Change a Transaction in a Bank Upload File

Overview

A Trust payment or IBD deposit sometimes needs to change after it's been included in a bank upload file: an amount was wrong, a payment shouldn't have gone out, or it was included by mistake. What you can change, and what happens to the file, depends above all on whether that file is still a draft or has already been exported.

While a file is still a draft, your change flows through to it. Editing a transaction updates the file; reversing or deleting one removes the transaction from it, and if that leaves the file empty, the file is deleted too. Once a file has been exported, it becomes a fixed record of what was sent to the bank. You can still change the transaction itself, but the change no longer reaches the exported file or the bank.

This article explains how editing, reversing, and deleting a transaction affects its direct credit file in each case, and where those changes appear in the audit trail.

Note: Click any screenshot to expand it for a clearer view while following the steps.

Who can do this

• Users with the Trust Payment Recording permission (to edit, reverse, or delete Trust payments).
• Users with the Create IBD Transactions permission (to delete IBD deposits).

Before you start

Before you change a transaction that's in a bank file, ensure:

• You've included the Trust payment or IBD deposit in a bank upload file. See Include Trust Payments in a Bank Upload File and Include IBD Deposits in a Bank Upload File.
• You know whether that file is still a draft or has been exported. Draft files appear on the Direct Credit Files dashboard; once a file is exported it drops off the dashboard. See Export Direct Credit Files.
• You know whether the transaction has been batched, as this affects how you can change it.
• Any Trust payment to be deleted has not been reconciled, billed, or already reversed.

How your change affects the file

What happens to the direct credit file when you change a transaction depends on whether the file is still a draft or has already been exported. The table below is a quick summary. The sections that follow explain each case in full.

Open the transaction

1. Open the transaction you want to change

   • On the matter's Trust tab, open the transaction.
   • Or, while the file is still a draft:
     • Open it from the Direct Credit Files dashboard: go to the Accounts tab on the navigation ribbon, in the Export group 
     • Select Export File, select the file, select Preview. 
     • Then in the Transactions in File window select the transaction and select View.
   • A Trust payment opens in the Trust Payment window. An IBD deposit opens in a read-only view of the deposit, where the only actions are Delete and Close.
     

   Result: The transaction opens. What you can do next depends on whether its file is still a draft or has been exported.

   Note: A requisition is included in a bank upload file only once it's posted, and a posted requisition is a Trust payment. It opens in the Trust Payment window, so everything in this article applies to it in the same way.

While the file is still a draft

While a file is still a draft, any change you make flows through to the file. OneLaw confirms the change with you first, and records a reason.

Editing a transaction

• In the Trust Payment window, select Edit.
• OneLaw asks you to confirm: "This transaction has been marked to be included in direct credit file '...'. Any edits will update the existing record for this file. Do you wish to continue?" Select Yes to continue.
• Make your changes, then select Save & Close.
• Enter the reason for the edit when prompted. A reason is required, then select OK.

Result: The transaction is updated, and the direct credit file is updated to match.

Deleting or reversing a transaction

Either action removes the payment from the draft file, and if that leaves the file empty, the file is deleted. Which one you use depends on whether the payment has been batched.

If the payment hasn't been batched, delete it

• In the Trust Payment window, select Delete.
• OneLaw asks you to confirm: "This transaction has been marked to be included in direct credit file '...'. Deleting it will delete it from the bank file. Do you wish to continue?" Select Yes to continue.
• Enter the reason for the deletion when prompted. A reason is required, then select OK.

Result: The transaction is deleted and removed from the direct credit file. If it was the only transaction in the file, the file is deleted.

Note: Some payments can't be deleted. If the payment has been reconciled, billed, or already reversed, OneLaw blocks the deletion and explains why.

If the payment has been batched, reverse it

• In the Trust Payment window, select Reverse.
• OneLaw asks you to confirm: "This transaction has been marked for export and will be removed from direct credit file '...' once reversed. Do you wish to continue?" Select Yes to continue.
• Enter the reversal date and reason, then select OK.

Result: The transaction is reversed and removed from the direct credit file. If it was the only transaction in the file, the file is deleted.

