Bookkeeping and Accounting for Immigration Law Firms

Immigration practices handle a high volume of matters, many on flat fees or payment plans, and routinely advance government filing fees on behalf of clients. Payments may come from employers, family members, or clients overseas. A&W Associates provides bookkeeping for immigration law firms that keeps fees, filing costs, and client funds clearly separated and accurately recorded.

Flat Fees, Payment Plans, and Installments

Many immigration matters are billed as flat fees paid in installments. We track each client’s payment plan, record payments as they arrive, and report on outstanding balances so your team knows which clients are current before the next filing goes out.

Government Filing Fees and Client Cost Advances

USCIS and other agency filing fees can be significant, and fee schedules change. We record filing fees by matter, separate them from your earned legal fees, and make sure client cost deposits are tracked so nothing is absorbed by your firm by mistake.

Employer-Sponsored and Third-Party Payments

For business immigration work, the employer is often the paying party. We maintain clear records of who paid for each matter and reconcile corporate client accounts so invoices, payments, and retainers can be matched to one another.

Trust Account Compliance

Unearned fees and cost deposits must be handled according to your state’s trust accounting rules. We provide monthly three-way reconciliation of your IOLTA and trust accounts and maintain individual client ledgers.

What We Handle for Immigration Law Firms

Flat-fee and payment plan tracking
Filing fee and cost advance records by matter
Corporate client invoicing and receivables
IOLTA and trust account reconciliation
Accounts payable and expense management
Payroll coordination
Monthly financial statements and tax-ready books

Why Immigration Attorneys Choose A&W Associates

With over 25 years of accounting experience and specialized training in legal bookkeeping, our team helps keep your high-volume practice’s financial records organized and current. Contact us today to learn more.

Immigration Practices in Houston, Dallas, Miami, New York, and Chicago

Some of the country’s busiest immigration courts sit in the markets below, and each draws a different mix of removal defense, family-based, and business immigration work. That mix decides who pays the bills and how the firm’s receivables should be organized. We work with immigration firms in each of these markets remotely.

Texas: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso

Texas has immigration courts in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and along the border. Removal defense practices here often run on flat fees with installment plans, sometimes paid by relatives in other states or other countries. We record each installment against the client’s plan and flag accounts that fall behind before the next hearing date.

New York: New York City and Long Island

New York City is one of the largest immigration court locations in the country, and many Manhattan firms also handle employer-sponsored work. Federal rules generally require the employer, not the worker, to bear certain H-1B petition costs, so we record which party paid every government and legal fee on business immigration matters.

Florida: Miami and Orlando

Immigration courts in Miami and Orlando serve large and diverse immigrant communities. Florida firms often receive payments from overseas family members and in several payment formats, so we match each deposit to the right client and matter as it arrives.

Illinois: Chicago

Chicago’s immigration court serves a wide part of the Midwest, and many Chicago firms combine family-based petitions with naturalization and removal work. When cost deposits for filing fees are held in trust, Illinois Rule 1.15A requires seven years of records and three-way reconciliation at least quarterly.

Immigration Law Firm Bookkeeping Near You

A&W Associates supports immigration law firms throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and New Mexico, and works remotely with firms in California, Texas, Illinois, and New York, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, and New York City. See our service area for the cities where we work with law firms, or contact us to ask about your location.

About A&W Associates

A&W Associates was founded by Angela Weicht, who brings over 25 years of financial and accounting experience, beginning in banking as a risk control specialist and fraud control analyst and continuing as an office manager and accounting manager for private businesses. The firm holds Certified Public Bookkeeper and QuickBooks ProAdvisor credentials and specializes in bookkeeping for law firms and nonprofits.