Bill Presentation
The CPA solution also supports a number of options for the presentation of a bill; you can set all of these to default from the client record in the system.
These options include:
- Show Write Down Separately: When completing a bill, you often write down Write-Down WIP. This option allows you to show the Write Down amount on a separate line on the invoice, so the client can be made aware that you provided a Write Down to them. If you do not choose this option, the Write Down does not appear on the invoice. In either situation, the solution books the correct entries to the general ledger to record the Write Down.
- Show Client Balances On Invoice: Use this option to show the current open AR balance at the bottom of the client’s invoice.
- Show Client Statement On Invoice: Use this option to show the client statement as an attachment to the client invoice.
- Show Client Aging On Invoice: Use this option to show the client AR aging as an attachment to the client invoice.
- Include Detailed Specification: Use this option to attach a WIP statement to the invoice, which can be defined in the CPA solution. This can be a detailed WIP statement, that is, By Employee, By Task WIP statement, or something similar. You can also use a Summarized WIP statement. There are many alternatives, and this feature allows you to specify those for your setup and decide which detailed specifications to send to which clients.
The solution provides a notification to remind you that you have completed invoice selection and should complete the draft and Submit the Draft Invoice to the approver. The second window in Billing, Invoice Draft, is designed to allow you to adjust the body of the invoice. The text that shows up in the table can come from the time or expense sheet description, the task description, or a general activity description. You can make changes to the WIP descriptions and/or choose from a list of standard texts that is stored in the CPA solution. You can also add and/or remove lines in the invoice and combine lines accordingly. You can print a draft invoice before submitting the invoice for approval.
When you submit the invoice, the approver gets a notification to Approve Draft Invoice. The approver uses the notification to access the Draft Invoice window and either approve or reject the invoice, and make comments associated with the status of the invoice. The approver can see full details when approving the invoice; this includes access to the WIP Decisions window, which shows the approver the WIP that has been closed as a result of producing the bill. This window helps you to identify what time or expense sheet entries will be written off if any invoice is approved and sent to a customer.
The approver has access to the appropriate actions within the Draft Invoice window.
When choosing to reject a draft, the approver can enter a comment that is stored in the Rejected Draft Invoice notification that is sent back to the submitter.
After the draft is approved, the invoice printer (a user who is identified on the client and/or engagement card) receives a notification to Print Draft Invoice. The invoice printer uses the notification to go to the Invoice draft screen and access the Print Draft and Print Invoice actions. The CPA solution prints invoices in PDF format, and you can review and reprint them at any point in time in the Lookups section.