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How to Add Flat or Fixed Fees?

Steps to add fixed fees to a matter.

Devanshi Kackar avatar
Written by Devanshi Kackar
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Flat fees are fixed amounts charged to a client for a specific legal service, regardless of the time spent on the matter. Unlike hourly billing, flat fee arrangements provide cost certainty for clients. Time entries may still be recorded for internal tracking purposes, but they do not affect the total fee charged. Any adjustments beyond the agreed flat fee, such as additional work outside the original scope, must be separately addressed.

Elements of the Flat Fee Entry Form

The Flat Fee Entry Form is designed to capture all the essential details of your work quickly and accurately. Below are the key elements and their functions:

  1. Client: Start by selecting a Client. This will automatically narrow down the Matter list to those associated with that client.

  2. Matter: A Matter must be selected to create a Flat Fee entry (if this setting has been made mandatory). By default, Matter is not mandatory. You can enable it by navigating to: Settings > Bill Settings > Activity Settings > Form Settings, then Toggle the Matter option.

  3. Activity Category: Choose the appropriate Activity Category for the entry. You may also utilize UTBMS codes for standardized categorization. For more details, refer to the article on Activity Categories.

  4. Apply Amount: Enter the Flat Fee amount here.

  5. Discounts: Apply a discount if needed:

    1. Percentage-based discount.

    2. Fixed-amount discount. Then enter the corresponding value in the Discount field.

  6. Non-Billable Option: Select this checkbox to mark the entry as non-billable if applicable.

  7. Show on Invoice: For transparency, you can still display non-billable entries on the invoice by selecting this option.

  8. Description: Add a detailed Description of the Flat Fee. By default, Description is not mandatory. To make it required, go to: Settings > Bill Settings > Activity Settings > Form Settings, then Toggle the Description option.

  9. Private Note: Add a Private Note for internal use and team clarity.

Tip: Use Nova AI to generate clear and professional descriptions effortlessly.

Method 01: Steps to Add Flat Fees from a Matter

  1. Navigate to Matters on the left and select the desired matter.

  2. Click on the Flat Fees tab and click on the Add button to add a new entry.

  3. Alternatively, click on Add Flat Fee under Quick Actions.

  4. Matter Name, Timekeeper Name, and Date will be pre-filled. Update them if required.

  5. Fill in other details like Amount, Activity Category (if required), UTBMS Task Code (if required).

  6. Add a Description for a quick explanation and add a Private Note if required for future reference.

  7. Add a Discount if required.

  8. Select the Non-billable Checkbox if you want to make the entry non-billable and select the Checkbox Display this entry on the invoice to show the non-billable entry on the invoice.

  9. Finally, click on Save to complete the process, Save & Add New to save and add another flat fee entry, and Save & Duplicate to save the entry and keep the data in another entry for quick action.

Method 02: Steps to Add Flat Fees from Activities

  1. Click on Activities on the left.

  2. Click on the Dropdown option right next to the New Time Entry and select New Flat Fee.

  3. Add the following details: Matter Name, Timekeeper Name, and Date. Note that when you make an entry via a matter, these details will be pre-filled.

  4. Follow Step 4 onwards as outlined in Method 01.

Method 03: Steps to Add Flat Fees from Any Page using Quick Action Button

  1. Click on the + New button available at the top right corner.

  2. Select New Flat Fee under the Billing section.

  3. Follow Step 3 onwards as outlined in Method 02.

You can disable tax on flat fees within the invoice templates. Simply select the 'Disable tax on flat fees' checkbox under 'Default tax settings' or 'Flat fees'.

Alternatively, while creating a new invoice, select the 'Disable tax on flat fees' checkbox under the 'Invoice options' section.

Adding flat fees to the workflow

To add flat fees through a workflow, check out our documentation.

Related Articles
How to Add a New Time Entry in Lawcus?
How to Add or Record Expenses in Lawcus?
How to Automate Expense Creation with Workflows?
How to Create Non-Billable Time Entry, Flat Fees, & Expenses in Lawcus?
Flat Fee Activity by Matter Report
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