A consolidated view is not a pooled trust ledger
Intuit Enterprise Suite is designed for multi-entity financial management. It can fit a law firm group with several entities, offices or state trust accounts. It is not the same product as QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.
A group-level dashboard does not permit one entity's client money to cover another entity's shortage. Keep the actual bank ownership, entity and client ledger boundaries intact. Never net client funds across states or entities to hide a difference.
Customers identify whose funds are held. Vendors identify third-party payees. Dimensions help classify the transaction, but a State or Matter dimension does not replace the client ledger or establish that funds have cleared.
Set up each real trust account separately
- Map the legal entities and real trust bank accounts before importing balances. Document which entity owns each bank account and which trust rules apply.
- Within the correct entity, create one trust Bank account and one matching Client Trust Liability for each real trust bank account. Use the Online-style Trust account and Trust Accounts - Liabilities detail types where available.
- Create the client as a Customer and the matter as the supported sub-customer or Project structure. Define a stable identifier before sharing records across companies.
- Create third-party payees as Vendors. Pay the client's own share to the Customer on a supported Check or Expense form, with Client Trust Liability and the client on the line.
- Assign the real bank account and liability first. Add State, Matter and Practice area dimensions to the relevant lines as the firm's reporting policy requires.
- Load verified opening client balances separately for every entity and bank account. Confirm each bank book balance equals its liability and the sum of its own client ledgers.
Use dimensions to explain the transaction
Intuit advertises up to 20 dimensions in total. Its launch documentation describes this as the original class plus up to 19 additional customer-defined dimensions, not 20 additional dimensions on top of class. Availability and configuration depend on the subscription.
Intuit documents shared dimensions across child companies and line-level assignment. Decide which dimensions are mandatory, who can create values and how those values map across entities. Review exception reports for unassigned lines.
| Dimension | Example | What it does not replace |
|---|---|---|
| State | California or Texas | The actual trust bank account, entity ownership or applicable state requirements |
| Matter | PI-2026-1042 | The client Customer allocation and complete matter ledger |
| Practice area | Personal injury | The source account, approval or collected-funds check |
Record a settlement, line by line
Record the settlement deposit and confirm the funds are collected and available before writing any check against it. A bank feed entry or provisional bank credit is not proof that the deposit has cleared. Follow applicable trust rules and bank confirmation requirements.
The example trust deposit is $100,000. The $15,000 doctor payment, $50,000 client share and $35,000 earned fee total $100,000. The separate $500 operating case cost does not reduce that trust ledger. If the settlement authorizes reimbursement of a prior case-cost advance, record that separately with accountant-approved treatment.
An earned-fee payment reduces trust liability. The operating-side receipt then recognizes earned income or settles an existing receivable. Do not use a bare bank-to-bank Transfer as the whole entry: it does not by itself reduce the client's liability or explain the fee. Do not recognize the fee twice.
The Customer column is an allocation field, not a second payee. Use the client or matter on each category line, including a check payable to a Vendor. Use a Check or supported Expense form for the client's payout if a bill-payment workflow requires a Vendor. Check the report after posting.
| Transaction | Screen and bank account | Payee / received from | Account on the line | Customer on the line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Settlement deposit: $100,000 | Bank Deposit / Make Deposits into IOLTA | The client's Customer record in Received from | Client Trust Liability | Client or matter; Received from supplies the deposit name |
| Doctor or lien holder: $15,000 | Check / Expense, or Write Checks, from IOLTA | Doctor or lien-holder Vendor | Client Trust Liability, not a firm expense | The client or matter whose funds are being used |
| Client's share: $50,000 | Check / supported Expense, or Write Checks, from IOLTA | The existing Customer, not a duplicate Vendor | Client Trust Liability | The same client or matter |
| Earned attorney fee: $35,000 | Check / Write Checks from IOLTA to the firm; record the operating receipt separately | The law firm / operating account | Client Trust Liability on the trust payment; earned fee income or receivable settlement on the operating side | The same client or matter on the trust line |
| Case cost from operating: $500 | Check / Expense, or Write Checks, from operating only | Court, expert or other Vendor | Client-cost advance asset or appropriate cost account under the accountant's policy, not Client Trust Liability | The client or matter receiving the cost |
How to see each client's balance
Run Transaction Detail by Account. Filter Account or Distribution Account to Client Trust Liability, including its sub-accounts if used. Group by Customer, show the Customer or Customer:Job column, and include the matter identifier. Report menus vary by version and reporting view.
Use all dates through the reporting cutoff, or include a verified opening balance. A subtotal over only this month's activity is a change in balance, not necessarily the amount still held. On a liability report, credits increase the amount held and debits reduce it; check the report's sign convention with your accountant.
Each client's ending subtotal is what the firm still holds for that client. Separate matters when required. Review blank or Not specified groups, investigate negative balances, and confirm the sum equals Client Trust Liability and the trust bank book balance. Save the report with its filters and date basis.
Reconcile each trust account, not just the group
Run the client-ledger report within the correct entity and filter to that real bank account's matching liability. Use the Customer and matter allocation, plus applicable dimensions, to identify the funds. A dimension-filtered subtotal alone is not proof that a legal entity's trust books balance.
For each account, compare adjusted bank balance, trust book balance and that account's client-ledger total at the same monthly cutoff. Review outstanding checks, deposits in transit, missing dimensions and negative individual balances. Retain a separate review package for each account.
If one state's trust account is short, stop and investigate it. A surplus elsewhere in the consolidated group does not fix it. Do not move client funds between accounts or entities merely to make totals agree.
Confirm capacity and connector scope
The sources reviewed do not publish a numerical Enterprise Suite chart-of-accounts or names cap. Confirm contracted limits with Intuit instead of assuming that every list is unlimited. Its multi-entity structure and dimension capacity are distinct from Online Advanced's published list limits.
Before enabling a connected payout workflow, test the exact entity, bank, liability, Customer and dimension mapping. Do not assume a QuickBooks Online connector also posts every Enterprise Suite custom dimension. Confirm supported write-back fields and exception handling during onboarding.
Use an accountant and the responsible lawyers to approve the account structure, intercompany boundaries and retention policy. Multi-state operations can add different record-keeping, reporting and disbursement requirements.