Restriction Billing Rules enable you to structure your billing according to particular needs, including everything from an hours limit on a user/case/contact basis to only allowing certain users to bill on certain cases to requiring certain key words in ledger descriptions. Any given rule can be configured as either a strict restriction (MerusCase won’t allow the user to violate the rule) or a soft restriction, also called a Warning (MerusCase lets the user know they’re violating the rule but allows them to confirm that they wish to proceed regardless).

Along with Case Progress, layering Restriction Billing Rules allows you to streamline your billing by minimizing mistakes and explicitly displaying billing progress on a case-by-case basis.

See our article on Preset Billing Rules to learn more about MerusCase's other main category of billing rule.

Manage Restriction Billing Rules

You can manage Restriction Billing Rules if you are a Power User with Accounting or an Administrator by going to Tools & Settings > Accounting Setup > Billing Rules.

Glossary of Rules

If you need a reference on exactly how a particular rule works, simply consult our Glossary of Restriction Billing Rules for the specifics.

Managing Restriction Billing Rules

Any Power User with Accounting or Administrator in your firm can navigate here via Tools & Settings > Accounting Setup > Billing Rules.

Adding a New Rule

Click New Restriction Rule to open the add window in the right-panel. Some of the options you see there are present for all rules; those are covered below. Others vary depending on what you select for Rule Type, so those are covered in the Rules Glossary.

• Active: This toggle determines if the rule is ‘on’ or not. If left unchecked, the rule is not in effect, which makes it easy to shuffle rules around without having to constantly add/delete. If checked, the rule is active and will be enforced.
• Rule Type: Determines the rule itself. The options here are enumerated and explained in the Glossary.
• Description: Info about what the rule is for, why it’s there, and so forth. This is for your own records.
• Warning Message: What the user will see when notified that they’re violating the rule. Note that MerusCase does not automatically explain to the user exactly what has been violated. The phrasing and tone of your Warning Message is for you to determine.
• Action: Determines whether the rule is strictly enforced (Stop) or softly enforced (Warn). Strict enforcement means that the user will be forbidden from logging time in any way that violates the rule. Soft enforcement merely warns the user (with your Warning Message) that the time they attempted to log violates the rule, but it lets them confirm that they wish to log the time regardless. You may find either or both of these options helpful for your needs.

Editing a Restriction Billing Rule

To edit a Restriction Billing Rule, click on the Edit button (pencil icon) to the right of the line item for the rule you wish to edit. Alternatively, you can click on the line item for the rule to open its details on the right, then click the Edit button.

Deleting a Restriction Billing Rule

To delete a Restriction Billing Rule, click on the Delete button (trash can icon) to the right of the line item or in the detail view for the rule you wish to delete.  Confirm the action to delete the Restriction Billing Rule.

Viewing a Restriction Billing Rule’s Edit History

To see the history of a rule’s creation and any subsequent edits, open the edit view for the rule, then click View History. This will show you a table with columns for Date, Changed By, and Description, which tell you each day and time a change was made, who made it, and what type of change it was.

To stop viewing this history, click Hide History.

Glossary of Restriction Billing Rules

Refer to Managing Rules for general info about adding rules and filling in common fields (e.g. Name). Below, you’ll find a detailed rundown of each rule’s functionality and any unique fields it may contain.

Single Ledger: Description String Match

All ledger items must contain the string(s) (i.e. words, numbers, etc.) listed.

• Ledger Description Must Contain: The string(s) that must be present in the ledger item. If there are multiple strings, separate them here with commas (e.g. “analyzed, file”).
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.

Single Ledger: Description String Exclusion

All ledger items must not contain the string(s) (i.e. words, numbers, etc.) listed.

• Ledger Description Must Exclude: The string(s) that must not be present in the ledger item. If there are multiple strings, separate them here with commas (e.g. “waste, stupid”).
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.

Single Ledger: Time Min/Max

Each ledger item must not have more than the maximum hours specified nor fewer than the minimum hours specified. This rule is usually applied to particular Billing Codes on an individual basis.

• Minimum & Maximum Hours: The minimum and maximum hour limits. These can specified to the hundredths place (e.g. 1.05).
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.

Ledger Total: Per Biller (Global)

A global limit on how many hours any one user can log in a specified amount of time. Note that this rule does respect courtesy billing, meaning that it matters who bills the time rather than who logs it.

• Hours Limited Per: The unit of time: Day, Week, or Month. Note that you could stack two or three versions of this rule to limit people per day, per week, and per month, if desired.
• Maximum Hours: The numerical limit itself. This can be specified to the hundredths place (e.g. 22.35).

Ledger Total: Per Case (Global)

A global limit on how many hours can be logged in any given case in a specified amount of time.

