Tagging a transaction in Relay with a category, vendor, or note keeps your books clean and syncs the data straight into QuickBooks Online or Xero.
What you need before you start
Desktop access to your Relay account (categorizing and adding notes are not available in the Relay mobile app)
A QuickBooks Online or Xero connection to Relay if you want to assign categories or vendors (notes work without an accounting connection)
Your Chart of Accounts and Vendor list already set up inside QuickBooks Online or Xero
What is expense coding in Relay?
Expense coding is the process of tagging each Relay transaction with three optional fields that flow into your accounting software on the next sync.
Category: the ledger account the expense belongs to (for example, Office Supplies or Meals & Entertainment)
Vendor: the business or person you paid (for example, Amazon or Delta Airlines)
Note: a short memo for context (for example, "Team lunch for offsite")
Where do categories and vendors come from?
Categories and vendors are pulled from your connected QuickBooks Online or Xero account. Relay imports your Chart of Accounts as the category list and your Vendor list as the vendor list. Any changes you make in QuickBooks Online or Xero sync into Relay at the next connection, and creating a new category or vendor is only possible from your accounting software.
How do I categorize an expense in Relay?
Sign in to your Relay account on desktop.
Go to the Expenses tab.
In the Transactions view, find the transaction you want to code.
Click the Category column or the Vendor column for that transaction.
Select an existing entry from the dropdown, or start typing to filter the list.
Press Enter or click outside the field to save.
How do I add a note to a transaction?
Sign in to your Relay account on desktop.
Go to the Expenses tab.
In the Transactions view, find the transaction you want to annotate.
Click the Note field for that transaction.
Type the context you want and click outside the field to save.
Notes can only be added on desktop.
When should I use a note?
Add a note when the transaction is likely to raise a question later, when you want to leave context for your bookkeeper, or when a single vendor charges you for different reasons across the month. Notes are optional and informal; a short phrase is enough context.
How do I categorize multiple expenses at once?
Select the transactions you want to code using the checkboxes at the left of each row, then apply a category or vendor from the bulk action bar. Bulk editing is useful for cleaning up recurring vendors you have not yet automated with accounting rules.
What if I need to split a transaction across categories?
Relay supports split coding, which lets you assign one transaction to two or more categories. See Splitting Expenses into Multiple Categories for the step-by-step.
How do I keep expense coding organized?
Use consistent category and vendor names in QuickBooks Online or Xero so Relay imports a clean list
Review and code new transactions weekly or monthly, not once a quarter
Set up accounting rules to auto-code recurring vendors and reduce the manual work
Common issues
Category or vendor field is grayed out: you do not have an active QuickBooks Online or Xero connection. Categories and vendors require an accounting connection; notes do not.
A new category or vendor is not appearing in Relay: create it inside QuickBooks Online or Xero first, then wait for the next sync or trigger a manual sync from the Relay integrations page.
The note field is not editable: you are on the mobile app. Notes can only be added from desktop.
Changes made in Relay are not showing in QuickBooks Online or Xero: categorization syncs on a schedule. Confirm the transaction is posted rather than pending, and that your accounting connection is still active.
What's next?
After you code a transaction, match any missing receipts, sync your Expenses view to QuickBooks Online or Xero, and set up accounting rules so recurring vendors code themselves.
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