Invoicing & Financial Management

Standard Payments & Commission Lifecycle

1. Purpose & Audience

This page defines how standard (non-recurring, non-shared) client payments are recorded in the BackOffice CRM, how commission is calculated, aggregated, and invoiced to Users, and which control mechanisms ensure that all relevant payments are declared and settled correctly.

It is intended for Developers implementing or modifying payment and commission logic, Users (lawyers and other professionals) who must record payments and understand their commission statements, and Admin staff who oversee invoicing, collections, and financial reporting.

2. Scope & Non‑Scope

This section covers:

It does not cover:

3. Core Concepts & Definitions

3.1 Payment

A payment is any monetary amount that a client pays to a User (or to AA where applicable) in respect of a specific client record and its associated Enquiry Type (ET). In BackOffice, payments are stored in the Payments tab of the client record and form the basis for commission calculation.

3.2 Commission

Commission is the fee that AA charges a User or provider, calculated as a percentage of the ex‑VAT amount of the payments declared for a client. Commission rates are driven primarily by ET configuration in Laravel, with possible overrides per User and per provider.

3.3 Commission Base (Ex‑VAT)

The commission base is the taxable amount on which AA’s commission percentage is applied. The system assumes that VAT charged by the User to the client is excluded from the commission base. Where a User declares an amount that includes VAT, Admin may need to correct the amount so that only the ex‑VAT portion contributes to commission.

3.4 User vs Admin

A User is a lawyer or other professional who handles client work and records payments in BackOffice. Admin refers to Advocate Abroad internal staff who configure ETs and commission rules in Laravel, create blocking tasks, monitor unpaid commission, and issue or manage invoices.

3.5 Provider / Agency

A provider or agency is an organisation configured in Laravel that can send multiple clients and has its own commission structure and payment/invoicing settings. For standard payments, the logic for calculating AA’s commission per payment is the same, but aggregation and statements can be at provider level as well as per individual User.

4. Data Model Overview

4.1 BackOffice Client & Payments

4.2 Laravel Commission Configuration

4.3 Aggregation & Invoicing Data

5. Declaring Standard Payments in BackOffice

5.1 Accessing the Payments Tab

Within a BackOffice client record, the Payments tab is one of the standard tabs in the top tab bar. Only Users and Admin with appropriate permissions can add, edit, or delete payment entries.

5.2 Payment Entry Fields

A typical payment row includes at least the following fields:

5.3 Validation Rules

5.4 Status Impact of Payments

When the User has finalised the service being provided to the client and the total commissionable payments declared for a client reaches the agreed fee, Users are expected to move the client status from Ongoing to Completed. Some flows enforce this by presenting a completion popup summarising recorded payments and asking the User to confirm that the amounts match what was actually paid.

In some configurations, adding the first commissionable payment automatically changes the status from Created Lead to Ongoing or similar, to reflect that work has commenced and fees have been received.

6. Commission Calculation Logic

6.1 Determining the Commission Rate

When AA refers a client directly to a User (no prior referral from another User), the standard commission rate is 20% of the net (ex‑VAT) amount paid by the client to that User.

When a client is referred by one User to another User, the standard commission rate for the referred enquiry is 30% of the net amount paid by the client to the “referred to” User. Of that 30%, the “referring” User receives 50% as a referral share (i.e. 15% of the client’s net payment), and AA retains the remaining 15%.

6.2 Commission Base and Amount

For each commissionable payment, the commission base is the ex‑VAT amount declared. The system multiplies the base by the applicable commission rate to compute the commission amount for that payment. Commission amounts are rounded according to local accounting rules (typically to two decimal places).

6.3 Partial and Staged Payments

When clients pay in stages (e.g. provision of funds followed by final payment), Users create a separate payment entry for each amount received. The system calculates commission per payment and accumulates these amounts for the period. If a User mistakenly declares the same payment twice, Admin must remove or correct the extra line; otherwise, commission would be overstated.

6.4 Non‑Commissionable Payments

Some payments, such as pure disbursements or third‑party expenses, are recorded for completeness but should not attract commission. These entries are created with the commissionable flag set to false. They appear in the Payments tab for the client but are excluded from commission summaries and invoices.

7. Control System for Payment Declaration

7.1 Blocking Tasks

Admin can create blocking tasks in BackOffice that prevent a User from accessing other client records until a specific action is completed. One of the main blocking task types is “Add Payment”, which is used when AA knows or strongly suspects that the User has received fundsfrom a client but has not yet declared them in the Payments tab.

When a blocking Add Payment task exists, the User is presented with a popup on login or when opening another client and is redirected to the relevant client record to declare the payment. After they add the payment and mark the task as complete, normal navigation is restored.

