Getting started with Expenses

November 3, 2026

Expense entries record the costs you incur on a matter, such as filing fees or postage, so you can bill them to the client.

Table of contents

Add an expense entry

To open the Add Expense Entry panel, click Add Expense in the Activities module or in the Activities tab of a matter dashboard. You can also select Add Expense in the actions menu of a matter in the Matters list, click + next to Expenses in the UnBilled Balances card of a matter dashboard, or click + in Expense entries while you create or edit a quick bill.

  1. Select the Activity Category (required). If the category has an amount, Maatdesk fills in the Amount. If the category you need isn’t listed, create it first.
  2. Check the Amount (required) and change it if needed.
  3. Select the Matter (required). When you add the expense from a matter, the matter is already selected and can’t be changed.
  4. Check the User who bills the expense and the Date (today by default).
  5. In Description, enter a short note about the expense.
  6. Turn on Non-Billable if the expense won’t be billed. It’s on by default when the matter isn’t billable. Turn on Non-Charge to show the expense on the invoice without charging the client. When Non-Billable is on, Non-Charge and Generate Bill are hidden.
  7. Select Generate Bill to create a bill for the expense when you save it. See Generate a bill for the expense.
  8. Click Save, or click Save And Add Another to save and start a new expense.
Add Expense Entry panel with Activity Category, Amount, Matter, User and Date, Description, Non-Billable and Non-Charge, Generate Bill and the Save buttons highlighted
The Add Expense Entry panel.

The expense is saved with the status Unbilled, or Non-Billable if you turned that option on, and the matter’s expense balance is updated.

Generate a bill for the expense

When you select Generate Bill, Maatdesk creates the bill when you save the expense. The Activity Category is still required. Save And Add Another isn’t available in this case.

  1. Select Generate Bill. It’s available only when Non-Billable is off; if you turn Non-Billable on, Generate Bill is cleared and hidden.
  2. To pay the bill right away with funds the client has, turn on Use Operating Account Balance To Pay, Use Trust Account Balance To Pay, or both.
  3. In Destination, select the operating account that receives the payment.
  4. Click Save. The messages “Expense entry successfully saved.” and “Bill generated successfully.” confirm the result. Click View bill to open the bill, or Dismiss to close the message.
Generate Bill selected with the Use Operating Account Balance To Pay and Use Trust Account Balance To Pay options and Destination highlighted
The Generate Bill options.

Maatdesk uses the available funds in this order until the bill is paid:

  1. Matter funds in operating accounts.
  2. Client funds in operating accounts.
  3. Matter funds in trust accounts.
  4. Client funds in trust accounts.

If the funds cover only part of the bill, or none of it, record the rest of the payment when the client pays.

The generated bill is Approved with the status Awaiting Payment, and its issue date and due date are today. The expense is saved as Billed; its edit button is disabled, so you can’t edit it anymore.

Add an expense from a quick bill

When you click + in Expense entries while creating or editing a quick bill, the add panel opens with the matter already selected. The expense is added to the bill with the status Billed, and you can change it only by editing the bill while it’s in Draft or Pending Approval.

Edit or delete an expense entry

  1. In the Activities module or the Activities tab of a matter dashboard, click the pencil at the start of the expense row, or click the arrow next to it and click Edit. In the Edit Expense Entry panel, change the fields as needed. If you change the Activity Category, the Amount changes too, and you can overwrite it.
  2. Click Save.
  3. To delete the expense, click Delete. A dialog asks if you’re sure you want to delete it; click Yes to confirm or No to cancel. You can also delete it from the actions menu of the expense row.
Edit Expense Entry panel with the fields, Save and Delete highlighted
The Edit Expense Entry panel.

Note. You can edit or delete only Unbilled and Non-Billable expenses of matters that aren’t closed. To change a billed expense, edit the draft bill that contains it. Removing an expense from a quick bill doesn’t delete it: it becomes available for another bill.

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