TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Your contract and bundle summary
- How disbursements are calculated
- The disbursements table
- Filtering the report
- Frequently asked questions
The disbursement report is useful if you have the disbursement feature enabled. It gives you a line-item view of the disbursement amount calculated for each billable component on a case, so you can see exactly what makes up the total disbursement amount.
You'll find it in First AML, under Reporting. It updates as cases progress, so the figures reflect the latest calculations for your account.
The disbursement report is designed for two main jobs:
- Reviewing disbursements at the line-item level, so you can explain how disbursements are calculated in each case.
- Exporting disbursement figures in bulk, so you can bring them into your practice management system (PMS) or another system without manual entry.
Your contract and bundle summary
At the top of the report you'll see a summary of your contract and the units available to your account, including your unit pricing and how many units you have remaining.
A "unit" is the measure First AML uses to charge for the checks run on a case (for example, one screening check or one electronic verification consumes a unit).
Depending on your contract, units are drawn from three types:
- Included units: units covered as part of your base plan.
- Bundle units: a pre-purchased pool of additional units.
- Variable units: units used beyond your included and bundle allowance (i.e. overage), billed separately.
How disbursements are calculated
The disbursement amount for a component depends on how you have disbursements configured for your account, and the unit type the component was billed against.
A single case can include components of more than one unit type, and different unit types can carry different costs. This is the most common reason a total disbursement amount for a case may look different from what you expected: the case is made up of components that can be billed in different ways.
For example, you may have disbursements set up to use "Disburse actual costs", and you may have two components in a case:
- Component A: Included unit type, charged at the disbursement rate you defined for included units in your Disbursement settings. In this example, Component A depleted the last available included units in your contract.
- Component B: Variable unit type, given no more included units were available, and disbursed as per the actual overage rate defined in your contract.
The Unit Type column tells you which type each component used, so you can see where a difference comes from.
The disbursements table
The main table, Disbursements for case related components, lists one row for each billable component on your cases. A component is an individual check or piece of work on a case, such as an electronic identity verification, an entity unwrap, or a screening check.
Because there is a row for each component rather than one row per case, you can see how a case's total disbursement is built up from its individual parts. This is what lets you explain a disbursement amount to a client at the line-item level.
You can search and sort the table, and filter it down to the cases and dates you need (see Filtering the report below).
Columns in the disbursements table
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
Case ID | The unique identifier for the case. |
Case Name | The name of the case. |
Case Office | The office the case belongs to. |
Case Reference | Your own reference for the case, if one was added. |
Case Status | The current status of the case, for example In Progress or Completed. |
Case Submitted On | The date the case was submitted, shown as DD/MM/YYYY. |
Case Completed On | The date the case was completed, shown as DD/MM/YYYY. Blank if the case is not yet complete. |
Component ID | The unique identifier for the individual component. Use this to match a line back to a specific check. |
Case Components | The type of check the component represents, for example an electronic verification, entity unwrap, or screening check. |
Component Units | The number of units the component consumed. |
Unit Type | How the component was billed: as included, bundle, or variable units. |
Invoiced Amount | The amount First AML invoices you for that component. |
Disbursement Amount | The disbursement amount calculated for that component, based on your disbursement settings. |
Component Created On | The date the component was created (i.e. when the check was run), shown as DD/MM/YYYY. |
Disbursement Last Calculated On | The date the disbursement for that component was last calculated, shown as DD/MM/YYYY. |
Filtering the report
You can filter the disbursements table to focus on the cases, dates, or parts of your business you need. The available filters are:
- Case ID: show a single case.
- Case Reference: show cases matching your own reference.
- Component Created On: show components created within a date range.
- Disbursement Last Calculated On: show components whose disbursement was last calculated within a date range.
- Office: show only cases belonging to a particular office.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a total disbursement amount different from what I expected?
The most common reason is that a case is made up of components billed against different unit types, which can carry different costs. Check the Unit Type column for each row to see how each component was billed. For what the unit types mean, see Understanding the pricing report.
Why don't I see disbursements for my older cases?
Disbursements apply to billable components created after disbursements were enabled on your account. Components created before then will not have a disbursement amount.
Can I export the report?
Yes. You can export the report to work with the data externally or to import it into your PMS. For more on generating and exporting reports, see How to generate in-platform reports.
Who do I contact to enable or change disbursements?
A Compliance Admin can enable and configure Disbursements. See Customising disbursements for more information.