Collections
AI accounting for collections firms
Thousands of small debtor payments in, one clean remittance out to each creditor client, net of fees and costs, reconciled every day.
- Read-only to startBank and case systems connect read-only; write-back is a switch the firm turns on.
- Rules for 50 states and DCEach account is checked against its own state bar's trust accounting rules.
- A person approves moneyEvery disbursement carries a named approver and signatory.
- SOC 2 audit in progressSecurity overview and trust center available on request.
In short
suss. is AI accounting software for collections and creditors' rights law firms. It matches every debtor payment to its account and creditor client as it lands in trust, waits for the funds to clear, deducts the firm's agreed contingency fee and any costs the firm advanced under the fee agreement, and builds each creditor's remittance with a statement that ties to the trust ledger. Court costs advanced by clients are tracked to the file, payments returned after posting are caught before the next remittance, and the trust account is reconciled every day.
Where collections trust accounting breaks, and what changes
Every debtor payment lands on the right account and client.
ACH, card, check and lockbox payments are matched to the debtor account and the creditor client the day they post. Payments that arrive without an account number are routed to a person instead of sitting unidentified in trust.
Remittances net of fees, with a statement that ties.
NYSBA Ethics Opinion 763 says a collections firm should deposit collected payments in trust, and may deduct its agreed fee and disbursements before promptly remitting the net, as long as the fee is not excessive or in dispute; in New York a contingent fee agreement must be in writing. suss. builds each creditor's remittance from cleared payments only, applies the fee schedule the firm sets for that client, and attaches a statement that ties to the ledger.
Court costs and returned payments, tracked to the file.
Court costs a creditor advances are held in trust on that file until spent. Costs awarded in a judgment and later collected from the debtor go back to whoever advanced them, usually the creditor. When a debtor payment is returned after it was posted, suss. flags it before the next remittance, so the firm doesn't remit money it never collected, and any shortfall on funds already remitted shows up right away.
Worked example
One creditor, one month
Westline Auto Finance places accounts with the firm on a 25 percent contingency. At month end, suss. builds Westline's remittance from the payments that cleared in October, not the ones still in flight.
Payments that posted in the last days of the month but have not cleared roll into November's remittance. Whether a firm may deduct its fee before remitting depends on its state's rules and its agreement with the client; suss. applies the terms the firm sets.
How a collections firm uses suss.
- Every morning
Overnight, the day's payments are matched to debtor accounts and creditor clients and the trust account is reconciled. In the morning the trust team sees only the exceptions: payments with no account number, returned payments, and files where costs ran past what the client advanced.
- When money moves
On remittance day, statements for every creditor client are built from cleared funds and the firm's fee schedules. A named person approves the batch, and the remittances and fee transfers are recorded against each client's ledger.
- When someone asks
When a creditor client asks about one account or one month, the ledger answers it: every payment received, every fee and cost deducted, and every remittance, with dates and approvers.
What you keep
Works alongside the systems you run today
Your collection software, your payment processor, your bank, your approvals and your accountant. suss. works alongside all of them.
- Clio
- MyCase
- Filevine
- CasePeer
- QuickBooks
- Bank feeds
Guides for collections firms
All resources- Ten trust accounting mistakes
Ten trust accounting mistakes that lead to bar audits and discipline
The routine errors behind most trust account findings, what each one looks like on the books, and the control that prevents it.
Read the guide - Three-way reconciliation
How to do a three-way trust account reconciliation
The three balances, the steps, how often your state requires it, and what to do when the numbers do not agree.
Read the guide
Questions firms ask
Something not covered here? Ask us directly.
Can a collections firm deduct its fee before remitting to the creditor?
Often, yes, but it depends on the state and the agreement. NYSBA Ethics Opinion 763 says a collections firm should deposit collected payments in trust, and may deduct its agreed fee and disbursements before promptly remitting the net, provided the fee is not excessive or in dispute; in New York a contingent fee agreement must be in writing. Check your own state's rule. suss. applies the fee terms the firm sets for each client.
How does suss. handle payments that bounce after we post them?
A returned payment is matched back to the debtor account and creditor client and flagged before the next remittance, so the firm does not remit money it never collected, and any shortfall on a payment already remitted shows up right away.
Does suss. replace our collection software?
No. Your collection platform runs the accounts and the debtor communication. suss. keeps the trust accounting: payments, fees, costs, remittances and the daily reconciliation. Tell us which platform you use when you schedule a demo.
Can suss. handle thousands of payments a day?
suss. matches payments in bulk overnight and shows a person only the exceptions, so volume adds to the matched count rather than to the team's work. Tell us your monthly payment volume when you schedule a demo.
Does suss. move money?
Not today. suss. connects to bank accounts read-only. It prepares and records remittances, and a named person at the firm approves and executes them. Write-back is a switch the firm turns on, behind the same approval gate.
Is suss. compliant with our state bar's trust accounting rules?
suss. runs reconciliation and record-keeping checks mapped to the selected state's trust accounting rules and keeps the records those checks produce. The firm remains responsible for its compliance; suss. makes the record.
See it on your own accounts.
We connect read-only, run alongside your current process, and show you the record before you change anything.
Join the collections cohort