Wisconsin · Trust Accounting
What Wisconsin attorneys must do to keep client trust funds compliant — the governing rule, how often you must reconcile, and how long records must be kept.
Wis. Sup. Ct. R. 20:1.15 (Safekeeping property; trust accounts and fiduciary accounts); recordkeeping at SCR 20:1.15(g), overdraft notices at SCR 20:1.15(h)
Monthly (per Office of Lawyer Regulation guidelines)
6 years
Office of Lawyer Regulation, Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, Inc. (WisTAF)
Required — banks must notify the regulator
Source: Office of Lawyer Regulation, Wisconsin Supreme Court . Rules change — always confirm against the current text before relying on it.
Wisconsin's stated reconciliation requirement is: Monthly (per Office of Lawyer Regulation guidelines). A three-way reconciliation compares three totals that must all agree. If they do not, the difference has to be found and resolved before the reconciliation is complete.
Bank statement balance, adjusted for outstanding checks and deposits in transit.
Your internal trust account register as of the same date.
The total of every individual client ledger balance on that date.
For a full walkthrough of the procedure, common violations, and what examiners look for, see our IOLTA compliance guide.
Wisconsin requires trust account records to be retained for 6 years. In practice that means keeping:
IOLTA Guard automates three-way reconciliation, blocks negative client ledgers, and keeps the audit trail Wisconsin attorneys are expected to maintain.