> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://tribalfs.gitbook.io/accountant/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://tribalfs.gitbook.io/accountant/transactions/recording-a-transaction.md).
# Recording a transaction
Record a payment step by step, then learn the editor's other options.
**What you'll do:** record a grocery purchase paid from your bank account. The same steps work for every transaction type.
## Record a payment
1. Tap the **+** button, then **Pay money**.
2. Check the time and date at the top. Tap either one to change it.
3. Tap **Person or business** and type who you paid, for example *Supermarket*. Names you've used before are suggested as you type.
4. Tap **Pay from** and choose the account the money came from, for example *Everyday checking*.
5. Tap **Add item** and choose what the payment was for, such as *Groceries* on the **Expense** tab. The **Assets** tab is for things you bought to keep, and **Liability** for paying off a debt.
6. Enter the amount and tap **Done**. The calculator button next to the amount lets you add up a receipt.
7. Tap **Transaction memo** and add a short note, such as *Weekly groceries*. Optional: tap **Add label** to tag it, for example *Vacation* or *Business*.
8. Tap **Save**.
**Save** stays off until the transaction has a **Person or business**, a **Transaction memo**, its accounts, and an amount on every line. To keep an unfinished one, use **⋮ › Save as draft** instead.
A payment ready to save
The transaction appears in **Transactions › Posted**, with its debit (**DR**) and credit (**CR**) accounts underneath. For a transfer or money received, the account the money went to is listed first, then any charges.
Posted transactions, with the debit and credit accounts of each
{% hint style="info" %}
**Template suggestions.** If you saved a [template](/accountant/transactions/templates-drafts-trash.md#templates) of this type for the person or business you entered, a bubble appears on that row. Tap **Use** to fill in the form from it, or, when there are several, **Choose** to pick one.
{% endhint %}
## Labels
Labels tag transactions across accounts, such as every cost of one trip. Add as many as you like with **Add label**; tap a label pill to remove it. Later you can:
* filter **Transactions** by label, or find them with 🔍 search
* see **Profit & loss › ⋮ › By label** for income and expenses per label. See [Reports](/accountant/reports-and-home/reports.md#by-label).
## Splitting one payment
Tap **Add item** again to split the payment across several accounts, for example groceries and household supplies on one receipt. The total at the top (**Total payments**, **Amount received** or **Total purchases**) is the sum of the items.
**Start from the receipt's total.** Tap the total at the top and enter the receipt's total first. Until the items add up to it, an *Unassigned* (or *Over total*) row shows the difference, and each new item starts with what's left. You can post once the items match.
## The calculator
The calculator button next to an amount opens a small calculator:
* If you copied an amount in the last hour, for example from your banking app, a **Paste ₱…** bubble offers it. Tap it to enter the amount.
* The **−** key also types negative numbers.
* Tap **Use result** to put the result in the amount field.
## Attachments
Tap the paper-clip button at the bottom of the form to attach a receipt or document:
* **Take photo**
* **Choose from gallery**
* **Choose file**
* **Use existing attachment**: reuse a file already attached to another transaction
To remove one, tap its **×**.
Attachments stay on your phone. If [sync](/accountant/sync-and-sharing/sync-across-devices.md) is on, they're also copied to your own Google Drive, and your other phones download them. In a [shared ledger](/accountant/sync-and-sharing/shared-ledger.md), the other people can open them too. See [Opening someone else's attachments](/accountant/sync-and-sharing/shared-ledger.md#opening-someone-elses-attachments).
* If you tap an attachment that isn't on this phone yet, it downloads first (*Downloading file*).
* *"Not uploaded yet. Try again after the phone that added it syncs."* means the phone that added it hasn't synced it yet.
* A file that no transaction uses any more, for example after you remove it or delete its transaction for good, is deleted from your phone after 30 days.
## Toolbar buttons
* **Scan** (receipt icon): read a receipt and fill in the form. See [Scanning receipts](/accountant/transactions/scanning-receipts.md).
* **Transaction templates** (stack icon): start from a saved template. See [Templates, drafts and Trash](/accountant/transactions/templates-drafts-trash.md).
* **⋮**: **Save as draft**. When you edit a saved transaction, it also has **Copy**, **Save as template**, **Print or export** and **Move to Trash** (or **Delete permanently** when [Trash](/accountant/transactions/templates-drafts-trash.md#trash) is off).
## Scheduling instead of posting
Tap the **Set schedule** button next to the date (it has the same icon as the **Scheduled** tab) to make this a scheduled or recurring transaction. See [Scheduled and recurring transactions](/accountant/transactions/scheduled-and-recurring.md).
## Foreign currencies
If the accounts use different currencies, an **Exchange rate** card appears. See [Multi-currency](/accountant/transactions/multi-currency.md).
## Editing or deleting
Open **Transactions**, tap the transaction, change what you need and tap **Save**. To delete it, use **⋮ › Move to Trash**. If **Trash** is off, the item reads **Delete permanently**.
To change many at once, touch and hold one in the list to start selecting. In **Posted** you can then use:
* **Copy**, **Change date**, **Change person or business** and **Change memo**
* **Delete**: with Trash on, the transactions move to Trash at once and *"Moved to Trash"* appears with **Undo** for a few seconds
* **Merge**, when the selected transactions can be combined. See [Merge transactions](#merge-transactions).
* **Create template** (or **Create templates**). See [Templates](/accountant/transactions/templates-drafts-trash.md#templates).
* **Print or export**
{% hint style="info" %}
**Copied transactions use today's date.** Copies of scheduled transactions keep their scheduled date, or use tomorrow's date if that's later.
{% endhint %}
## Merge transactions
Merge combines several transactions into one, for example three card charges that were really one purchase. Every account's balance stays the same.
1. In **Posted**, **Drafts** or an [account's transactions](/accountant/accounts/account-transactions.md), touch and hold to select 2 to 100 transactions.
2. Tap **Merge**. It appears only when the selection can be merged.
3. The dialog, *"Merge 3 transactions?"*, shows the result (*"One transaction of ₱1,700.00"*). If they differ, choose the **Date** and the **Person or business**, or tap **New name** to type another.
4. Tap **Merge**. *"3 transactions merged"* appears with **Undo**.
Lines on the same account and side are added together, and the memos, labels and attachments are combined.
Transactions can be merged when they're all posted or all drafts, of the same type (payment, money received, credit purchase or income due), and share their cash, card or receivable account and currency. Card purchases must be on the same statement. Transactions the app tracks elsewhere, such as card installments and loan payments, and those already [reconciled](/accountant/accounts/account-transactions.md), can't be merged.
## Searching
Tap 🔍 in **Transactions** to search everything you've recorded.
* **Each word can match a different field**: the person or business, the memo, an account or a label. For example, *Jollibee wallet* finds Jollibee payments from your Wallet.
* **Amounts** match in your phone's number format, against totals and individual lines. *250* finds 250.00 to 250.99; *250.70* finds only 250.70.
* **Capitals and accents** don't matter in names, memos and accounts: *cafe* finds *Café*.
