RTG Bills includes a report called Verify Matter Balance. The report checks that the balance due for each matter is correct by comparing it to the transactions for the matter (payments, adjustments, retainers used, and bills). It reports any inconsistencies as bad matters.

A bad matter can be caused in two ways:

1. Problem 1
   A transaction was marked as "billed" but the matter balance was not updated to reflect it. This can occur if the computer crashes while you are printing a bill.
   
   
2. Problem 2
   A transaction is missing from the database. This is very rare. It could be caused by hardware or software problems (outside of RTG Bills) that corrupt the data on the disk.

Note:
You have Problem 1 if the balance shown on the Matter Ledger is correct.

The program offered here will adjust the matter balance to be consistent with the transactions. That solves Problem 1. However, if you have Problem 2, you will need to use this program first, then figure out what transactions are missing and re-enter them.

The program offered here is only designed to work with RTG Bills and RTG Timer Version 2.17 through 2.26. If you have a lower-numbered version, you need to upgrade to the current version. If you have Version 2.27 or above, go here.

1. Back up your data. We recommend using File > Backup in RTG Bills. If anything goes wrong, you can restore your data using File > Restore From Backup.
   
   
2. Right-click the RTG Bills icon and choose Run as administrator. From the RTG Bills menu, choose:

   File > Update > Yes > Check The Internet For Updates

3. Ignore the list of updates. Click the Other button.
   
   
4. You should see a window entitled Enter An Update Number. In the box, type the number 238. Click OK.
   
   
5. You should now see that Update number 238 has been added to the list of updates. It should have a checkmark next to it. Click Install to install this update.
   
   
6. If the update is successful, the program will tell you that one update was applied. Click OK, Close, and Close again.
   
   
7. Start RTG Bills again. Choose File > Tools from the menu. You should see Fix Matter Balance in the list of tools. Select it and click OK.
   
   
8. The program should appear, with the title RTG Bills - Fix Matter Balance. Enter a matter number and click the Fix It button. The program will change the matter balance so it matches the transaction balance. Repeat for other matters as required.
   
   
9. Choose File > Exit to leave the program.

At this point, the matters you fixed should no longer appear as bad matters on the Verify Matter Balance report.

The program creates a log file as it works. The log file is the file Fixbal.log, inside the RTG Bills data folder. If you have any problems with the program, send the log file to RTG as an email attachment.

Questions about this procedure should be directed to RTG Support.