Memos

Adding a Memo

A memo is your own note on a transaction. It's separate from the bank description (what came from the bank or card feed). Use memos to record context only you know — why something was spent, who it was for, or how it should be treated at tax time.

From the Transactions tab

1. Reveal the Memo column via the gear icon (⚙) in the top right
2. Click into the Memo cell for the transaction
3. Type your note and press Enter to save

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From transaction details

1. Open a transaction to view its details panel
2. Find the Memo field and click to edit
3. Click away from the field to save

Adding memos in bulk

1. Select multiple transactions from the Transactions tab
2. Click Add memo from the Bulk Actions toolbar

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The Actions Panel

When you open a transaction, the details panel includes an Actions toggle. Expand it to see what Kick is prompting you to complete — this is where substantiation questions and optional fields like memo and receipt upload appear.

The panel is divided into two sections:

• Required — Substantiation questions that need answers (e.g., "Who did you meet?" or "What was the purpose?"). These appear based on the transaction's category and amount.
• Optional — The memo field and receipt upload. These are never required, but filling them in adds context for your records.

If a Required question is answered with "Other," Kick will prompt for more detail in the memo — but the memo itself remains in the Optional section. It's not blocking, just encouraged.

Filtering by Memo

Use filters to surface transactions based on memo status:

• Has memo — Transactions with a memo attached
• No memo — Transactions without a memo
• Needs memo — Transactions where Kick is prompting for additional context

Automating Memos with Rules

Go to Transactions → Rules. One of the available actions is Add memo. This is useful for automatically tagging transactions with context based on conditions like bank description or counterparty.

For example:

• Add "Monthly retainer" to all transactions from "Acme Consulting"
• Add "Client entertainment" to all transactions categorized as Meals over $100

→ Rules

Requesting Memos from Clients

When you need clients to provide context on specific transactions, create a task with those transactions attached. Before creating the task, add the Memo column to your Transactions view — the task will display the same columns, making it easy for clients to see where to add their notes.

1. Go to Transactions and reveal the Memo column
2. Select the transactions you need input on
3. In the Bulk Actions toolbar, click the options menu (⋯) and select Create task
4. Assign the task to your client and include instructions in the description

Clients can add memos directly to each transaction from within the task view.

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Memos vs. Journal Entry Descriptions

Memos on transactions and descriptions on journal entries serve different purposes:

• Transaction memo — Your note on a bank or card transaction. Appears in the Memo column on the Transactions tab.
• Journal entry description — The purpose or description of the manual journal entry. Appears in the General Ledger and on accounting reports.

Both can exist on the same underlying activity and are stored separately.

Memos in Exports

When you export transactions from Kick, the memo is included as its own column. This makes it easy to review notes in a spreadsheet or share context with third parties.