Overview
In Puzzle, spending refers to money paid directly to outside vendors in exchange for goods or services — things like software subscriptions, contractor invoices, or office expenses. Payroll is tracked separately and is not included in spending.
What's Included in Spending
Spending covers any money going out of your bank account or credit card that has been categorized as an expense in Puzzle. In simple terms: if you paid a third-party vendor for something and it's categorized as an expense, it counts as spending.
What's Not Included in Spending
A few things are intentionally left out to keep your spending number clean and accurate:
Payroll — salaries, payroll taxes, and benefits are tracked separately
Bank transfers — moving money between your own accounts isn't spending
Credit card bill payments — paying off a card balance isn't a new expense
Debt repayments — loan or debt payments are not included
Balance sheet transactions — anything categorized to a balance sheet account (like an asset or liability) won't show up in spending
Where to Find Payroll Details
Since payroll is excluded from spending, here's where to find that breakdown:
Cash Activity Report — for a full picture of cash in and out including payroll
People Page — under Insights > Analysis for payroll broken down by employee
Payroll Tab — under Accounting, for a detailed view of payroll entries by department and account
