Matter Budgets
Set fee budgets on matters, track spend in real time, and alert clients and attorneys before overruns happen.
Overview
Budget overruns are one of the most common sources of client complaints in law firms. A client who was told a matter would cost $15,000 and receives a $22,000 invoice has not had their expectations managed — and will likely dispute the bill, reduce referrals, and not return. Matter budgets prevent this by creating a transparent fee cap or estimate at the outset of the matter, tracking spend against it in real time, and alerting the responsible attorney when the budget is approaching exhaustion.
The Matter Budgets module provides a firm-wide view of all matters with budgets set, showing current spend as a percentage of budget, how many days the matter has been open, and whether any matters have already exceeded their budget. Attorneys can drill into individual matters to see budget status alongside the full billing history.
Budget Status Indicators
On Track
(0–79% of budget used)The matter is within budget. No immediate action required, though the attorney should monitor spend relative to the remaining scope of work.
Budget Alert
(≥80% of budget used (default threshold))The matter has reached the alert threshold. The responsible attorney receives a notification. This is the critical intervention point — the attorney should contact the client to discuss a costs variation before the budget is exceeded.
Over Budget
(>100% of budget used)The matter has exceeded its budget. Billing is still possible but the overrun must be addressed — either with a retrospective costs variation approved by the client, or by writing off the excess. Over-budget matters are flagged prominently in the module.
Setting a Budget on a Matter
Open the matter
Navigate to the matter in the Matters module and click the Billing tab. Scroll to the Budget section and click Set Budget.
Enter the budget amount
Enter the fee budget in the firm's currency. This is the agreed maximum cost estimate — the amount you have quoted the client or the internal cap you have set. Include GST/VAT if your billing is tax-inclusive; the budget is compared against billed amounts using the same basis.
Set the alert threshold
The default alert threshold is 80% — you receive an alert when 80% of the budget has been billed. Adjust this if needed: for matters with well-defined scope, 80% is appropriate. For matters with volatile costs, consider 70% to give more warning time.
Save
Save the budget. It appears immediately in the Matter Budgets module and is tracked in real time as time entries and disbursements are billed to the matter.
What the Module Tracks
For each budgeted matter, the module displays:
Budget management in practice
- • Set a budget on every matter that has a fee estimate or fixed fee. The budget module only surfaces matters where budgets have been set — matters without budgets are invisible to this module, even if they are overrunning against an informal estimate.
- • When the budget alert fires, contact the client immediately — before the budget is exhausted, not after. "We are 80% through the agreed fee estimate and want to give you advance notice of where we are" is a professional conversation. Presenting a surprise overrun invoice is not.
- • Do not set artificially low budgets to create frequent alerts. Set the budget to the genuine estimate. If the matter regularly exceeds the budget, the problem is with the scoping and pricing — fix that, not the threshold.
- • Use the Days Open field to assess trajectory. A matter that is 75% through its budget after 10 days on a matter expected to take 3 months is a red flag that scope has expanded dramatically. Investigate before continuing to bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does setting a budget prevent billing above it?
No. The budget is a tracking and alerting tool, not a hard cap. Billing continues normally above the budget threshold. If you want to enforce a hard fee cap, that is a matter of your retainer agreement terms — FRITH's budget module supports the process of managing and communicating costs but does not block invoicing.
Can I update a budget mid-matter?
Yes. Open the matter's Billing tab, click Edit Budget, and enter the revised amount. Add a note explaining the revision (e.g., "Budget revised following additional instructions received 15 Jan 2026 — costs variation agreed with client"). Budget revision history is retained in the matter's audit log.
What if a matter has multiple billing phases, each with their own budget?
Phase-based budgets are supported. From the matter's Billing tab, you can create multiple budget phases — each with its own amount and threshold. This is useful for multi-stage litigation (interlocutory, trial preparation, trial) where each phase has a distinct fee estimate.
Does the budget include disbursements?
By default, the budget tracks fee billing only (time and fixed fees). Disbursements can be included by enabling "Include disbursements in budget tracking" in the matter's budget settings. This is relevant for matters where client-reimbursable expenses form a significant part of the total costs.