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How do I add a retainer payment into the IOLTA / Trust or Operating accounts?
How do I add a retainer payment into the IOLTA / Trust or Operating accounts?

Adding a retainer payment into the IOLTA/ Trust or Operating accounts.

PracticePanther Help Center avatar
Written by PracticePanther Help Center
Updated over a week ago

Congratulations! You've been paid, and now it's time to log that payment in.

To add a retainer payment to the trust or operating account, watch this video or follow the steps below:

1) Open the contact or matter you'd like to add a retainer to.


Note:
If the retainer is stored on the contact level, it will be usable for any matter connected to that contact. If the retainer is stored on the matter level, only that matter can use the retainer.

2) Click "New", and then click "Payment".


Optional: If adding the payment on the contact level, click the "x" next to the "Matter" field to deselect any matters. Then click "Next".


3) Click "Add a Retainer".


3 new options will appear:
Charge a Card: If you are synced with LawPay here, you can charge a card you have in hand or on file directly. For more info on how to sync up to LawPay, click here.

Request a Payment: If you are synced with LawPay here, you can click this to prepare and send an email containing a direct payment link to either retainer account.
The payment will be sent to your bank via LawPay, and make a pitstop here on the contact/matter in PracticePanther. For more information on this feature, click here.

Add a Payment: Will allow you to manually add a payment that you may have already received.


5) Click "Add a Payment".

6) Fill out the payment details, and then click "Add Retainer".

What happens now?

If it's a trust retainer, it will appear in the first bubble. If it was an operating retainer/credit, it will appear in the third bubble when you hover over it as "Unapplied Amount". If you enter the payments tab of this contact/matter, you can hover over the retainer payment and click "Pay Invoice" to apply this retainer to an existing invoice. 

Also note, if you're synced with QuickBooks Online, this payment will be sent there automatically for you to match it up with the payment seen in your bank.

Enjoy!

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