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Search Accounting Transactions

Accounting Search Watch full video →

Whether you’re tracking ministry expenses, preparing 1099 reports, or reconciling your account, the Search tool makes it easy to find exactly what you need. Save the searches you use often, and they become reusable reports.

Searching Transactions

To access Accounting Search, select the Search tab on the Accounting screen.

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Your saved searches are listed on the left. Select one to run it, or use the Search box above the list to find a saved search by name.

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To create a new search:

Step 1: Select New Search.

Accounting Search Transactions

Step 2: Type a short name for your search, then select OK.

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Step 3: Select Edit to customize your search criteria.

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Customizing Search Criteria

The Saved Search panel opens, where you can customize how results are filtered and displayed:

  • Search Name: Save searches with a custom name for easy reuse.
  • Group By: Group results by Fund, Category, Account, or Payee.
  • Default Date Range: Apply a Quick Date Range automatically when opening the search, or leave blank to keep manually selected dates.
  • Payee Contains: Show only transactions where the payee name includes specific text.
  • Reference Contains: Filter transactions where the reference includes specific text.
  • Account: Select one or more bank accounts, or leave blank to include all accounts. Enable the toggle to include untracked accounts.
  • Category: Select one or more categories. Enable the toggle to include subcategories when a parent category is selected.
  • Fund: Choose one or more funds, or leave blank to include all funds.
  • Amount: Show transactions that are equal to, less than, or greater than a specific amount.
  • Reconciled Status: View all transactions, only unreconciled transactions, or only reconciled transactions.
  • Tags: Show only transactions tagged with specific keywords. Separate multiple tags with commas.

Once your criteria are set, select "Refresh Results" to view matching transactions.

Quick Date Ranges

Set the Start Date and End Date manually, or select Quick Date Range to instantly apply a common timeframe:

  • Quick Ranges: Today, Yesterday, This Week, Last Week
  • Relative: Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Last 90 Days
  • Monthly: This Month, Last Month
  • Quarterly: This Quarter, Last Quarter
  • Yearly: Year to Date, Year to Last Month, This Year, Last Year

These options make it easy to answer common questions quickly, like how much was spent last month or what financial activity occurred over the past 30 days.

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Search Results and Totals

Matching transactions are listed with their Date, Ref, Payee/Description, Account, and Total. Use the Show entries menu to choose how many appear per page.

Below the results, you'll see two totals:

  • Search Total: the total of only the parts of each transaction that match your criteria. For example, if you search one category and a transaction is split across several categories, only that category's amount is counted.
  • Transaction Total: the full amount of every matching transaction, including any split lines that don't match your criteria.

Generating Reports

In addition to viewing results on screen, you can turn any search into a report. Select View Report to view or print it. 

Like many accounting reports in ChurchTrac, search results can be exported to a CSV file for use in spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Managing Saved Searches

You can rename, reorder, or delete your saved searches at any time to keep your list organized.

Rename

Select the search, select Edit, and change the Search Name. 

Reorder

Select and hold the up/down arrows next to a search's name, then drag it to a new position.

Delete

Select the search, select Edit, then select the trash can button at the bottom of the Saved Search panel.

Common Use Cases

  • Generate 1099s: Group transactions by payee to quickly review totals for 1099 preparation.
  • Track Ministry Spending: See how much a specific ministry has spent over the last 30 days using category and fund filters.
  • Reconciliation Review: Identify unreconciled transactions for a specific account or time period.
  • Audit Support: Quickly locate transactions with attached documentation.