Deleting an IBD deposit

An IBD deposit can't be edited or reversed from its window. The only action is to delete it.

• In the read-only view of the deposit, select Delete.
• OneLaw confirms with the same bank-file prompt as a Trust delete: "...Deleting it will delete it from the bank file. Do you wish to continue?" Select Yes to continue.
• OneLaw then asks "Delete this IBD transaction and all listed entries?" Select Yes to continue.
• Enter the reason for the deletion when prompted. A reason is required, then select OK.

Result: The IBD deposit is deleted and removed from the direct credit file. If it was the only transaction in the file, the file is deleted.

Note: An IBD deposit that has been batched or reconciled can't be deleted. To change a deposit's account details rather than delete it, you work on the IBD instrument, not here. See Include IBD Deposits in a Bank Upload File.

Removing a transaction from the file without deleting it

You don't have to delete or reverse a transaction to take it out of a draft file. Because Include in file for bank upload is a field on the payment, you change it the same way as any edit:

• In the Trust Payment window, select Edit.
• OneLaw asks you to confirm: "This transaction has been marked to be included in direct credit file '...'. Any edits will update the existing record for this file. Do you wish to continue?" Select Yes to continue.
• Untick Include in file for bank upload.
• Select Save & Close.
• Enter the reason for the edit when prompted. A reason is required, then select OK.

Result: The transaction is removed from the direct credit file but is otherwise unchanged. If it was the only transaction in the file, the file is deleted.

Note: A payment also drops out of the file if it becomes ineligible for bank upload, for example if you mark an electronic payment as Same Day Cleared.

Once the file has been exported

Once a file has been exported, it's a fixed record of what was sent to the bank and can't be changed. You can still change the transaction itself, but the change won't reach the exported file or your banking.

• When you select Edit, Reverse, or Delete on a transaction that's in an exported file, OneLaw shows an information message: "This transaction has been included in a direct credit file that was exported by [user] on [date and time]. Any change to this transaction will not be updated in the exported file or in the banking system." This is information only. 
• Select OK to continue.
  
• The transaction's bank upload details are locked and can't be edited: the Include in file for bank upload option, the file it belongs to, and the bank-file Particulars, Code, and Reference (the Payee set, plus a Payer set where your bank format uses one).
• The rest of the transaction stays editable, but any change you make is not reflected in the exported file or at the bank.
• You can still reverse or delete the transaction itself if you need to, for example to correct your trust ledger, but the exported file is unchanged.

Note: There is no way to un-export a file or return it to draft. To correct something after export, follow your firm's usual banking process.

Audit and history

Every change is recorded, so there's always a clear trail of what happened to a file and its transactions.

Direct credit file events. A file's own history is tracked with four audit events:

• Direct Credit File Created records the creation of the file.
• Direct Credit File Renamed records renaming a draft file, including its previous and new names. See Export Direct Credit Files.
• Direct Credit File Exported records the export, including where the file was saved.
• Direct Credit File Deleted records the deletion, including when a draft file is deleted automatically because its last transaction was removed.

Each event records the file name and type. A rename records both the previous and new names.

Transaction audit. Each Trust payment or IBD deposit records its bank-file involvement in its own audit. When it's in a file, the audit shows Included in Direct Credit File: Yes, along with the File Name, File Created By, and the Particulars, Code, and Reference used for the file. When it isn't, it shows Included in Direct Credit File: No.

Payment history. For a Trust payment, the History button on the Trust Payment window shows the same bank-file details.

Result

You can change a transaction that's in a bank file. What happens next depends on whether the file has been exported:

• While the file is still a draft, your change flows through to it: edits update the file; reversing or deleting the transaction removes it, and the file is deleted if nothing is left.
• Once the file has been exported, you can still change the transaction, but the exported file and the bank are left untouched.

Every change is recorded in the audit trail.

Recommended articles

• Set Up Upload to Bank for Trust and IBD Ledgers
• Include Trust Payments in a Bank Upload File
• Include IBD Deposits in a Bank Upload File
• Export Direct Credit Files