7.2 Status Change Checks

When Users attempt to change status to Completed or Closed, the system can display a confirmation popup summarising the total payments recorded for the client. If the User enters a “total paid” that does not match the sum of payments, a warning is shown and the User is encouraged to review the Payments tab before continuing.

In some flows, status change is blocked entirely until at least one payment has been declared, to avoid Completed cases with zero payments.

7.3 Dashboards & Lists Highlighting Missing Payments

Admin dashboards can display lists of clients where:

These lists help Admin identify potential under‑reporting of payments and trigger manual follow‑up with Users.

7.4 Notification Emails to Users

When Admin creates or updates blocking tasks or when commission invoices remain unpaid, the system can send notification emails to Users. Typical notifications include:

8. Commission Aggregation & Cut‑Off

8.1 Aggregation Period

Commission is typically aggregated on a monthly basis, although quarterly or other periods are possible if configured. All commissionable payments with a payment date within the aggregation period and declared before the cut‑off date are included in the statement for that period.

8.2 Cut‑Off Rules

The cut‑off date is the point at which the system stops adding payments to the current period’s commission batch. For example, if invoices are issued on the first Friday of the month, all payments in the previous calendar month that have been declared up to that Friday are included. Late declarations may be carried to the next period or, in special cases, handled by manual adjustment.

8.3 Grouping by User and Provider

The aggregation process groups payments by:

Each group forms the basis for one invoice or statement issued to that party.

9. Invoicing Commission to Users

9.1 Invoice Generation

Certain Enquiry Types have a fixed commission rate of 20% regardless of whether the client came via a referral. For those Enquiry Types, if another User has referred the client, the referrer still receives 50% of the commission, but the split is applied to the fixed 20% rate (i.e. 10% of the client’s net payment to the “referred to” User for the referrer, and 10% for AA).

9.2 Invoice Contents

A standard commission invoice includes at least:

In many cases, a detailed statement is attached or accessible in the User’s dashboard, listing each client, ET, payment amount, commission rate, and commission amount.

9.3 Delivery & User Access

Invoices are delivered via email to the User’s registered address and may be accessible in a “Commission Statements” or similar section of the User dashboard. Users are expected to pay the invoice by the due date using the provided bank details.

9.4 Overdue Invoices

When an invoice is not paid by the due date, the system can:

10. User & Admin UI Behaviour

10.1 User View

Users interact primarily with:

10.2 Admin View

Admin users have additional views and actions, including:

11. Edge Cases & Known Pitfalls

11.1 Incorrect VAT Handling

A common issue is Users entering the total amount received from the client, including VAT, as the commissionable amount. This leads to over‑charging of commission. Admin should correct such entries by reducing the commissionable base to the ex‑VAT amount and, if necessary, adjusting any already issued invoices via credit notes (documented under 7.4).

11.2 Duplicate Payments

Duplicate payment rows can occur if a User creates a new payment entry instead of editing an existing one. The system cannot reliably detect all duplicates, so Admin should periodically review payment lists for anomalies (e.g. same amount and date appearing twice) and instruct Users to correct errors.

11.3 Zero or Missing Payments on Completed Cases

If a case reaches Completed or Closed status with no payments recorded, dashboards or reports may highlight it as a potential issue. Admin should follow up with the User to confirm whether the client never paid or whether the payment has not yet been declared.

12. Configuration Points (Laravel)

12.1 Commission Settings per User

In Laravel, each User profile has a Commission Settings section, where Admin can define:

12.2 Commission Settings per ET

Each ET configuration in Laravel includes:

12.3 Provider Settings

Provider records in Laravel define:

13. Process Flow: Lead to Commission

13.1 High‑Level Steps

  1. Lead captured and assigned: Website form submission creates a client record in BackOffice with an ET and assigned User; status is New Enquiry or Awaiting Assignment.
  2. Service delivered: User communicates with the client, sends quotations, and carries out agreed work. Status moves through Created Lead, In Progress, and Waiting for Response as appropriate.
  3. Client payment received: User receives payment from the client (advance, lump sum, or staged) and records each payment in the Payments tab as a commissionable entry.
  4. Commission computed: For each commissionable payment, the system determines the applicable commission rate and calculates commission. These values are stored and visible in relevant reports.
  5. Status completion: When work is complete and fees have been fully received, the User changes status to Completed and, if applicable, confirms payment totals in a popup.
  6. Aggregation & invoicing: At period end, commission amounts per User are aggregated, invoices are generated, and Users receive commission invoices and statements.
  7. Payment of commission: Users pay AA’s invoice. Overdue invoices trigger reminders and potential operational restrictions until resolved.

14. Testing & QA Considerations

When implementing or modifying payment and commission logic, testers should verify at minimum:

15. Open Questions & Future Enhancements

Accountant Convert Monthly Set-up to Monthly Client

1. General description

The Set-up to Monthly Client process describes how a one-off Set-up Only enquiry (for example Autonomo (Set-up Only) ID 241 or Limited Company Set-up Service ID 206) is converted into an ongoing monthly accounting client using the corresponding recurring service types (Self-Employed Set-Up Service ID 247 and Tax & Accounting Services (Limited Companies) ID 1360).

