diff --git a/src/moneywiz_api/model/transaction.py b/src/moneywiz_api/model/transaction.py
index c73553e..8670f76 100644
--- a/src/moneywiz_api/model/transaction.py
+++ b/src/moneywiz_api/model/transaction.py
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@
 from moneywiz_api.model.record import Record
 from moneywiz_api.schema_profile import SchemaProfile
 from moneywiz_api.types import ID
-from moneywiz_api.validation import require_integer_identity, require_valid
+from moneywiz_api.validation import (
+    require_integer_identity,
+    require_text,
+    require_valid,
+)
 
 ABS_TOLERANCE = 0.001
 
@@ -24,7 +28,7 @@ class Transaction(Record, ABC):
     reconciled: bool
 
     amount: Decimal
-    description: str
+    description: Optional[str]
     datetime: datetime
     notes: Optional[str]
 
@@ -50,8 +54,10 @@ def __init__(self, row):
         # Validate
         require_valid(self.reconciled is not None, "transaction state is required")
         require_valid(self.amount is not None, "transaction amount is required")
-        require_valid(
-            self.description is not None, "transaction description is required"
+        require_text(
+            self.description,
+            "transaction description must be an uncoerced string or null",
+            optional=True,
         )
         require_valid(self.datetime is not None, "transaction date is required")
         # self.notes can be None
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_api_snapshot_generation.py b/tests/unit/test_api_snapshot_generation.py
index c778d9e..9116625 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_api_snapshot_generation.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_api_snapshot_generation.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ def create_read_schema(path) -> None:
             (8, "SyncObject", 0, 0),
             (9, "Account", 8, 0),
             (10, "CashAccount", 9, 0),
+            (35, "Tag", 8, 0),
             (36, "Transaction", 8, 0),
             (37, "DepositTransaction", 36, 0),
         ],
@@ -31,6 +32,9 @@ def create_read_schema(path) -> None:
         "ZORIGINALCURRENCY TEXT, ZORIGINALAMOUNT FLOAT, "
         "ZORIGINALEXCHANGERATE FLOAT)"
     )
+    connection.execute(
+        "CREATE TABLE Z_36TAGS (Z_36TRANSACTIONS INTEGER, Z_35TAGS INTEGER)"
+    )
     connection.execute(
         "INSERT INTO ZSYNCOBJECT "
         "(Z_PK, Z_ENT, ZOBJECTCREATIONDATE, ZGID, ZDISPLAYORDER, ZGROUPID, "
@@ -56,6 +60,20 @@ def mutate_between_loads(path) -> None:
     connection.close()
 
 
+def add_nullable_description_transaction(path) -> None:
+    connection = sqlite3.connect(path)
+    connection.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO ZSYNCOBJECT "
+        "(Z_PK, Z_ENT, ZOBJECTCREATIONDATE, ZGID, ZRECONCILED, ZAMOUNT1, "
+        "ZDESC2, ZDATE1, ZNOTES1, ZACCOUNT2, ZPAYEE2, ZORIGINALCURRENCY, "
+        "ZORIGINALAMOUNT, ZORIGINALEXCHANGERATE) "
+        "VALUES (2, 37, 0, 'transaction-2', 0, 5, NULL, 0, NULL, 1, "
+        "NULL, 'EUR', 5, 1)"
+    )
+    connection.commit()
+    connection.close()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("initial_managers", "expected_managers"),
     [
@@ -81,3 +99,20 @@ def test_scoped_reload_refreshes_loaded_union_atomically(
         assert api.transaction_manager.get(2).description == "Income"
         assert tuple(snapshot["completeness"]["managers"]) == expected_managers
         assert snapshot["records"]["accounts"][0]["name"] == "After"
+
+
+def test_nullable_transaction_description_preserves_complete_api_read(tmp_path) -> None:
+    path = tmp_path / "nullable-description.sqlite"
+    create_read_schema(path)
+    add_nullable_description_transaction(path)
+
+    with MoneywizApi(path, managers=("transactions",)) as api:
+        completeness = api.completeness()
+        snapshot = api.snapshot().as_dict()
+
+        assert completeness.complete
+        assert api.transaction_manager.load_report.source_ids == (2,)
+        assert api.transaction_manager.load_report.parsed_ids == (2,)
+        assert api.transaction_manager.load_report.skipped == ()
+        assert api.transaction_manager.get(2).description is None
+        assert snapshot["records"]["transactions"][0]["description"] is None
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_transaction_compatibility.py b/tests/unit/test_transaction_compatibility.py
index aa7a0e6..56f9423 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_transaction_compatibility.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_transaction_compatibility.py
@@ -58,6 +58,30 @@ def test_transfer_withdraw_preserves_stored_amount_with_rounded_rate() -> None:
     assert transaction.original_amount == Decimal("-3.333")
 
 
+def test_transaction_description_allows_null() -> None:
+    transaction = TransferWithdrawTransaction(
+        transfer_withdraw_row(ZDESC2=None, ZORIGINALEXCHANGERATE=1.0)
+    )
+
+    assert transaction.description is None
+    assert transaction.as_dict()["description"] is None
+
+
+class _DescriptionSubclass(str):
+    pass
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("description", [b"Transfer", 1, _DescriptionSubclass("x")])
+def test_transaction_description_rejects_non_exact_text(description) -> None:
+    with pytest.raises(
+        AssertionError,
+        match="transaction description must be an uncoerced string or null",
+    ):
+        TransferWithdrawTransaction(
+            transfer_withdraw_row(ZDESC2=description, ZORIGINALEXCHANGERATE=1.0)
+        )
+
+
 class TransferWithdrawManager(RecordManager):
     @property
     def ents(self):