How can I filter the Statement of Activity report by "Memo/Description"?

Hi there, @KathieH1.

QuickBooks Online (QBO) provides various filtering options on the Statement of Activity to help users personalize their reports, though filtering by Memo/Description is unavailable on this report.

As a workaround, you can run a Transaction Detail by Account report and narrow it down to income and expense transactions. From there, you can apply a Filter for Memo/Description. We'll walk you through the process.

Here's how:

1. Go to Reports, then select Standard reports.
2. In the search bar, type Transaction Detail by Account.
   
   
   
   
3. Set the appropriate Report period and Accounting method.
4. Click Filter, then select Distribution account type, equals, and include all income and expense transactions in the third dropdown.
5. Add another filter, and choose Memo/Description.
   

    

   
   
   
6. Set your preferred filter settings on the second and third box.
7. Hit the Refresh report icon once finished.
   
   

You are encouraged to leave a reply below if you have further questions.

Hi @KathieH1,

I just wanted to follow up to check if the resolution we provided helped resolve your issue.

Please let us know if everything is now working as expected or if you’re still experiencing any problems. We’ll be glad to assist further if needed.

Thanks, this works for filtering! Now, how can I get it to do the math for income & expense?

Thanks for keeping us updated, @KathieH1.

I'll shed some light on how reports work and provide you with other alternatives.

While the Transaction Detail by Account report allows filtering by memo or description, it doesn't calculate your revenue, expenditures, and net income. To get the info you need, you'll want to export the report to Excel and calculate the figures from there using formulas.

Similarly, we can customize the Statement of Activity Detail report to add the Memo/Description column. Then, export it to Excel to filter or categorize the data by memo or description.

Here's how to download the report:

1. Go to the Reports menu.
2. Under Standard reports, search for Statement of Activity Detail.
3. Select the Columns option and tick the Memo/Description box.
4. Click the Export icon above and select Export to Excel.

If you have additional concerns, let us know. We're here to help.

The report does show income and expenses. However, it's adding all of them together rather than subtracting expenses from income. That's what I meant by "doing the math". I'd like to see the NET income for specific (filtered by "Memo") transactions.

I started with a Statement of Activity report which shows a net income, but could not filter it on Memo. The first suggested solution to my original question was to use the Transaction Detail by Account report so I could filter by Memo. But, this does not calculate a net income. 

Hope this explains it better.

Thank you for clarifying your concern about doing the math, Kathie.

I understand you're looking for options to customize a report to show net income or filter by Memo. Let me provide more details and a workaround.

The Transaction Detail by Account report allows Memo filtering but doesn't calculate net income. This report functions as a line-item listing tool, not a financial statement. It doesn't categorize accounts as income vs. expenses, it only totals everything together. While, the Statement of Activity calculates net income but doesn't offer Memo filtering.

The action we can do for now is to export either report to Excel. Run the Transaction Detail by Account report with your Memo filter applied, export it, and manually add a row to calculate the net income.
 

Alternatively, export the Statement of Activity Detailed report because it already calculates the net income and include the Memo description. You can use Excel's VLOOKUP tool to locate the Memo.
 

Please leave us a response if you have other questions or concerns.