This process sits primarily in the BackOffice client lifecycle for General / Regular Enquiries, but it has implications for Business Logics (commission, reporting, statuses) and Technical Info (recurring services, payments). It is used by professionals/accountants and, where relevant, Admin, once the initial set-up engagement has been agreed and paid, and the client wishes Advocate Abroad partners to manage ongoing tax and accounting obligations.

The description here reflects the intended behaviour in Business Logic v2.0: the Set-up Only record is the entry point, a dedicated conversion action creates a linked monthly client record with the correct service type and recurring fee, and the original set-up record is automatically closed so that all future lifecycle actions occur only in the monthly record.

2. Business goals & objectives

The Set-up to Monthly Client process supports several core business objectives within the General / Regular Enquiry lifecycle.

  • Ensure that every client who moves from a one-off Set-up Only engagement to ongoing tax and accounting support has a clearly defined, separate monthly client record with the appropriate ET and pricing.
  • Guarantee that the Set-up Only engagement is financially complete (set-up fee recorded as Payment Received) before ongoing work is treated as a monthly service.
  • Align recurring invoices, Advocate Abroad commission calculations, and reporting with the correct monthly service types (IDs 247 and 1360) instead of reusing the Set-up Only ETs.
  • Prevent double handling and confusion by automatically closing the original Set-up Only record once a monthly client record is created, eliminating the need for further Next Progress Date (NPD) updates on the one-off enquiry.
  • Provide a consistent, predictable route for accountants to turn successful Set-up Only engagements into longer-term client relationships, thereby increasing lifetime value and stabilising revenue.

3. Detailed behaviour & step by step flow

This section describes the end-to-end behaviour, from the moment a Set-up Only enquiry is ready for conversion, through to the creation and use of the monthly client record.

3.1 Entry conditions

  • The client must already have an active Set-up Only enquiry in BackOffice, such as Autonomo (Set-up Only) ID 241 or Limited Company Set-up Service ID 206.
  • The professional has agreed with the client that, after registration/incorporation, the professional will continue to manage ongoing tax and accounting obligations for a fixed monthly fee.
  • The intended first month of the monthly service (year and month) is known and agreed with the client.

3.2 Financial validation on the Set-up Only record

  1. The accountant opens the Set-up Only enquiry in BackOffice.
  2. They record the set-up fee by clicking the Payment / Services button for that enquiry.
  3. In the payment popup, they enter the agreed service fee amount for the set-up engagement and submit it so that the Set-up Only record reflects the Payment Received amount for the one-off work.

This payment entry ensures that the set-up engagement can be treated as financially complete before the monthly client record is created.

3.3 Triggering the conversion from set-up to monthly

  1. Still on the Set-up Only enquiry screen, the accountant initiates the conversion by clicking the Create Monthly Client Record button.
  2. A confirmation popup appears asking whether to create a new client record to handle monthly payments from this client.
  3. The accountant confirms by selecting Yes, which instructs the system to start the monthly service creation flow based on this Set-up Only enquiry.

3.4 Defining monthly service terms

  1. After confirmation, a dialog titled Create Accounting Service for [Client Name] is displayed.
  2. The accountant enters the agreed recurring amount into the field “What monthly fee this client will pay?”.
  3. The accountant selects the year and month for “What will be the 1st month of the service?”, corresponding to the first month during which ongoing accounting/tax work will be delivered.
  4. The first month selected is included in the first monthly invoice raised under this accounting service; there is no separate pro-rata invoice in this logic.
  5. The toggle “Close set-up client record(s)” remains switched on by default so that, if the monthly record is created successfully, the originating Set-up Only record is automatically marked as closed.
  6. The accountant clicks Create Accounting Client Record to complete the configuration.

3.5 System actions on creation of monthly record

When the accountant confirms the creation:

  • The system validates that a monthly fee and a first month of service have been provided.
  • A new monthly accounting client record is created and linked to the same person/contact as the original Set-up Only enquiry.
  • The monthly record uses the appropriate recurring service type:
    • If the originating ET is Autonomo (Set-up Only) 241, the monthly record is created under Self-Employed Set-Up Service ID 247.
    • If the originating ET is Limited Company Set-up Service 206, the monthly record is created under Tax & Accounting Services (Limited Companies) ID 1360.
  • Core client and configuration data (name, contact details, location, tax jurisdiction context) are copied from the Set-up Only record into the new monthly record.
  • Advocate Abroad’s commission configuration for recurring services is automatically applied to the new monthly record so that subsequent monthly payments will automatically allocate the correct commission.
  • With “Close set-up client record(s)” enabled, the originating Set-up Only record has its status updated to the appropriate closed state, and no further Next Progress Date is required on that record.

