Billing Setup: Codes

In the Codes subsection of the Billing Setup Advanced tool, you can define codes for your billing items. To navigate there, click main menu > Advanced > Billing Setup > Codes.

Firms with LEDES invoicing can use this section to set up the required UTBMS codes. However, even if you don’t use LEDES, your firm might still benefit from setting up codes to track and easily report on additional details for your billing items.

• Terminology
• Manage Codesets
• Settings
• DocGen and Reporting

Terminology

This subsection of the Billing Setup tool allows you to set up codesets and codes. These terms are defined below.

Manage Codesets

The Codesets tab allows you to set up the list of codes for each codeset. The first two codes on the lefthand side are for time entries. The next two are for expenses, and the last two are for flat fees.

Select a codeset from the lefthand side to manage the codes in that set. Each billing code is composed of the code itself and a description. Both the code and description are displayed to the user when they track time or create their billing item.

To edit a code or its description, simply click into the field and make the desired edits. Click the checkmark icon to save your changes, or click the x to discard any changes.

By default, the codesets are named “Time Code 1,” “Time Code 2,” “Expense Code 1,” and so on. To change a codeset’s display name, select the desired codeset. Above the list of codes, click the pencil icon next to the codeset’s name.

Add Codes

To add a new code, scroll down the bottom of the list and enter the code and the description in the last row. Click the checkmark icon to save the code. The codes will initially display at the bottom of the table, but will be sorted alphabetically after the page is refreshed. Refresh the page to order the codes.

Tip

The billing codes table uses keyboard shortcuts. Press Tab to navigate from the code to the description box. Press Tab + Enter to save the code and open the next row.

Import Codes

In addition to manual entry in Filevine, you also have the option to import billing codes from a spreadsheet if desired. You must use one spreadsheet per codeset, and each spreadsheet must have two columns: Code and Description. Supported file types: .xlsx, .xls, .csv.

If desired, you can download a spreadsheet template in either .xlsx or .csv format and fill in the desired codes.

Heads Up!

• These templates include sample codes and descriptions for your reference—make sure to remove these sample codes before importing.
• The Code field must be less than 10 characters.
• The Description field must be less than 255 characters.
• Each code in the spreadsheet must be unique.
• Don’t create additional tabs in the spreadsheet. Only the first tab will be imported.

When you’re ready to upload, double-check that the desired codeset is selected from the lefthand side. Along the top of the table, click Import Codes.

In the Import Billing Codes modal, click Choose File and select the desired spreadsheet to import. After a few moments, the list will refresh to display the imported codes.

Existing codes in the codeset will not be replaced unless the Code fields match. If so, the imported Description for that code will replace the existing description.

Delete Codes

To delete a code, click the circled x icon to the right of that code. To delete all codes in a codeset, click Clear All along the top of the table.

Settings

The Settings tab allows you to determine whether or not a billing codeset is required. If a codeset is marked as required, users will not be able to save their billing items until they select a code.

To mark a codeset as required, find the desired codeset and toggle on Required. (Codesets with no available codes cannot be marked as required.)

By default, whatever changes you make in this tab will only apply to codes on newly-created projects. Newly-created items in existing projects will be unaffected.

Apply Settings to Existing Projects

If you’d like to apply these settings to existing projects, click Apply Settings to Projects at the bottom of the Settings tab. In the modal that appears, click Apply Settings again to confirm.

Going forward, existing projects will enforce your toggle selections when users create new billing items or edit existing ones.

Heads Up!

• This action cannot be undone, so proceed with caution.
• This action must be repeated whenever your code settings are updated.
• Codeset requirements are not enforced during bulk editing.

DocGen and Reporting

Billing codes will appear as columns on the default invoice template DocGen, and can be added to the Invoice template DocGen with their own mergefields as most fields. 

These codes are all reportable using the Billing Items report type, which is used to look at individual line items.