MyCase accounting: what it handles and what goes to your general ledger

The short answer

Core MyCase handles billing, payments and client trust ledgers. It is not a general ledger. Your general ledger lives in one of two places: MyCase Accounting, the add-on that turns MyCase into full accounting software, or QuickBooks Online, fed by a one-way sync.

The line between those systems decides who records what, where you reconcile trust, and which numbers your CPA trusts at tax time. Firms that never draw that line end up entering the same retainer twice, or not at all.

This post walks through what each setup covers, what the QuickBooks sync actually sends, and how one retainer should move from MyCase to your books. If you are still comparing practice platforms, start with our hub on bookkeeping for Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther and Smokeball.

This post is part of our coverage of law firm accounting and bookkeeping services. For the wider picture, see our complete guide to bookkeeping for law firms.

Three ways to set up MyCase, compared

Every MyCase firm runs one of three setups. The table shows where each accounting job happens in each.

Core MyCase alone leaves you without books. It tracks what clients owe and what you hold for them, but not rent, payroll, software or profit. Firms in that setup often have an accountant rebuilding the books from bank statements at year-end, which is the most expensive way to do it.

MyCase's help center marks both the QuickBooks sync and MyCase Accounting as Pro and Advanced plan features (MyCase help center). Confirm your plan before you design a process around either.

What MyCase Accounting adds

MyCase Accounting is a full general ledger inside MyCase. Billing activity posts to it automatically: generating an invoice records a debit to accounts receivable and a credit to revenue, with no export step (MyCase help center).

On top of that automatic posting, it gives you:

• A chart of accounts and opening balances, which you can import or build, plus manual journal entries.

• Bank connections and reconciliation for operating and trust accounts, with transaction categorizing and matching.

• Checks and deposit slips from the operating account or a client's trust account.

• Firm expenses and vendors, including hard and soft cost handling and a 1099 vendor report.

• Case revenue allocation, so income can be tracked by matter.

• Standard financials: profit and loss (summary and detailed), balance sheet, cash flow statement and general ledger, on a cash or accrual basis (MyCase help center).

Two details shape how a bookkeeper works in it:

• Bank feeds do not refresh on their own. MyCase pulls the past 90 days when you first connect a bank. After that, someone has to click Update to download new transactions (MyCase help center). If nobody does, reconciliation runs on stale data.

• Your accountant can get a free seat. MyCase offers a free accountant license for MyCase Accounting (MyCase help center), so an outside bookkeeper can work in the same system without adding a paid user.

MyCase Accounting is a paid add-on. Third-party pricing trackers list MyCase Accounting at $39 per accounting user per month (Capterra). Check the current price with MyCase before you budget.

What the QuickBooks Online sync sends, and what it leaves out

The MyCase sync is one-way and covers billing, payments and retainers. Everything else in QuickBooks is your bookkeeper's job. It works with QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced (MyCase help center).

During setup you map up to six QuickBooks accounts: operating bank, income, client expenses, trust bank, trust liability and general retainer. MyCase then creates service items in QuickBooks for flat fees, discounts, additions, taxes, interest, trust deposits and trust payments (MyCase help center).

Three gaps to watch in this setup:

• One income account for everything. Setup asks for a single income account, and time entries post there. If partners want revenue by practice area, the bookkeeper has to build that reporting separately.

• General retainers that never sync. When you record a deposit into credit, MyCase shows a Sync to QuickBooks checkbox (MyCase help center). Leave it unticked and the cash arrives in the bank with nothing in QuickBooks to match it.

• Fixes made in the wrong place. Editing a synced invoice in QuickBooks puts the two systems out of step. Corrections start in MyCase, then sync again.

Worked example: two retainers, from MyCase to the ledger

A retainer is not income when it arrives. It becomes income only when you earn it and bill it. Here is how a trust retainer and a general retainer should land in your general ledger, whichever setup you run.

Trust retainer. A client deposits $5,000 into trust. You later bill $3,200 and pay the invoice from trust.

The client's trust ledger in MyCase now shows $1,800, and the trust liability account in your books must show the same $1,800 for that client.

For what that per-client record should look like, see our IOLTA client trust ledger example.

General retainer. A client pays a $2,000 retainer straight into operating. You bill $1,500 against it.

The client has $500 of credit left, and it sits as a liability, not income.

One caution on general retainers. ABA Model Rule 1.15(c) says fees paid in advance go into trust and come out only as they are earned (ABA). Most states follow a version of that rule. Depositing an advance fee into operating is only safe where your state allows it, so confirm with your bar's rules before you use MyCase's credit feature for advance fees.

Our guide to keeping client trust funds separate from operating covers the rules in more detail.

Which setup fits your firm

Pick one ledger and stick to it. Running MyCase Accounting and QuickBooks side by side means two sets of books that will drift apart.

MyCase Accounting fits when you want one login for practice and books, your trust activity is the bulk of your financial complexity, and your CPA is willing to work inside MyCase on the free accountant seat.

QuickBooks Online fits when your CPA already works in QuickBooks, your payroll, bill pay or expense apps connect to your QuickBooks file, or partners want reporting your accountant has already built there.

PracticePanther firms face the same choice between a built-in ledger and QuickBooks. See keeping PracticePanther trust and operating books in sync with QuickBooks Online.

Either way, the month-end work is the same, and it does not happen on its own:

1. Pull in current bank activity: click Update on each bank feed in MyCase Accounting, or check the MyCase sync window for unsynced invoices, payments and deposits.

2. Match every deposit to an invoice, a trust deposit or a general retainer.

3. Reconcile the operating account to the bank statement.

4. Run the three-way trust reconciliation, and review each client ledger for negative or stale balances.

5. Review the non-trust retainer liability so client credits match what MyCase shows.

6. Record overhead and check that client costs and firm expenses sit in the right accounts.

7. Close the month and send partners a P&L and balance sheet, with revenue by matter or practice area if they want it.

Our guide to attorney trust account software and what IOLTA compliance needs covers step 4 in more depth.

How Numetix works with MyCase firms

Numetix runs the seven month-end steps above for founder-led law firms, in whichever ledger you use. AI handles transaction matching and categorization; a CPA-overseen finance team reviews the trust reconciliation and signs off the close.

For MyCase firms on QuickBooks, we start by auditing the six account mappings and the service items MyCase created, then fix anything that has been posting to the wrong place. For firms on MyCase Accounting, we work inside MyCase on the accountant seat, so nothing moves to a second system.

A practical first step: send us your last trust reconciliation and a list of open client credits in MyCase. We will tell you whether your ledger agrees with MyCase and, if it does not, where the gap started. Book 30 minutes with our team.

Frequently asked questions

Does MyCase have accounting built in? Core MyCase includes billing, payments and client trust ledgers. Full accounting, with a chart of accounts, bank reconciliation and financial statements, comes from the MyCase Accounting add-on.

Can MyCase replace QuickBooks? Yes, with MyCase Accounting. It produces a profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow statement and general ledger, and handles bank reconciliation and three-way trust reconciliation.

Is the MyCase QuickBooks integration two-way? No. Data flows from MyCase to QuickBooks Online only. Changes made in QuickBooks do not update MyCase.

Which QuickBooks versions work with MyCase? QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced, according to MyCase's help center.

How much does MyCase Accounting cost? Third-party pricing trackers list it at $39 per accounting user per month. MyCase also offers a free accountant license, so your outside bookkeeper does not need a paid seat. Confirm current pricing with MyCase.

Do general retainers sync to QuickBooks automatically? Only if you tick the Sync to QuickBooks box when recording the deposit into credit. The deposit then posts to your operating account with a matching non-trust liability.