3.6 Behaviour of the new monthly client record

  • The monthly client record becomes the primary record for all future interactions with that client regarding ongoing tax and accounting services.
  • All recurring billing (for example monthly invoices), monthly or quarterly tax filings, bookkeeping work, and ongoing communications should be managed from this monthly record.
  • The record is configured to support recurring services for the chosen ET (247 or 1360), including correct reporting and commission capture.
  • The system does not require or expect NPD updates on the closed Set-up Only record; scheduling and follow-up for the monthly work are handled by whatever NPD and task logic applies to monthly services in the broader Business Logic.

3.7 Exit points

  • The process ends when the new monthly accounting client record has been successfully created and the originating Set-up Only record has been closed.
  • From that point, the only further lifecycle change is to set to Completed and then Closed (by Admin)

3.8 Alternative entry: “Set-up Monthly Client” button

As an alternative to converting from a specific Set-up Only enquiry, the User can create a monthly client at any time by using the dedicated Set-up Monthly Client button, which opens the same “Create Accounting Service for [Client]” dialog shown in the set-up conversion flow.

  1. From the client’s BackOffice record, the User clicks the Set-up Monthly Client button (labelled “Create Monthly Client Record” in the Payment & Services area).
  2. The system displays the Create Accounting Service for [Client] popup.
  3. The User optionally selects “Who should deal with the service?” to assign a specific professional to the monthly engagement.
  4. The User enters the agreed amount in “What monthly fee this client will pay?”.
  5. The User chooses the year and month in “What will be the 1st month of the service?”, which defines the first month covered by the initial monthly invoice.
  6. Because this path is not necessarily tied to a specific Set-up Only enquiry, the “Close set-up client record(s)” toggle only has effect if there are open Set-up Only records linked to this client; otherwise it has no practical impact.
  7. The User clicks Create Accounting Client Record, and the system creates a new Monthly Client record of the appropriate type for ongoing services, without requiring a preceding set-up payment flow in the same screen.

This alternative path is intended for situations where a monthly accounting relationship is established independently of a Set-up Only ET, or where the User wishes to regularise a long‑standing client into the standard Monthly Client structure without re‑opening historic set-up workflows.

4. Confusions, edge cases & known issues

The following issues and potential confusions are known or anticipated for this process based on the documented behaviour and UI flow.

  • Professionals may continue to work inside the original Set-up Only record after conversion, instead of using the new monthly client record. The intended behaviour is to treat the Set-up Only record as historical only once the monthly client record exists.
  • If the accountant forgets to record the Set-up Only payment before creating the monthly record, reporting on set-up revenue vs monthly revenue may be inconsistent, even though the system allows the monthly record to be created after payment entry. The business intent is that the one-off payment is correctly captured before ongoing work begins.
  • There is potential confusion between “Self-Employed Set-Up Service ID 247” as a label and the original Set-up Only ET 241. In this process, 247 is the recurring monthly service type, not another one-off registration service, and should only be created from or in place of a completed 241 engagement.
  • Closing the Set-up Only record automatically via the “Close set-up client record(s)” toggle means users must understand that no further NPD updates are required on that record; forgetting this may lead to attempts to manage follow-up dates on a closed enquiry.
  • Edge cases where a client delays the start of monthly services (for example set-up completed in one month, but monthly service starts several months later) are handled by selecting a future “first month of the service” value, but the documentation does not specify additional constraints; any further rules (for example maximum gap allowed) would need explicit definition.

5. Permissions & access rules

The source documents do not define detailed role-based permissions for who may initiate the Set-up to Monthly Client conversion.

The working assumption for this page is that the conversion action is available to the professional or accountant responsible for the Set-up Only enquiry and, where configured, Admin users. If more granular rules exist (for example only Admin can configure monthly fees, or some users cannot close Set-up Only records), these need to be specified in separate permission documentation and linked here.

6. Timing, automation & background jobs

The Set-up to Monthly Client process itself is a user-triggered conversion and does not define additional SLAs or time-based automation beyond what already applies to NPD and status management in General / Regular Enquiries.

  • The only explicit timing-related rule in this process is that the “first month of the service” chosen during creation defines which calendar month is included in the first monthly invoice for the new accounting service.
  • Automatic closure of the Set-up Only record happens immediately when the monthly record is successfully created and the “Close set-up client record(s)” option is enabled; there is no delayed closure.
  • Any additional automation affecting the monthly record (for example NPD expiry, hibernation, or anonymisation behaviour) is governed by the general Business Logic for recurring services and is not redefined here.
  • No specific cronjob or background task is documented as operating solely on this conversion process; instead, the monthly record participates in the same background jobs that apply to all recurring client records.

