The PowerLegal Accounts Payable System manages the firm’s cash requirements, prints checks to pay accounts payable invoices and provides accounting records of payments to vendors. This application integrates with the PowerLegal Time and Billing System as well as the General Ledger System. Cash, accrual or dual-basis accounting is supported with automatic creation of general ledger entries.

Vendor Records

Vendor records provide the names, addresses and payment controls for accounts payable checks.

• Vendor numbers can include up to 15 numeric or alphanumeric characters to accommodate existing numbering systems.
• Optional assignment of numeric vendor numbers by the system.
• One-time vendors can be setup during invoice entry with automatic assignment of vendor numbers. One-time vendors can be omitted from vendor listings if desired.
• Abbreviated vendor name field to control the alphabetic sort sequence of vendors.
• Full vendor name and address for identification and printed checks.
• Alternate “pay to” name and address for checks payable to a third party or mailed to an alternate address.
• Vendor contact name with telephone and fax numbers.
• Tax identification number for 1099 forms.
• Default general ledger account distributions provide account numbers for invoice entry where appropriate.
• Vendor payment hold permits temporarily suspending all payments to a vendor.
• User-defined payment classes permit identifying classes of vendors for invoice payment.
• User-defined report classes permit grouping vendors on selected reports.
• User-defined data catalog permits saving an unlimited number of data items for each vendor such as e-mail addresses and additional contact names. This feature can be visualized as user-defined fields in the vendor record.
• Vendor notes.
• User-formatted vendor listings.

Invoice Entry

Accounts payable invoices trigger the payments to vendors and provide the accounting distribution to record expenses in the general ledger. Significant features of invoice entry include:

• Setup one-time vendors during invoice entry.
• Popup search windows to lookup vendors and account codes.
• Duplicate invoice checking.
• Separate due date and discount date available to control the selection of invoices for payment.
• Identify an invoice with an invoice date, invoice number (optional), purchase order number (optional) and invoice description. These fields can be included on the check stub to identify the invoices being paid.
• Distribute the invoice amount to any number of general ledger accounts.
• Identify selected items on an invoice for use tax reporting.
• Directly bill amounts from any invoice to one or more clients and matters.
• Temporarily suspend payment of any invoice.

Client Expense Billing

The amounts on any invoice can be billed to one or more clients and matters by clicking a single button on the invoice entry window. These expense transactions are immediately available in the PowerLegal Time and Billing System.

Recurring Invoices

Many firms issue checks each month for expenses which are not supported by invoices received from the vendors, such as parking and office rent. These items can be defined as recurring invoices for automatic payment on the scheduled due dates.

Multiple Bank Accounts

Accounts payable invoices can be paid from any selected bank account. The choice of a bank account is made at the time of payment. Bank reconciliation schedules can be printed for each bank account.

Invoice Payment

The PowerLegal Accounts Payable System provides flexible invoice payment features including:

• Pay any invoice with a computer-printed or manual check.
• Print a check for a single vendor on demand.
• Print checks for multiple vendors based on preselected invoices.
• Select invoices for payment based on discount dates or due dates. Optionally restrict vendors based on vendor payment classes. Add or delete invoices from the payment list before printing the checks.
• Print a prelist of invoices selected for payment.
• User-designed check formats including checks for laser printers.
• Void check processing.
• Outstanding checks maintained for bank reconciliation schedules.

Vendor Payment History

The system maintains a history of vendor payments for inquiry and reporting purposes. Payment history is also used for the annual 1099 tax statements. Vendor payments occurring prior to implementation of the system can also be added to the payment history.

Interactive Inquiry

The interactive inquiry feature in the Accounts Payable System permits you to view accounts payable invoices and vendor payment history.

• Paid and unpaid invoices by vendor.
• Payment history by vendor.
• Check registers for any range of dates.
• Drill down for an expanded view of any transaction.

When responding to a vendor’s inquiry concerning an invoice payment, you can interactively display the invoice and all related transactions including payments and void checks.

Accounts Payable Reporting

Various types of reports and listings are available throughout the PowerLegal Accounts Payable System. All reports can be displayed or printed.

• Dozens of reports are provided with the system, preformatted and ready to use. Easily select the reports appropriate for your firm and add them to a report menu. Provide your own report titles and page formatting such as portrait or landscape orientation and margin settings.
• Vendor listings provide user-defined columns, listing sequences and vendor selection.
• Vendor labels including mailing and file-folder labels can be printed for various selection criteria.
• Formatted listings are available such as a chart of accounts for coding accounts payable invoices.
• Displayed data from interactive inquiries and data-entry windows can be printed on request.

Standard Reports

This system provides all of the standard accounts payable reports including:

• Cash requirement reports with user-defined aging periods
• Listings of unpaid invoices in various sequences
• Listings of invoices with payment holds
• Trial balances with user-defined aging periods
• Vendor analysis reports
• Bank reconciliation schedules
• Detailed and summary check registers
• Use tax reports
• Invoice journals
• Cash disbursement journals
• General ledger transaction listings

Use Tax Reporting

Many states require that a tax return be filed to pay use taxes on certain items purchased out-of-state for which sales taxes have not been paid. This system includes a feature permitting items on a vendor’s invoice to be flagged for use tax reporting. A use tax report listing these purchases can be printed at any time.

Annual Form 1099 Tax Statements

The PowerLegal Accounts Payable System provides Form 1099 tax reporting with the following features:

• Regular and one-time vendors can be flagged as being eligible for 1099 forms.
• User-defined formatting for 1099 forms.
• Print 1099 forms for all eligible vendors with qualifying total annual payment amounts.
• Print a 1099 form for any selected vendor on demand.
• Optionally print a Form 1099 listing with the information required for manual preparation of 1099 forms.

General Ledger Entries

The PowerLegal Accounts Payable System automatically creates accrual and/or cash basis general ledger entries for the following transactions depending on the firm’s accounting basis:

• Accounts payable invoices
• Void invoices
• Accounts payable checks
• Void checks