk Actions button to apply the changes.
   • There is also a select-all checkbox in the grey column headers at the top of the table.
   • Note: This bulk action is also available for expense entries.

AutoTime Entries

Whether you want to manually track your time or use AutoTime to generate your Time Entries, Smokeball provides the time tracking tools you need.

• AutoTime automatically takes all the time spent in Smokeball and creates time entries. You can edit pending entries in real time to save time manually starting and stopping a timer.
  • Firms that use automatic time tracking in any capacity typically see a 10-30% increase in firm profitability due to all the time that was not being previously captured. 
  • Learn more about AutoTime.

Did You Know

You can add last-minute time and fee entries while you are creating an invoice.