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Managing Custom Lists: Activities, Expense Types, and More

Add, rename, or retire the choices your team picks from in dropdowns

Applies to: Workforce · Premium · LawBillity

The choices your team picks from in dropdowns, such as the type of work on a time entry or the type of an expense, come from custom lists. Keeping them short and clearly named makes entries consistent and your reports easier to read.

Where to Find Them

Click Admin > Settings > Customize > Custom Lists. Pick the list you want to change. List names follow your firm's terms, so Activity may say Service Item. See Renaming Clients, Projects, and Other Terms (Term Settings).

List
What it's for
Activity
The kind of work on a time entry, such as Meeting, Research, or Travel. Each one can have a Tax, a Rate, an OT Rate, and a default Description.
Client Group
Groups for sorting clients, used as a report filter.
Expense
Expense types, such as Mileage, Meals, or Software, each with an optional default amount (Premium and LawBillity).
Internal Activity
Non-billable internal work, such as training or admin.
Project Status and Project Type
Used to sort and filter projects and project reports.
Payment Terms
The terms you can choose on clients and invoices, such as Net 30.
Schedule Type
Categories for scheduled shifts.

Some lists live elsewhere: time off codes are under Timer Settings (see Setting Up Time Off Codes), and user groups are on the Groups tab of Admin > Manage Users (see Managing User Groups).

Adding or Changing an Item

  1. Open the list.
  2. Add a new item, or click an existing one to edit it.
  3. Enter a clear name and any other details, such as an activity's rate or default description.
  4. Save.

Retiring an Item

Disable items you no longer use instead of deleting them. Disabled items disappear from dropdowns, but past entries and reports still show them. Use the All / Active / Disabled filter on each list to find them again.

Tips

  • Use names anyone can understand. "Client Meeting" is better than "CM".
  • Add default descriptions to activities you log often. They fill in automatically in the web app (not in Outlook, the desktop app, or the mobile app). A checkbox turns this off.
  • Use activity rates to charge more for some work. An activity's Rate and OT Rate apply when no project or client rate is set. See Setting Client Billing Rates and Overrides.
  • Review your lists now and then. Disable anything nobody uses.

Common Problems

  • An old activity still shows up in the dropdown. Disable it in the list.
  • Someone can’t find an activity that’s in the list. An activity group may be limiting what they see for that client, or the activity may be disabled. See Why Can't I See Certain Clients, Projects, or Activities?.
  • A default description didn’t fill in. It only fills in on the web app, and only if autofill hasn't been turned off.
  • Entries are priced at an unexpected rate. Check the activity's Rate. See Why Does My Invoice Show $0.00?.