Some U.S. states permit a firm to pay itself from trust for work in progress — that is, before the client has been billed. Where that applies, an admin user can enable this setting using a firm-wide setting.

Note: This applies to U.S. firms only, and only in states that permit the practice.

Caution: Paying from trust before billing is not permitted everywhere. Confirm your state bar's rules before enabling this setting.

To enable this option for your users:

1. Navigate to the Admin menu, then select Firm and then the Settings tab. 
2. Click the File option from the Settings ribbon.
3. In the Retainers section, turn on Allow trust- to-operating transfer of fees WIP.
4. Click Save to save your changes.

Updated October 02, 2026 14:36