startOverview and setting up Trust Accounts Probate Clients
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Overview and setting up Trust Accounts Probate Clients

CCH Trust Accounts
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Probate Pack

    Overview

    The CCH Trust Accounts Probate formats are used for producing Estate accounts, with financial and securities data entry in CCH Trust Accounts, associations and addresses in CCH Central and accounts settings and disclosures in CCH Accounts Production.

    The probate client class in CCH Trust Accounts comprises of a nominal ledger, using a standard 4-digit chart of accounts and a securities database.  The output of the estate accounts is maintained within CCH Accounts Production.  The two databases are linked by client code, and the Accounts production side comprises of a disclosure database called the "statutory database" in which settings are made and relevant information entered to appear in the accounts notes.  Associations flow through to the Accounts production side by way of linking associations (contacts or clients) that exist within CCH Central.

    The chart is distributed in a file, S6Prob.imp and imported using File Import.  This sets up the probate chart of accounts as a Client Class.  If the Client Class number already exists, then it should be edited to a different number before importing S6Prob.imp.  No changes are required at the client level for this process.

    Creating a client and setting up accounting periods in CCH Trust Accounts

    Ultimately, a client will be created in both CCH Trust Accounts and CCH Central and will be linked. It is possible to have both clients unlinked until ready to link.

    Below covers the scenarios where the client already exists in CCH Central and where it does not.

    Before starting the client creation process, check to see if the client exists within CCH Central to ensure you will be linking to the correct client.  The client code is the field that matches the clients.

    The client codes MUST match to enable them to be linked.  If they differ, it is more usual to change the code in CCH Trust Accounts rather than CCH Central

    1. If the client already exists in CCH Central

    Having checked the client details in CCH Central, within CCH Trust Accounts, from the Client listing Select New…

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    A message will appear giving three options, Yes, No and Cancel. 

    Select Yes, and your list of CCH Central clients will be displayed, you can search this list using the Find option, ensure you have selected right correct filter e.g. Code or Name as indicated below, or scroll through the list to find the correct client to link to. Once you have chosen the correct client click Select to close.

    The client in CCH Trust Accounts is now linked to the same client in CCH Central. 

    In CCH Trust Accounts the Code and Surname will be greyed out in the Edit client details box, the client may be unlinked from this box. To access the client details after setting up, select the client from the Clients listing and click the Edit… button.

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    2. If the client does not already exist in CCH Central

    From the Client listing Select New…

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    This time select No to the linking question, then the Edit Client details box will open, enter the Client Code, the Name / title as appropriate.  See screen shot below.

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    Note: The report name field is an override field that feeds through to CCH Accounts Production if the name on the report is to be changed.

    The Link… button may be selected later when the client has been set-up in CCH Central.

    Click OK, the Nominal Client Details box will open

    Setting up the first period of account - Nominal Client Details

    This applies to all clients (linked or unlinked) where the accounting period is being set up for the first time.  Either you will have selected OK, as above, and this box will open, or you will select Nominal Client Details from the Nominal Ledger options. Explanations are given below the screen shot below.

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    • Class = Probate – cannot be changed once the Nominal Client Details screen is set-up
    • Currency: will already be populated
    • This year: will be the day before the date of death. This ensures that when the client is balanced forward the accounts begin on the date of death.
    • Last year: will be any date prior to the date of death (this date cannot be changed)
    • Previous year: will be any date prior to last year (this date cannot be changed)
    • Next year: will auto populate with a date 12 months forward and may be amended later to the accounts date.  

    You will set up the various periods of account you wish to produce using Autoload and not the year-end function.  You will perform one year-end once all entries after of death have been entered.  See setting up subsequent periods of account - Autoload below.

    • A/cs formatter: Accounts Prod.
    • Client file extn: will already be populated
    • Format type: = Probate
    • Rounding: None
    • Divisions and Beneficiaries: N/A.

    To set up subsequent periods of account, follow this link for Autoload: Setting up subsequent accounting periods using Autoload

    Related documents

    Linking to clients in CCH Central
    This document provides instructions on how to link and unlink clients from CCH Central in the CCH Trust Accounts system. To link a client, the user must select the client, click "Edit," then "Link," and choose the appropriate client from Central. Once linked, certain fields become non-editable in Trust Accounts. To unlink a client, the user clicks the "Unlink" button, which restores editability but deletes any accounting periods in Central. Key fields updated from Central include client name, address, and contact details.
    Database Parameters
    Various features in Trust Accounts are optional. To set up many of these, from the Activities menu select System Management, and then Database Parameters.
    Data Parameters
    Various features in Trust Accounts are optional. To set up many of these, from the Activities menu select System Management, and then Database Parameters.
    Database Parameters
    Database Parameters
    Passwords
    Passwords