7. Dependencies & interactions with other processes

The Set-up to Monthly Client process depends on and interacts with several other parts of the Advocate Abroad ecosystem.

  • It depends on correct configuration of Enquiry Types (ETs) for Set-up Only services (for example 241 and 206) and recurring services (247 and 1360) so that the system can map from the original ET to the correct monthly service type.
  • It requires that the General / Regular Enquiry lifecycle be functioning correctly, including statuses and Next Progress Date logic, so that the Set-up Only record reaches the point where conversion is appropriate.
  • The process interacts with the Payments and Commissions business rules, ensuring that one-off set-up payments are recorded against the Set-up Only record and recurring monthly payments are recorded against the monthly record with appropriate commission.
  • The new monthly record will participate in any Recurring Services logic (for example recurring invoicing, long-term client metrics) defined elsewhere in the Business Logics book, but those rules are not duplicated here.
  • Closing the Set-up Only record ensures that background processes and queues that rely on statuses and NPD (such as daily updates or OOO summaries) treat the client as handled under a monthly service rather than as an open one-off enquiry.

8. Error handling, recovery & idempotency

The documentation does not describe detailed error-handling or idempotency rules specific to this conversion process; however, some practical considerations follow from the intended behaviour.

  • If the creation of the monthly client record fails (for example due to validation errors on the monthly fee or first month of service), the system should keep the Set-up Only record unchanged and present validation feedback to the user so they can correct the input and retry.
  • If the monthly record has already been created and the user accidentally attempts the conversion again, the behaviour for a second “Create Monthly Client Record” action is not defined in the available sources; this should be treated as an open question and resolved at implementation time (for example by blocking repeat conversions or linking to the existing monthly record).
  • Corrections to wrongly entered monthly fee or first month of service are expected to be made directly on the monthly client record, not by re-running the conversion.
  • If payment for the Set-up Only service was entered incorrectly, standard payment correction tools should be used on the Set-up Only record; this does not inherently affect the existence of the monthly record but may impact reporting and commission totals.

9. Performance & scalability considerations

The available documentation does not mention specific performance constraints or optimisation requirements for the Set-up to Monthly Client process.

The implicit expectation is that creation of the monthly client record, copying of client data, and closure of the Set-up Only record occur quickly enough that the user sees the new record and updated status without noticeable delay. Any list views or dashboards that include monthly records should reflect the new record according to the standard refresh and pagination behaviour defined elsewhere.

10. Configuration & customisation

This process depends on configuration of service types and some aspects of recurring service behaviour.

  • The mapping from Set-up Only ETs (for example Autonomo 241, Limited Company 206) to monthly service ETs (247 and 1360) is treated as a configuration or code-level rule; it must be maintained consistently so that the correct monthly ET is always chosen.
  • Default behaviour for closing Set-up Only records (“Close set-up client record(s)” being on by default) is a configuration choice that could potentially be changed if business rules evolve, but the documentation assumes closure is the norm.
  • Monthly fee amounts and first month of service are not hard-coded; they are entered case-by-case by the professional at the time of conversion, reflecting negotiated terms with each client.
  • Any additional reporting flags or inclusion/exclusion rules (for example whether certain ETs are eligible for conversion, or how converted clients appear in statistics) must be configured in line with the broader Business Logic v2.0 but are not further detailed here.

11. Notifications & communication rules

The sources do not define specific email or notification templates tied uniquely to the Set-up to Monthly Client conversion event.

It is understood that professionals may inform clients manually (for example by email) about the start of ongoing services, the agreed monthly fee, and the first month included in the first invoice, but these communications are governed by general messaging rules and not by a dedicated automated notification in this process. If, in future, automatic client or Admin notifications are added when a monthly record is created from a Set-up Only enquiry, they should be documented here with triggers and recipients.

12. Historical changes & Trello driven updates

The Set-up to Monthly Client process is part of the broader evolution from ad hoc handling of recurring clients to a structured recurring services model in Business Logic v2.0.

  • Historically, professionals may have continued to manage ongoing work within the original Set-up Only enquiry or created separate records manually, leading to inconsistent reporting and commission tracking. The current process formalises a single, guided conversion path.
  • The explicit mapping from Set-up Only ETs to recurring ETs (241 → 247, 206 → 1360) and the automatic closure of the Set-up Only record are intended to eliminate legacy confusion about where recurring work should be stored.
  • Any older data where monthly work is attached directly to Set-up Only records should be treated as legacy and, where feasible, migrated to the new structure when practical.

13. Compliance & legal constraints

The Set-up to Monthly Client process touches compliance primarily through financial and audit requirements rather than direct legal rules.

