When you bill a file in Review Charges, Legal Accounting can apply the client's trust funds to the invoice. This article covers common problems with applying trust at billing. Use it when Trust Available is blank, the Include toggle for trust is unavailable, trust transfers go out as EFT instead of cheques, draw-down files stop paying from trust automatically, or billing takes more from trust than the client has.

Trust Available Is Blank After Changing Trust Bank Accounts

Possible cause: The file group still points to the old trust account.

To fix this:

1. Go to Contacts > File Manager.
2. Open the file.
3. Under Billing Settings, note the File Group.
4. Go to Admin Settings > Contact/Casefile > File Groups.
5. Edit that file group.
6. Under the automatic trust transfer accounts, change the trust account (for example, from t1 to t2).
7. Click Save.

Trust Transfers at Billing Are Created as EFT

Possible cause: The firm setting for trust transfers at billing is set to EFT. This setting controls whether trust transfers made at billing are created as cheques or as EFTs.

To fix this:

1. Go to Admin Settings > Firm > Settings > Features.
2. Set Trust transfers at the time of billing should be created as to Cheque.
3. Click Save.

Draw-Down Files Don't Transfer Trust Automatically

To fix this:

1. Pay the current invoices with a transfer.
2. Go to Admin Settings > Billing > Billing Groups.
3. Open the billing group.
4. Toggle Auto transfer trust to off.
5. Toggle Auto transfer trust to on.
6. Click Save.

"Handle Trust Changes on Invoices with Multiple Contacts" Error, or Include Is Unavailable

Possible cause: The file is split-billed, or was in the past.

To fix this:

1. Finalize the invoice.
2. Apply trust with a transfer.

If the file shouldn't be split, see the split billing article.

Trust Available Is Lower Than the Trust Balance

This is expected. Trust Available in Review Charges shows only the amount that can be applied at billing, not the full trust balance.

To fix this:

• To use the rest, finalize the invoice and pay it with a transfer.

More Is Taken Than the Client Has in Trust

Possible causes and solutions:

• The file has an operating retainer, for example from a deleted invoice that was paid from trust. Check the ledger. To move the retainer back to trust, see Issuing Refund or Overpayment to Client, part 3.
• Trust was moved to another file after you requested the bill. Undo the draft in Review Charges and request the bill again.

Caution: If the amount is still wrong, change the trust amount on the draft by hand so it doesn't exceed the client's trust balance, and contact Actionstep Support before you finalize.

Updated November 03, 2026 20:58