How to Bulk Write Off or Bulk Write Down WIP

Link to Video Guide: https://youtu.be/9Nzpu-II3wo

This guide explains how to write off Work in Progress (WIP) time entries on a matter in Yao, using the Time & Billing tab. It covers writing off selected time entries in full, cancelling a write-off before it is applied, and applying a partial write-off across selected entries by specifying an amount.

Prerequisites

• Access to a matter with unbilled WIP (Work in Progress) time entries.
• Navigate to the relevant matter and open the Time & Billing tab.

Note: Writing off WIP is a permanent action once confirmed — it cannot be undone.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open the Time & Billing Tab

1. From the matter dashboard, select the Time & Billing tab. This displays all time entries recorded against the matter, including their WIP status, unit value, work value, and any existing write-off amount.

Figure 1: The Time & Billing tab, showing WIP time entries for a matter.

2. Select the Time Entries to Write Off

1. Use the checkboxes on the left of each row to select the time entries you want to include in the write-off. You can select individual entries, or use the header checkbox to select all entries currently shown. Once entries are selected, the Write-Off Selected button becomes available, showing a count of the selected entries.

Figure 2: All four time entries selected, with the Write-Off Selected (4) button active.

3. Confirm the Bulk Write-Off

1. Selecting Write-Off Selected opens a Confirm Write-Off dialog. This shows the number of time entries and the total value that will be written off, and includes an optional Reason field. The dialog states that the action cannot be undone.

Figure 3: The Confirm Write-Off dialog, showing the total value and optional reason field.

2. Selecting Cancel closes the dialog without writing off any of the selected entries, leaving the WIP values unchanged.

4. Apply a Partial Write-Off

1. As an alternative to writing off the full value of the selected entries, use the Partial Write-Off button. This opens a Partial Write-Off dialog showing the total unbilled WIP and the number of entries, an Amount to write off field, an Apply to choice of All unbilled entries or Selected entries only, and an optional Reason field.

Figure 5: The Partial Write-Off dialog, with Selected entries only chosen.

2. Entering an amount in the Amount to write off field displays a live preview showing how the total WIP will be reduced. In this example, entering £90 against a total WIP of £990.00 shows a preview reducing WIP from £990.00 to £900.00.

Figure 6: An amount of £90 entered, with the preview showing the resulting WIP reduction.

3. Selecting Apply Write-Off applies the partial write-off. A confirmation message appears (for example, "£90.00 written off across 4 entries"), and the write-off amount is distributed proportionally across the selected time entries. The Write Off column updates for each entry, and the Total for the selected entries is reduced accordingly.

Figure 7: Confirmation of the partial write-off, with the Write Off column updated for each entry and the total reduced to £900.00.

5. Write Off the Remaining WIP

1. The same Write-Off Selected process shown in Step 3 can be used again on the remaining entries to write off the balance in full. Selecting the entries and choosing Write-Off Selected opens the Confirm Write-Off dialog, this time showing the remaining total (£900.00 in this example).

2. Once confirmed, a success message confirms the entries have been written off (for example, "4 entries written off (£900.00)"), and the Work Value and Total for those entries reduce to £0.00.

6. Review the Written-Off Entries in Billing Prep

1. Once time entries have been written off, they can be reviewed on the Billing Prep tab. Each written-off entry is marked with a WRITTEN DOWN status, and the Billing Summary shows the Total Original WIP, Total Adjustments, Net Billable Amount, Invoice Total, Effective Rate Reduction, and Recovery Rate for the matter.

Figure 10: The Billing Prep tab, showing entries marked WRITTEN DOWN and the resulting Billing Summary.

Best Practice

• Double-check the selected time entries and the total value shown in the confirmation dialog before confirming a write-off, as the action is permanent.
• Use the Partial Write-Off option when only part of the WIP needs to be adjusted, rather than writing off entire time entries.
• Add a reason for the write-off where your firm's process requires one, to maintain a clear audit trail on the matter.
• Review the Billing Prep tab after a write-off to confirm the Billing Summary reflects the expected Net Billable Amount before raising an invoice.