  • Recording the Set-up Only payment and then the recurring monthly payments on the appropriate records supports transparent financial reporting and, where applicable, tax or accounting obligations of the professionals.
  • Maintaining a clear separation between the one-off set-up engagement and the ongoing monthly engagement helps ensure that invoices, commissions and revenue recognition are traceable and auditable.
  • Any GDPR-related handling of client records (for example anonymisation after retention windows) is governed by global GDPR and data protection processes and applies equally to Set-up Only and monthly records; this process does not override those rules.

14. Known backend services & integration points

The documentation does not enumerate specific Laravel modules, APIs or background jobs dedicated solely to this process, but several backend components are implicitly involved.

  • The BackOffice models for Enquiry Types, client records, payments, and recurring services must support creation of a new monthly record linked to an existing client and ET mapping.
  • Payment handling services are invoked when the set-up fee is recorded and when recurring payments are later taken under the monthly record; commission logic depends on the chosen ET.
  • Any APIs or jobs responsible for reporting or dashboards that distinguish between one-off and recurring revenue must use the ET and record type (Set-up Only vs monthly) to group figures correctly.
  • NPD and status-handling services will treat the closed Set-up Only record differently from the active monthly record, in line with the general Business Logic for statuses and NPD.

15. Behavioural guardrails & Project Manager guidance

The following guardrails express the intended way professionals and the system should use this process, and the mechanisms that support that behaviour.

  • Always convert successful Set-up Only clients to a dedicated monthly record. Ongoing tax and accounting work should not continue indefinitely inside a Set-up Only enquiry. The dedicated “Create Monthly Client Record” button is the mechanism that enforces a clean separation between one-off and recurring work.
  • Record the Set-up Only payment before or alongside conversion. Professionals should ensure that the set-up fee is properly recorded via the Payment / Services flow so that financial reporting and commission on the one-off work are complete before relying on the monthly record. The payment popup and Payment Received indicators are the tools for this guardrail.
  • Use the monthly record as the single source of truth for ongoing work. Once a monthly record exists and the Set-up Only record is closed, all future NPD updates, messages, tasks, and payments must be added to the monthly record. Automatic closure of the Set-up Only record, plus the absence of further NPD requirements on it, are intended to nudge users to the correct place.
  • Do not bypass the mapped ETs. Professionals should not manually create adhoc recurring ETs unrelated to the documented mapping (241 → 247, 206 → 1360) for this workflow, as that would undermine standard reporting and commission rules. The predefined ET mapping and the dedicated conversion flow are designed to encourage consistent use.
  • Clarify monthly terms with the client. The monthly fee and first month of service must reflect what was actually agreed with the client; the fields in the “Create Accounting Service” dialog capture these parameters explicitly to reduce ambiguity later.

Admin Payments Management

1. General description

The BackOffice Invoice Management area is where Admin manage monthly commission invoicing to Users, track client payments collected directly by AA, record AA’s own expenses, and generate summary reports for the accounts department. It consolidates all amounts that originate from payments declared in client records and from manually entered expense transactions, and exposes them through several tabs: Summary, Upcoming, Past, Client Payments, Payments, Expenses, and Reports.

From this screen Admin decide which User invoices should be emitted, approve or skip low‑value invoices, mark invoices as paid (emitting receipts), correct over‑ or under‑payments, issue credit notes when necessary, and export period‑level financial summaries needed for tax filings.

2. Business goals & objectives

  • Aggregate all commission due from User‑declared client payments into a clear monthly view, so AA can raise accurate invoices.
  • Allow Admin to apply business rules such as minimum invoice thresholds (e.g. not issuing invoices below a certain amount) before committing to send invoices.
  • Track the full lifecycle of each invoice (created, processed, paid, corrected, credited) with minimal manual work and proper supporting documents.
  • Record and categorise AA’s own expenses and supplier transactions so that net results and tax amounts can be reported correctly.
  • Provide downloadable reports suitable for hand‑off to external accountants for periodic tax filings.

3. Detailed behaviour & step by step flow


3.1 Monthly totals and Summary tab

The Summary tab in Invoice Management shows a month‑by‑month overview of AA’s position for the selected financial year. Each row represents a month (plus a special Pending row for the current month that is not yet closed) and includes columns such as:

  • Current Month Net (Last Year Same Month) – net revenue for that month, with an up/down arrow indicating whether it is higher or lower than the same month in the previous year.
  • Total Tax – total VAT or equivalent tax summed across all invoices for that month.
  • Total Outstanding – total amount of invoices issued but not yet marked as paid for that month.

Admin typically use this view to monitor trends, quickly see which months still have unpaid invoices, and confirm that the “Pending” month is ready to be closed once all relevant client payments have been declared and invoices processed.

3.2 Upcoming tab – deciding which invoices to emit

The Upcoming tab lists all future or not‑yet‑emitted commission invoices that could be generated for Users based on payments they have declared in client records. For each User, the system aggregates commission amounts for the current billing period (usually monthly) and shows an entry representing the draft invoice.

