> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.classcents.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Transaction Tracking

> Award points, deduct currency, and track all classroom economy activity

## Overview

Every point earned or spent in ClassCents is tracked through the transaction system. This provides complete visibility into student behavior patterns, earning trends, and spending habits.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/joshuamakes/G5j-M0tSaQs4mL9T/images/features/transactions-page.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=G5j-M0tSaQs4mL9T&q=85&s=fc7403d438d96010d6ed4f32834a8967" alt="Teacher transactions page with filters and classroom transaction ledger" width="1600" height="1000" data-path="images/features/transactions-page.png" />

## Creating Transactions

Transactions are created from the **classroom workspace** — not a separate "Transactions" form. The Transactions page is a read-only ledger.

### Award the Whole Class

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Award All Students">
    From your classroom workspace, click **Award All Students** in the action toolbar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose an Amount">
    Tap a **Quick Amount** button or type a custom amount. Quick amounts come from your [Quick Buttons settings](/features/transactions#quick-buttons).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a Reason">
    Use the **Academic / Social / Behavioral** template tabs to insert a preset reason, or type your own in the **Reason for Award** field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Award">
    Confirm — every student in the class receives the same amount with the same reason.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Award an Individual Student

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Student">
    Click any student card in the workspace.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use Give Points or a Quick Button">
    * **Quick action buttons** apply preset positive amounts (and negative ones for deductions) in one click
    * **Give Points** opens a dialog with a list of preset reasons ("Excellent participation", "Helping classmates", etc.) plus a **Custom reason** field and **Amount**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The student's balance updates instantly and the transaction appears in the ledger.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Deductions

There is no separate "Deduct Points" page. Deductions happen through:

* **Negative Quick Buttons** (e.g., `-1`, `-5`) on a student card
* A **negative amount** entered in the **Give Points** dialog
* Automated systems (bills, auction bids, reward redemptions)

<Warning>
  Use manual deductions sparingly. The system works best when focused on positive reinforcement. Reserve deductions for clear rule violations or agreed-upon fines.
</Warning>

## Transaction Categories & Templates

ClassCents lets you create your own transaction categories and reusable templates that show up as quick-pick buttons in the Give Points dialog.

Navigate to **Settings** → **Classroom Settings** → **Transaction Categories** to manage them.

### Category Types

Every category you create has one of three types:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Both" icon="users">
    Awards **and** deductions — e.g., "Homework" (complete = award, missing = deduct)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Awards Only" icon="award">
    Positive transactions — e.g., "Helping others", "Extra credit"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Deductions Only" icon="minus">
    Negative transactions — e.g., "Late work", "Missing supplies"
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Templates

Within each category you can add **templates** — short labels with a description that pre-fill the reason field on a transaction.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Category">
    Click **Add Category** and enter a name, type, and optional description.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Templates">
    Inside any category, click **Add Template** and enter a label ("Helped a friend") and description.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use in Class">
    Templates appear as quick-pick buttons in the Award All Students and Give Points dialogs so you can log behavior in one click.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Use templates consistently to generate meaningful analytics about what earns students the most points.
</Tip>

## Bulk Transactions

The **Award All Students** dialog (described above) is the fastest way to award the whole class. For sub-groups, use **Student Groups** (Pro) or open a group's view and award only its members.

<Note>
  Bulk awards create one transaction record per student so analytics, paystubs, and student transaction history stay accurate.
</Note>

## Transaction History

### Viewing the Ledger

Open the **Transactions** page from your classroom workspace to see the full ledger.

* **Classroom view**: Every transaction across every student
* **Student view**: Open a student to see their personal transaction history
* **Date filters**: Filter by day, week, month, or custom range
* **Source filters**: View only specific transaction types (manual award, job payout, reward redemption, bill payment, badge reward, auction, investment transfer)
* **Search**: Find transactions by reason text

### Transaction Record Fields

Each transaction record includes:

<ParamField path="Timestamp" type="datetime">
  Exact date and time of the transaction
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Student" type="string">
  Which student was involved
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Amount" type="number">
  Positive for awards, negative for deductions / spending
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Note / Reason" type="string">
  Why the transaction occurred
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Source" type="string">
  System category — e.g., `manual`, `role_payout`, `reward_redemption`, `bill_payment`, `badge_reward`, `auction`, `investment_transfer`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Balance After" type="number">
  Student's balance after this transaction
</ParamField>

## Quick Buttons

Quick Buttons are one-tap amount shortcuts that appear on every student card and inside the Award All dialog.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Quick Buttons Settings">
    Go to **Settings** → **Classroom Settings** → **Quick Buttons**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Amounts">
    Type an amount and click **Add**. Use **positive numbers** for awards and **negative numbers** for deductions. You can have up to **12 quick buttons**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reset or Apply Changes">
    Click **Reset** to restore defaults (`+1, +5, +10, -1, -5, -10`) or **Apply Changes** to save.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Quick buttons save tons of time during class — click a student, click `+10`, done. No form to fill out.
</Tip>

## Transaction Analytics

View insights about your classroom economy:

* **Total Volume**: How much currency is circulating
* **Earning Trends**: When students earn most
* **Category Breakdown**: Which activities earn the most
* **Individual Patterns**: Identify high earners and those who may need support
* **Class Averages**: Compare students to class mean

[Learn more about analytics →](/advanced/analytics)

## Related Topics

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Currency System" icon="dollar-sign" href="/features/currency-system">
    Understand how the point system works
  </Card>

  <Card title="Analytics" icon="chart-line" href="/advanced/analytics">
    Deep dive into transaction analytics
  </Card>
</CardGroup>