Atlas charge-off and legal
A bad debt write off that is complete, documented and released by a person.
Some balances will not resolve. When an account reaches 90 days unresolved, Atlas moves it to Charge-off & Legal, which prepares each step and waits for a person to release it. The attorney gets a complete file, and your books get a documented accounts receivable write off.
- 01Final demand letterReleased by M. Chen, Oct 2Released
- 02Mark the balance for charge-offPrepared · $41,280Awaiting release
- 03Package the fileStatement, 6 invoices, 41 messages, 7 callsReady
- 04Hand to your attorneyAfter release Locked
Every step in this agent is released by a person. That review cannot be turned off.
The last mile
Four steps, each one waiting for a person.
Charge-off & Legal is the one agent that waits on every step by default. Atlas prepares the work; a person releases it.
- 01
Final demand
A final demand letter is drafted with the full balance and history, and sent once released.
- 02
Mark for charge-off
The balance is marked for charge-off for your accounting team, who own the write-off decision.
- 03
Package the file
Statement, invoices, correspondence, call records and promises, assembled in one file.
- 04
Hand to an attorney
The file goes to your attorney or agency, with the account's full record attached.
Nothing lost
A write-off closes the balance, not the record.
Financial records in Atlas are never deleted by a write-off. They are kept, held and retained on your terms, because the file may matter long after the balance is closed.
Tombstoned, not deleted
Customers, invoices and payments are marked closed and stay on the record.
Legal hold
An account under a legal hold cannot be purged until the hold is lifted.
Retained until
Each record carries the date it must be kept until. A purge is a separate, deliberate act.
Append-only audit
Every step, who released it and when, is written to an audit trail that cannot be edited.
Before and with Atlas
From a folder someone builds at the end to a file that was building all along.
| Assembled at the end | With Atlas | |
|---|---|---|
| The file | Emails and invoices gathered by hand | Statement, invoices, correspondence and calls in one package |
| Who decides | Whoever has the account | A person releases every step |
| The write-off | A journal entry with little behind it | Marked for charge-off with the full history attached |
| Afterwards | Records scattered or deleted | Tombstoned, held and retained on the record |
What runs without anyone
Atlas does the work. You decide what waits.
Charge-off & Legal prepares each step on its own and waits for a person to release every one. That review is locked.
Atlas runs on its own. You flag any step for review, and flagged work waits in the Approval Queue for an Approver, Admin or Owner. Charge-off and legal waits for a person on every step.
On its own
- Moves an account in at 90 days unresolved
- Drafts the final demand letter
- Packages the statement, invoices and correspondence
Waits for a person
- Sending the final demand
- Marking the balance for charge-off
- Handing the file to an attorney
FAQ
Charge-off and legal, run end to end.
When does Atlas move an account to charge-off?
When an account reaches 90 days unresolved, Atlas moves it from Collections or Promise to pay into Charge-off & Legal. Paying in full takes it out of any agent at any point.
Does Atlas write off bad debt on its own?
No. Charge-off & Legal waits for a person on every step, and that review cannot be turned off. Atlas marks the balance for charge-off with the full history attached; the write-off itself is your accounting team's decision under your own policy.
What goes into the file for our attorney?
The account statement, every invoice, the correspondence by email and text, call records, promises made and broken, and disputes raised. Atlas assembles it in one package, so the attorney starts with the complete record.
What happens to the records after an accounts receivable write off?
They stay. Atlas never deletes financial records on a write-off: they are tombstoned, can be put under a legal hold, and carry a retain-until date. A purge is a separate, deliberate act.
Can we see who approved each step?
Yes. Every step records who released it and when, in an append-only audit trail written in the same transaction as the change itself.
Related in Atlas
- CollectionsEvery overdue balance worked by the right agent, by email, text and phone, until it is paid.View
- Disputes and deductionsDisputes and short payments answered with the evidence attached.View
- Accounts receivableThe whole receivables lifecycle, from credit application to recovery, worked by agents.View
- Atlas agentsEvery Atlas agent: what brings an account in, its sequence, its channels and what waits for a person.View
See charge-off and legal work on your own receivables.
Thirty minutes on your own aging report. You leave with a view of how Atlas would work it, and an honest answer if the sequencing is wrong and you should fix something else first.
Your credit policy, terms, tone and escalation rules are your advantage, and they stay yours. Atlas is configured to the way you run receivables. You are not handing over a playbook or fitting into a template.