Q:  How can I show a unique bill number on each bill?

A:  This is an option in the bill format.

Choose Setup > Bill Formats. Select the bill format you wish to change and click Edit.

At the Edit A Bill Format window, click the Edit Sections button.

On the Header 1 tab, in the Bill Number frame, check the box, Show Bill Number.

Click Save, Save, Close to finish editing the bill format.

Keep in mind that this change will only affect matters that specify this bill format. If you use more than one bill format, you must change each of them separately.

The bill numbers should be considered arbitrary numbers. They are assigned by the database software when each bill is created. Each bill number is guaranteed to be unique across all matters.

The same sequence of numbers is used for other things, such as payments, so there will be gaps in the numbering. You cannot choose a starting number and you cannot alter the numbers.

When you view a bill, before it is printed, you will see asterisks where the bill number should be. That's because the bill number isn't assigned until you print the bill. The printed bill will show the bill number.