---
title: "Check a trust-to-office transfer against the bill and the authority"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-to-office-transfer-against-the-bill-and-the-authority"
type: "task"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A41-A20260923-2"
practice_area: "Trust accounting & handling client money"
tier: "red"
lawyer_review: "required"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check a trust-to-office transfer against the bill and the authority

> Compare the proposed transfer, the rendered bill and the trust authority and list amounts that do not match or that would overdraw the matter.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-to-office-transfer-against-the-bill-and-the-authority  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Trust accounting & handling client money](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money.md) |
| Human involvement | Red: Lawyer writes; AI may check, clarify or collect data |
| How AI is used | Compare the proposed transfer, the rendered bill and the trust authority and list amounts that do not match or that would overdraw the matter. |
| What the lawyer must review | Confirm the client has been given a bill, unless the current rule allows transfer without one Have the principal authorise the transfer |
| Written for / versions | 1 jurisdiction versions below |

## Checking plan

No transfer without a bill the client has been given, unless the current rule allows it. The principal authorises the transfer.

- What the AI does: Compare the proposed transfer, the rendered bill and the trust authority and list amounts that do not match or that would overdraw the matter.
- What the lawyer does: Set the scope, verify the evidence, resolve exceptions and approve the final output for its intended use.
- Basis: Suggested checking approach based on the task guidance. Complete the assessment for the actual tool, information and jurisdiction.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
2. Verify every relied-on citation, figure and name against the source document.
3. The responsible lawyer approves the exact version before use.

## Sources

- [New Zealand Law Society: Generative AI guidance for lawyers](https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/professional-practice/rules-and-maintaining-professional-standards/generative-ai-guidance-for-lawyers/) (checked 2026-09-23)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Client direction for an IOLTA or separate trust deposit (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/us-iolta-or-separate-trust-deposit-direction.md) | Letter | Red | Client direction naming the trust account for a deposit, and the limits on a later withdrawal of earned fees or incurred expenses. The lawyer decides whether the funds are nominal or short-term. |
| [Written direction to pay trust money to a third party](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/direction-to-pay-third-party.md) | Letter | Yellow | Client direction to pay a stated sum of trust money to a named third party, with the cheque or electronic-transfer particulars in rule 43. It is not an authority to take costs. |
| [Check before a trust-to-operating transfer (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/us-trust-to-operating-transfer-check.md) | Checklist | Red | A check, before any transfer from a client trust account to the operating account, that the fee is earned or the expense incurred, the client has the direction and the bill, and no disputed amount… |
| [File note when trust funds are disputed (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/us-disputed-trust-funds-file-note.md) | Memo | Red | An internal note recording a dispute over funds in a trust account, the amount that is disputed, and the amount that is not, so the disputed part stays in trust. |
| [Trust irregularity briefing note for the principal](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/trust-irregularity-briefing.md) | Memo | Red | Internal note that lines up the facts of a trust irregularity so the principal can give written notice to the regulator as soon as practicable. It is not the notice. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

## Jurisdiction versions

| Jurisdiction | Level |
| --- | --- |
| [United States](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-to-office-transfer-against-the-bill-and-the-authority/united-states.md) | Red |

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*