> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://pigeonholeapp.co.uk/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Finance Notes

> How to add internal billing notes to children that appear on invoices for staff reference.

# Finance Notes

Finance notes let you attach internal billing notes to a child's record. These notes are visible to staff with **Admin** or **Finance** roles and appear on invoices that cover the relevant date, giving your team context when reviewing billing.

<Info>
  Finance notes are **internal only** — parents and carers never see them, and they do not appear on invoice PDFs.
</Info>

## Adding a Finance Note

There are two places you can add a finance note:

### From the Children List

1. Go to the **Children** page.
2. Click the **...** menu on a child's row.
3. Select **Add Finance Note**.
4. Choose a **date** (defaults to today) and enter your **note**.
5. Click **Add**.

### From the Child's Invoicing Tab

1. Open a child's profile and go to the **Invoicing** tab.
2. Click the **Add Note** button in the top-right area.
3. Choose a **date** and enter your **note**.
4. Click **Add**.

<Tip>
  The date you choose determines which invoices the note appears on. Pick the date the note relates to (e.g. the date a discount was agreed), not necessarily today's date.
</Tip>

## Viewing Finance Notes

On the child's **Invoicing** tab, if any finance notes exist, a **View Notes** button appears with a badge showing the count. Click it to open a panel listing all finance notes for that child.

From this panel you can:

* **Edit** a manual note by clicking the pencil icon.
* **Delete** a manual note by clicking the bin icon.

## Absence Notes

Non-chargeable absences that have notes are automatically included in the finance notes list. These appear with a calendar icon and show the absence date range. Absence notes are **read-only** — to edit them, update the absence itself from the attendance section.

## Finance Notes on Invoices

Finance notes appear on invoices in two ways:

### Invoice List

An icon appears next to the invoice amount if there are any finance notes (manual or absence) within the invoice's billing period. Hover over the icon to see the count.

### Invoice Edit and Preview

When editing or previewing an invoice, a collapsible **Finance Notes** section appears above the line items. This shows all notes within the invoice period, with the date and note text. Manual notes and absence notes are distinguished by different icons.

## Frequently Asked Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can parents see finance notes?">
    No. Finance notes are completely internal. They do not appear on invoice PDFs, in the parent portal, or in any emails sent to parents.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which invoices does a finance note appear on?">
    A finance note appears on any invoice whose billing period (start date to end date) includes the date set on the note. For absence notes, the absence date range must overlap with the invoice period.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who can add finance notes?">
    Users with the **Admin** or **Finance** role can create, edit, and delete finance notes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I delete a finance note?">
    The note is permanently removed and will no longer appear on any invoices. This does not affect the invoice amounts.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>