# Topic Articles

Topic articles explain a single product concept, feature, or behavior. They provide the context members need to understand related tasks by explaining the permissions, prerequisites, rules, and concepts that apply across those tasks, while leaving step-by-step instructions to individual Task articles.

---
title: [Natural, Searchable Topic Title in Title Case]
description: Briefly summarize the concept and why it matters.
keywords: [[primary topic], [feature name], [related search phrases]]
internalScope: Audience is [target audience]. Covers [single concept or feature]. Does not cover [related tasks or adjacent concepts].
contentType: topic
platform: [platform]
---

<!--

This template is for TOPIC articles.

PURPOSE

Topic articles explain a single product concept, feature, state, or behavior so members understand how that part of Expensify works.

They answer questions such as:

- What is this?
- Why does it exist?
- How does it work?
- Who is affected?
- When does it matter?
- What should I know?

The goal is customer understanding—not task completion.

If the primary goal is helping the customer complete a workflow, use the Task template instead.

ARTICLE STRUCTURE

This template provides a starting point—not a required structure.

Choose the headings that best explain the concept.

Delete sections that don't improve the article.

Create additional sections if they make the article clearer.

Organize information from foundational concepts to supporting details. Build understanding before discussing interface elements or linking to related tasks.

TITLE GUIDELINES

Choose a natural, searchable title that clearly describes the concept using the product's terminology.

Use title case for the title. Use sentence case for every ## heading.

Follow docs/HELPSITE_NAMING_CONVENTIONS.md for UI references, navigation, and capitalization.

Examples:

- Billing and Subscriptions
- Annual Subscriptions
- Workspace Roles
- Approval Workflows

Avoid:

- Overview
- General information
- Feature overview
- Introduction
Titles may:

- Be a concise noun phrase.
- Begin with "Understand" or "Learn about" when that improves clarity.

Examples:

- Billing and Subscriptions
- Billing Issues
- Annual Subscriptions
- Workspace Roles
- Understand Approval Workflows

Avoid:

- Overview
- General information
- Feature overview
- Introduction

-->

# [Must match the title exactly]

Answer the customer's question immediately.

In the introduction:

- Answer the member's question immediately.
- Explain what the topic is.
- Explain why it matters.
- Provide any essential context needed to understand the rest of the article.

---

## [Concept-focused heading]

Use headings that answer meaningful member questions about the concept.

Good heading styles include:

- How...
- What...
- Why...
- Who...
- When...

Examples:

- How billing works
- What determines subscription cost
- Who manages billing
- When subscriptions renew
- Why billing problems occur

Each section should explain one important aspect of the topic.

Prioritize:

1. Explaining the core concept.
2. Common situations members are most likely to encounter.
3. Important exceptions only when they change member understanding.

Build understanding before discussing interface details.

Continue adding sections as needed.

Suggest screenshots only when they prevent or resolve a specific member confusion that text alone cannot. Use the standard HTML screenshot placeholder format.

Not every article needs the same headings.

---

## Related articles

Include this section only when it helps the customer continue learning.

Link to:

- Task articles for related workflows.
- Closely related Topic articles.
- Natural next steps.

Avoid excessive cross-linking.

Omit this section if there are no useful related articles.