Overview
You can now see what happened to a CARET Pay card or ACH payment without leaving CARET Legal. Each CARET Pay payment shows a status and, when available, the gross amount, processor fee, net amount deposited and disbursed date. You no longer need to open the CARET Pay portal to answer "Did this payment land?" or "Why doesn't my bank deposit match?"
Why this matters: When a client pays through CARET Pay, CARET Legal records the payment at its full (gross) amount on the day the client paid. The processor then batches it with other payments, keeps its fee, and deposits the net amount into your bank a few days later. Before this update, none of that showed in CARET Legal. Now it does.
Who this is for
Bookkeepers and billing admins who handle bank reconciliation and month-end close
Firms with trust accounts, where catching a returned or failed ACH payment early really matters
Where you'll see it
Register (Accounting > Banks & Registers > Register tab)
A new Status column sits between Cleared and Description.
Hover over or click a status to see payout details.
Checks, transfers, journal entries and other payments that didn't go through CARET Pay show a blank status.
Reconciliation (Accounting > Reports > Accounting Reconciliation)
The existing "Status" column is now called Recon Status.
A new Status column to its right shows the CARET Pay payment status, with the same hover details as the Register.
Invoice Details (Accounting > Invoices & Payments > open an invoice > Payments table)
CARET Pay payments show the same status and details, so you can see from the invoice whether a payment has gone through.
Disbursement Report
Each disbursement header now shows a Subtotal: the gross amount charged before fees and deductions. It appears next to Fee, Deducted and Net Total.
Payment statuses
Payout details
For Pending, Settled and Funded payments, hover over or click the status to see:
Disbursed date (Funded payments only)
Gross: the amount the client paid
Processor fee, labeled "Est. processor fee" when the final fee isn't known yet
Net deposited: gross minus the fee
Refunded, Voided, Returned and Failed payments don't show these details.
Good to know
Fees can be estimates. Until a payment fully settles, the fee is marked "Est. processor fee." Treat it as an estimate until the final amount appears.
Older payments may show less. Some older CARET Pay payments may show only Gross and Net, without a fee.
This is view-only. Showing the fee doesn't post anything to your general ledger. Your bookkeeping entries don't change.
Not shown on every Banks & Registers tab. The Status column doesn't appear on the Undeposited/Unassigned Payments or Download & Review tabs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need to log in to the CARET Pay portal to check whether a payment landed?
For most everyday checks, no. The status and payout details are now in the Register, Reconciliation and Invoice pages.
Why is my bank deposit smaller than the payments in my register?
The register records each payment at the gross amount the client paid. The processor deposits the net amount after its fee, often several payments together in one deposit. Hover over a Funded status to see the gross, fee and net for each payment.
What's the difference between Settled and Funded?
Settled means the processor has settled the payment but hasn't sent it to your bank yet. Funded means it was included in a payout to your bank, and the disbursed date is shown.
Why does the fee say "Est. processor fee"?
The final fee isn't known until the payment settles. Until then, CARET Legal shows an estimate.
Is the processor fee recorded in my general ledger automatically?
No. The fee is shown for reference only and isn't posted to your books.
How will I know if an ACH payment was returned?
The payment's status changes to Returned (orange-red) in the Register, Reconciliation and Invoice pages. Review these as part of your regular reconciliation, especially for trust accounts.
Why is the Status blank on some rows?
Status only shows for CARET Pay payments. Checks, transfers, journal entries and other manually recorded payments show a blank status.
Why don't I see a fee on some older payments?
Some older CARET Pay payments don't have the full fee history. Those show only Gross and Net.
Does this change how I reconcile or clear transactions?
No. Your reconciliation steps stay the same. The new Status column gives you more information while you reconcile.
I don't see the Status column. What should I do?
This feature is for firms using CARET Pay. If your firm uses CARET Pay and you don't see it, contact CARET Support.