• Hours Limited Per: The unit of time: Day, Week, or Month. Note that you could stack two or three versions of this rule to limit cases per day, per week, and per month, if desired.
• Maximum Hours: The numerical limit itself. This can be specified to the hundredths place (e.g. 22.35).

Ledger Total: Per Case Phase/Budget (Global, but Phases are per-case)

Given that a case has an active Case Progress Template with Case Phases whose budgets are active (as per the previous link), instituting this rule ensures that the per-Phase hourly limits specified on them are honored.

Ledger Total: Per Billing Contact (User Specific)

For any billing contact(s) specified in this rule (and if none are, it applies to all billing contacts), the billing restriction (e.g. 8 hours per day) will be applied to the specified user(s) as a whole. For clarity, if the restriction is indeed 8 hours per day, specifying five billing contacts and one user means that said user can bill those contacts for up to 8 hours a day each (i.e. 8 hours per day per contact). Specifying one billing contact and five users means that those five users’ collective billing of said contact must not exceed 8 hours combined.

• Hours Limited Per: The unit of time: Day, Week, or Month. Note that you could stack two or three versions of this rule to limit cases per day, per week, and per month, if desired.
• Maximum Hours: The numerical limit itself. This can be specified to the hundredths place (e.g. 22.35)
• Users/Billers: To limit this rule to one or more users/billers, choose the user(s) you wish to have this rule apply to. Use the Add and Remove buttons to add/remove users as needed.
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.

Single Ledger: Exclude User Role(s)

If only certain roles (e.g. Attorney Responsible, Paralegal Handling) in your firm create ledger entries, you may find it helpful to exclude other roles from being able to create ledger entries. Roles refer to which role someone is assigned to on a case’s Staff section under Case Details. Do not use this rule in conjunction with the one below. An exclusion rule for some implies an inclusion rule for others, and vice-versa. You can also use the below fields to only exclude certain roles from making ledger entries containing the specified string(s).

• Ledger Description Contains: The string(s) that must not be present in the ledger item to allow these roles to create it. If there are multiple strings, separate them here with commas (e.g. “waste, stupid”).
• Limit by User Role: Tick off the checkboxes for the role(s) you wish to apply this rule to.
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.

Single Ledger: Allow User Role(s)

If only certain roles (e.g. Attorney Responsible, Paralegal Handling) in your firm create ledger entries, you may find it helpful to include only those roles as being able to create ledger entries. Roles refer to which role someone is assigned to on a case’s Staff section under Case Details. Do not use this rule in conjunction with the one above. An inclusion rule for some implies an exclusion rule for others, and vice-versa. You can also use the below fields to only allow certain roles to make ledger entries containing the specified string(s).

• Ledger Description Contains: The string(s) that must be present in the ledger item to allow these roles to create it. If there are multiple strings, separate them here with commas (e.g. “analyzed, file”).
• Limit by User Role: Tick off the checkboxes for the role(s) you wish to apply this rule to.
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.

Single Ledger: Exclude Specific User(s)

If only certain users in your firm create ledger entries, you may find it helpful to exclude other users from being able to create ledger entries. Do not use this rule in conjunction with the one below. An exclusion rule for some implies an inclusion rule for others, and vice-versa. You can also use the below fields to only exclude certain users from making ledger entries containing the specified string(s).

• Ledger Description Contains: The string(s) that must not be present in the ledger item to allow these users to create it. If there are multiple strings, separate them here with commas (e.g. “waste, stupid”).
• Users/Billers: To limit this rule to one or more users/billers, choose the user(s) you wish to have this rule apply to. Use the Add and Remove buttons to add/remove users as needed.
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.

Single Ledger: Allow Specific User(s)

If only certain users in your firm create ledger entries, you may find it helpful to allow only those users to create ledger entries. Do not use this rule in conjunction with the one above. An inclusion rule for some implies an exclusion rule for others, and vice-versa. You can also use the below fields to only allow certain users to make ledger entries containing the specified string(s).

• Ledger Description Contains: The string(s) that must be present in the ledger item to allow these users to create it. If there are multiple strings, separate them here with commas (e.g. “analyzed, file”).
• Users/Billers: To limit this rule to one or more users/billers, choose the user(s) you wish to have this rule apply to. Use the Add and Remove buttons to add/remove users as needed.
• Limit By Billing Contact: If you’d like to limit this rule to one or more billing contacts in particular, simply start typing their name in, choose the appropriate Autocompleter selection, and repeat this process for as many contacts as you would like to apply this rule to. You can preview any added contact’s info by hovering over the little contact card icon, and you can remove them from the list by clicking the X icon next to their entry.

This rule can be limited by Billing Codes, which can be subdivided into Task Codes, Activity Codes, and/or Expense Codes. You can either use our auto-completing search through your firm’s billing codes or manually enter which Task Code(s), Activity Code(s), and/or Expense Code(s) you would like to limit by. Carefully note the instructions underneath each field.