# 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 {% embed url="" %} #### 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 {% embed url="" %} *** ### 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](/accountants/bookkeeping-workflows/rules.md) *** ### 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. {% embed url="" %} *** ### 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.