  1. Admin open Invoice Management and click the Upcoming tab.
  2. The table lists Users (or providers) with their pending invoice amounts for the chosen period, usually with columns such as Invoicee (User), Net Total, Tax, Total, and possibly a flag indicating whether the invoice is currently marked to be emitted.
  3. For each row, Admin decide whether the invoice should be created in the next run. The unwritten but applied rule is that invoices with a Total below approximately €50 are typically not emitted, to avoid bank charges or disproportionate costs for the User; higher amounts proceed as normal.
  4. Admin mark low‑value invoices as “do not emit” (for example by unchecking a “Process” checkbox, using an action dropdown, or similar UI control) so they are skipped when invoices are generated.
  5. When ready, Admin trigger the monthly invoice generation process (typically via a separate command or scheduled procedure), which converts all “to be emitted” rows into actual invoices visible in the Past tab.

3.3 Past tab – managing existing invoices, receipts, corrections, and credit notes

The Past tab (often labelled Invoice History) lists all previously created invoices with key columns: Invoice number, Created date, Receiver (User), Net Total, Tax, Total, Processed flag, and Receipt Issue Date. Each row includes an Actions button which opens a menu for common admin operations.

Typical actions available per invoice are:

  • Set paid – marks the invoice as paid and automatically issues a receipt.
  • Regenerate invoice – rebuilds the invoice document using updated configuration (for example, if VAT must be removed because the User has later provided a valid EU VAT number).
  • Correction – creates an adjusted receipt when the User has paid too little or too much.
  • Credit Note – issues a credit note when AA needs formally to reverse part or all of an already paid invoice.
3.3.1 Set paid
  1. Admin locate the invoice row in Past and click Actions > Set paid.
  2. The system marks the invoice as processed/paid, fills the Receipt Issue Date with the current date (or allows Admin to pick a date), and generates a receipt document referencing the original invoice.
  3. The invoice’s outstanding balance is reduced to zero in the Summary and any relevant reports.
3.3.2 Regenerate invoice
  1. Admin select Regenerate invoice from the Actions menu of the target invoice.
  2. The system rebuilds the invoice document from the underlying data (client payments, commission rates, VAT rules) applying the current configuration.
  3. This is typically used when VAT must be added or removed (for example, when a User gains or loses a valid EU VAT number) or when commission settings have been corrected but the underlying payments remain the same.
3.3.3 Correction (under/over‑payment)
  1. If a User pays an amount that is different from the invoice total, Admin open the Actions menu and choose Correction.
  2. The correction tool allows Admin to enter:
    • How much the User actually paid.
    • Whether the difference should be treated as under‑payment or over‑payment.
  3. The system generates an adjusted receipt that matches the amount received and automatically carries the missing or extra amount into the next commission invoice:
    • If the User paid less, the shortfall is added to the next invoice as an additional line.
    • If the User paid more, the excess is deducted from the next invoice.
  4. This ensures that each receipt matches the bank transaction while cumulative commission over time remains correct.
3.3.4 Credit Note
  1. Where a User has already paid an invoice but AA decides to refund part or all of the amount, Admin use the Credit Note action from the invoice’s Actions menu.
  2. The Create Credit Note popup shows the original invoice totals and provides two main input areas:
    • Payment Rebate – entering an amount here applies a rebate proportionally to the commission portion (for example, entering €100 may generate a €20 credit if commission was 20%).
    • Fixed Amount – entering an amount here applies that exact value as a negative line in the credit note.
  3. Admin can add comments for each line to document the reason (for example, “overcharged commission on case X”).
  4. After clicking Add for the relevant lines and confirming, the system generates a credit note document linked to the original invoice. Admin may choose whether or not to send the credit note to the User; in some cases it is issued mainly for internal accounting if the User has already been reimbursed via bank transfer.

3.4 Client Payments tab – proformas and direct client receipts

The Client Payments tab lists invoices and proforma invoices issued to end clients in situations where AA collects funds directly (for example via card payments or other online methods) before passing on the User’s share. Each row shows information such as invoice or proforma number, creation date, receiving User, net total, tax, total, processed flag, and receipt issue date.

Important points for Admin:

  • The net total received from the client is not the same as AA’s commission amount. AA must pay the collaborating professional their share of the fee, and in referral cases also pay referral commission to the referring User.
  • From this screen Admin can download client invoices, monitor which client payments have been processed in the external accounting system, and ensure that transfers to Users and referrers are reconciled with the amounts shown.

3.5 Payments tab – AA’s own outbound payments

The Payments tab (if enabled) is used to record outbound payments made by AA that are not suppliers’ expenses (for example, settlements, refunds, or specific transfers to partners) and to reconcile them with corresponding invoices or credit notes. The structure is similar to Expenses but oriented around payments out rather than invoices in.

