Submitting Accruals - All You Need To Know: for Vendors

This article is for vendors and law firms.

1. What are accruals? 
2. Quick Links To Other Articles
3. Where do I submit Accruals on Brightflag?
4. How to Submit Accruals
5. Who can submit Accruals?
6. Error Message After Submission
7. Accruals Submission Deadline 
8. I can't add my Accruals.
9. Do I need to be invited by Brightflag to submit Accruals?
10. Important Notes

What are accruals? 

It’s important for many of your clients to collect accurate accruals via Brightflag.

What’s an accrual?

An accrual is an estimate of the amount your firm/company intends to invoice your client for the month but has not yet invoiced. [link to accrual accounting webinar public link]

How do I know if/when my client requires accrual entries from me?

If you are an admin for your vendor, you will be prompted via email 5 days before the cut-off date for submission, and you will receive a reminder email on the cut-off date. 

What do I need to enter?

An accrual amount needs to be entered for each of the open matters you have with your client. It is important that you enter the amount for the correct accrual period. The accrual period is an entire calendar month in which the work is carried out e.g. March 1st to March 31st. 

Depending on your client’s accounting practices, they may set different deadlines for accrual submission. Your clients have recently gained the ability to set deadlines in the month after the accrual period (see “M.2” in the below diagram).

Follow this video guide:

Quick Links To Other Articles

• Submitting Accruals Manually
• Submitting Accruals In Bulk
• Viewing & Editing Existing Accruals Submissions
• Why Can't I Submit Accruals

Where do I submit Accruals on Brightflag?

On the Brightflag platform, navigate to Menu > Accruals. Your active matters will be listed on the page. If certain matters are not appearing, check that you are viewing the correct firm office or that you have access to the matter.  

How to Submit Accruals

There are two ways to submit Accruals, manually or in bulk. We recommend using the bulk option where you have a large number of open matters.

• Steps to Submitting Accruals Manually
• Steps to Submitting Accruals In Bulk

Who Can Submit Accruals?

To submit accruals on Brightflag, you must have access to the matter. This can be granted by a colleague. Vendor Admin and Vendor Office Admin users will have access to all matters assigned to a particular office. If there is a matter missing from the list, check that you are viewing the correct firm office.

Error Message After Submission

A 'No Accruals Submitted' error may appear if you try to enter a value that has already been saved and submitted. Amounts can be updated right up to the deadline. You can confirm that a value has been submitted when the user name appears in the Status column. 

Accruals Submission Deadline

Your accruals submission deadline is set by your client. It's important to note the monthly deadline, as it may fall on a weekend or public holiday. If you miss your client's deadline, the submission will close and you won't be able to add accruals on Brightflag. You'll need to reach out to your client and ask how they'd like to proceed - they may accept your accruals via email. Brigthflag Support cannot accept or manually add late submissions

Note: if you have multiple clients using Brightflag, the deadlines they set may vary. You'll receive a reminder email for each deadline. 

I can't add my Accruals.

If you are unable to click on the submission fields, it may be because the submission deadline has passed. If you miss your client's deadline, the submission will close and you won't be able to add accruals on Brightflag. The deadline for the accrual submission window is stated at the top of your screen under "Accruals Submission Deadline".

Accruals Submission Reminder Emails

Accruals submission reminders are sent out to vendor users listed within an active matter. The reminders are not sent for matters which are closed - which can be managed by your client. The reminder is sent to Office Admin and Vendor Admin users.

If you receive these Accruals Submission Reminders but no longer work with this client, please reach out to the client directly to have them either close off the matter or remove your law firm from the open matter. Brightflag Support cannot remove your law firm from an active matter, only your client has the relevant privileges to take this action.

• How to switch off accruals email reminders: vendor users will continue to receive these email reminders as long as their Brightflag account remains enabled or if they remain a participant in an active matter. Matters can be closed by your client once completed.
  To stop these notifications, you must disable your Brightflag account or have yourself removed from the Matter. Neither Brightflag Support nor the Client can change the notification settings for Accruals Submissions.
  
  
• How to be added to email reminders: you must have an active Brightflag account to receive accruals email reminders. You can receive the reminders once you are a participant on the active matters that require accruals. If you need to be added to a matter, click here for instructions. 

Do I need to be invited by Brightflag to submit Accruals?

No, you do not need to be invited to submit accruals. If your client is new to Brightflag, you'll be notified about accruals in the onboarding emails. If your client has been using Brightflag for a while and decides to start requesting accruals, they will communicate this to you and your firm. If you are a participant on an active matter, you'll receive 2 automated email reminders from Brightflag - one email 5 days before the accrual deadline and one on the day of the deadline. You can add and edit accruals for the duration of the month and right up to the deadline. 

Important Notes

Below are some important details to note as a vendor or law firm submitting Accruals on Brightflag. 

• Matter not approved: if you have requested a new matter, it won't be visible on the accruals page until your client approves it. Reach out to your client if you have a pending matter request.
• No Accruals to Submit: if you have no monthly accrual amount to submit for a particular matter, you're still required to submit a 0 value. A 0 value will be accepted in the Prior Accruals Period Unbilled field, Current Accruals Period Unbilled field, or both. This will confirm to your client that there is no work accrued. If you don't submit 0, it will be viewed as a missed deadline for the matter in question. 
• Accruals submission is not required for all clients: most Brightflag clients require accruals from their vendors and law firms. If you receive accruals email reminders, this confirms that you're required to submit. Otherwise, you can check the client requirements in the onboarding emails you received from Brightflag, or reach out to Brightflag Support. 
• Submitting an estimate Accrual: for any unbilled services, you can submit an estimated figure from which a future invoice will outline the detailed cost of the same services. It's important to ensure accruals are submitted to your client on time, either in the estimate or in accurate figures.
• No access to submit Accruals: Office Admin and Vendor Admin roles have access to submit accruals for all matters at your law firm. If you don't hold either of the above roles, you can be added as a matter participant which will enable you to view the relevant matters on the Accruals page.