3.6 Expenses tab – suppliers, categories and recurring transactions

The Expenses tab is where Admin record and manage AA’s own supplier invoices and operational expenses. It is composed of several related views and popups.

3.6.1 Expenses list
  1. Admin open Invoice Management > Expenses.
  2. The main table lists expense transactions with columns: Date, Category, Total, VAT %, Issuer (supplier), and Comment/Attachments.
  3. A bar at the top shows the aggregated net total and VAT for the currently selected period (“In the selected time period”).
  4. Filters allow narrowing by Issue Date, Issuer, Category, and Transaction Type (e.g. Expense vs Income).
  5. Clicking Add Transaction opens the Add New Transaction form (see below).
3.6.2 Add New Transaction
  1. From the Expenses tab, Admin click Add Transaction.
  2. The Add New Transaction form appears, with required fields such as:
    • Transaction Type – for example Expense or Income.
    • Category – transaction category (e.g. Professional Services, Software, Webhosting, Telephony).
    • Issuer – supplier from the Suppliers list.
    • Issue Date, Billing Address, Tax Number, and Invoicing Company.
    • Amount (net), VAT %, VAT amount, Retention, and Grand Total.
    • Optional Reverse Charge toggle and Attachment(s) upload for invoice PDFs.
  3. After completing the fields, Admin click Save. The new expense appears in the main Expenses table and is included in period totals and reports.
3.6.3 Transaction Categories management
  1. From the Expenses tab, Admin click Categories to open the Transaction Categories screen.
  2. This shows a grid of existing categories (e.g. Financial Income, Financial Services, Office Rental, Salary, Telephony, Travel & Expenses, User Share Fee, etc.), each with an X button to delete.
  3. Admin can type a new category name into the input at the bottom and click Add to create a new category.
  4. These categories then become available in the Category dropdown when adding or editing transactions.
3.6.4 Suppliers and recurring transactions
  1. From the Expenses tab, Admin click Suppliers to open the suppliers list.
  2. The table lists suppliers with fields like Id, Company Name, Address, VAT Number, and a column for Recurring Transaction(s).
  3. Each supplier row shows existing recurring expenses (e.g. “€164.00 every 1 Years from 30/06/2025”) and a link Add Recurring Transaction.
  4. Clicking Add Supplier opens a popup with fields for Name, Address, and VAT Number; clicking Submit creates the supplier.
  5. Clicking Add Recurring Transaction (or editing an existing one) opens the Edit Recurring Transaction popup, with fields:
    • Type – usually Expense.
    • Category – such as Professional Services.
    • Amount, VAT %, Retention.
    • Is Reverse Charge? toggle.
    • Recurrence – e.g. every 1 Months or every 1 Years.
    • Start Date.
  6. When submitted, these recurring transactions automatically generate expense entries at the configured interval, reducing manual data entry.

3.7 Reports tab – generating files for tax filing

The Reports tab provides Admin with period‑based export tools to compile figures for the accounts department and external accountants.

  1. Admin open Invoice Management > Reports.
  2. The top of the screen shows a Reporting Period control with:
    • Preset buttons This Month, Last Month, Year To Date, Last Year.
    • A date range selector where Admin can choose custom start and end dates.
    • A Reset button to clear filters.
  3. After selecting the desired period, Admin click Get Financial Report.
  4. The system generates a financial report file (typically CSV, Excel or PDF) summarising:
    • Client invoice totals (net, tax, gross) for the period.
    • Commission invoiced to Users.
    • Expenses by category and total VAT on purchases.
  5. Admin send this file to the accounts department or upload it into external accounting software for VAT and corporate tax submissions.

4. Confusions, edge cases & known issues

  • There is an internal rule that invoices below approximately €50 are usually not emitted to avoid disproportionate bank and transfer costs for Users. This threshold is not currently enforced automatically in the UI; Admin must manually deselect small invoices in the Upcoming tab.
  • When correcting under‑ or over‑payments, Admin must be careful to use the Correction tool rather than issuing a credit note unless a formal refund is actually being made. Over‑use of credit notes can complicate external accounting and tax reporting.
  • In the Client Payments tab, Admin must remember that the net total shown is the full amount paid by the client, not AA’s commission. Separate systems or reports handle pay‑outs to professionals and referrers; this screen alone does not show those deductions.

5. Permissions & access rules

Access to Invoice Management and its actions is normally restricted to Admin and finance roles. Regular Users (lawyers and ASPs) do not see this area. Only Admin should be able to:

  • Decide which draft invoices proceed from Upcoming to issued state.
  • Mark invoices as paid, regenerate invoices, apply corrections, and issue credit notes.
  • Create and edit expense transactions, categories, suppliers, and recurring transactions.
  • Generate financial reports covering all Users and all clients.