diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a6e1e5f6e..ecbb9410f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
         "@tanstack/react-query-persist-client": "4.24.10",
         "chart.js": "3.9.1",
         "classnames": "2.3.2",
+        "dompurify": "^3.0.9",
         "expr-eval": "2.0.2",
         "final-form": "4.20.9",
         "final-form-set-field-data": "1.0.2",
diff --git a/src/data-workspace/section-form/section-description.js b/src/data-workspace/section-form/section-description.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a79951d5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/data-workspace/section-form/section-description.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import * as DOMPurify from 'dompurify'
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
+import React from 'react'
+import styles from './section.module.css'
+
+export const SectionDescription = ({ children }) => {
+    if (!children) {
+        return null
+    }
+    const html = DOMPurify.sanitize(children, {
+        ALLOWED_TAGS: ['a', 'b', 'strong', 'underline'],
+    })
+
+    return (
+        <div
+            className={styles.sectionDescription}
+            dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: html }}
+        ></div>
+    )
+}
+
+SectionDescription.propTypes = {
+    children: PropTypes.node.isRequired,
+}
diff --git a/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.js b/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.js
index 74affa175..1f66021f6 100644
--- a/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.js
+++ b/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
 } from '../category-combo-table-body-pivoted/index.js'
 import { getFieldId } from '../get-field-id.js'
 import { IndicatorsTableBody } from '../indicators-table-body/indicators-table-body.js'
+import { SectionDescription } from './section-description.js'
 import styles from './section.module.css'
 
 export function SectionFormSection({ section, dataSetId, globalFilterText }) {
@@ -77,72 +78,86 @@ export function SectionFormSection({ section, dataSetId, globalFilterText }) {
         ? PivotedCategoryComboTableBody
         : CategoryComboTableBody
 
+    const { beforeSectionText, afterSectionText } = displayOptions
+
     return (
-        <Table className={styles.table} suppressZebraStriping>
-            <TableHead>
-                <TableRowHead>
-                    <TableCellHead colSpan="100%" className={styles.headerCell}>
-                        <div className={styles.labelWrapper}>
-                            <div className={styles.title}>
-                                {section.displayName}
-                            </div>
-                            {section.description && (
-                                <div className={styles.description}>
-                                    {section.description ||
-                                        'Placeholder section description'}
-                                </div>
-                            )}
-                        </div>
-                    </TableCellHead>
-                </TableRowHead>
-                <TableRowHead>
-                    <TableCellHead colSpan="100%" className={headerCellStyles}>
-                        <label
-                            htmlFor={filterInputId}
-                            className={styles.filterWrapper}
+        <div>
+            <SectionDescription>{beforeSectionText}</SectionDescription>
+            <Table className={styles.table} suppressZebraStriping>
+                <TableHead>
+                    <TableRowHead>
+                        <TableCellHead
+                            colSpan="100%"
+                            className={styles.headerCell}
                         >
-                            <IconFilter16 color={colors.grey600} />
-                            <input
-                                name={filterInputId}
-                                id={filterInputId}
-                                type="text"
-                                placeholder={i18n.t(
-                                    'Type here to filter in this section'
+                            <div className={styles.labelWrapper}>
+                                <div className={styles.title}>
+                                    {section.displayName}
+                                </div>
+                                {section.description && (
+                                    <div className={styles.description}>
+                                        {section.description ||
+                                            'Placeholder section description'}
+                                    </div>
                                 )}
-                                value={filterText}
-                                onChange={({ target }) =>
-                                    setFilterText(target.value)
-                                }
-                                className={styles.filterInput}
-                            />
-                        </label>
-                    </TableCellHead>
-                </TableRowHead>
-            </TableHead>
-            {groupedDataElements.map(({ categoryCombo, dataElements }, i) => (
-                <TableComponet
-                    key={i} //if disableDataElementAutoGroup then duplicate catCombo-ids, so have to use index
-                    categoryCombo={categoryCombo}
-                    dataElements={dataElements}
-                    filterText={filterText}
-                    globalFilterText={globalFilterText}
-                    maxColumnsInSection={maxColumnsInSection}
-                    renderRowTotals={section.showRowTotals}
-                    renderColumnTotals={section.showColumnTotals}
-                    greyedFields={greyedFields}
-                    displayOptions={displayOptions}
-                />
-            ))}
-            {indicators.length > 0 && (
-                <IndicatorsTableBody
-                    indicators={indicators}
-                    renderRowTotals={section.showRowTotals}
-                    maxColumnsInSection={maxColumnsInSection}
-                    filterText={filterText}
-                    globalFilterText={globalFilterText}
-                />
-            )}
-        </Table>
+                            </div>
+                        </TableCellHead>
+                    </TableRowHead>
+                    <TableRowHead>
+                        <TableCellHead
+                            colSpan="100%"
+                            className={headerCellStyles}
+                        >
+                            <label
+                                htmlFor={filterInputId}
+                                className={styles.filterWrapper}
+                            >
+                                <IconFilter16 color={colors.grey600} />
+                                <input
+                                    name={filterInputId}
+                                    id={filterInputId}
+                                    type="text"
+                                    placeholder={i18n.t(
+                                        'Type here to filter in this section'
+                                    )}
+                                    value={filterText}
+                                    onChange={({ target }) =>
+                                        setFilterText(target.value)
+                                    }
+                                    className={styles.filterInput}
+                                />
+                            </label>
+                        </TableCellHead>
+                    </TableRowHead>
+                </TableHead>
+                {groupedDataElements.map(
+                    ({ categoryCombo, dataElements }, i) => (
+                        <TableComponet
+                            key={i} //if disableDataElementAutoGroup then duplicate catCombo-ids, so have to use index
+                            categoryCombo={categoryCombo}
+                            dataElements={dataElements}
+                            filterText={filterText}
+                            globalFilterText={globalFilterText}
+                            maxColumnsInSection={maxColumnsInSection}
+                            renderRowTotals={section.showRowTotals}
+                            renderColumnTotals={section.showColumnTotals}
+                            greyedFields={greyedFields}
+                            displayOptions={displayOptions}
+                        />
+                    )
+                )}
+                {indicators.length > 0 && (
+                    <IndicatorsTableBody
+                        indicators={indicators}
+                        renderRowTotals={section.showRowTotals}
+                        maxColumnsInSection={maxColumnsInSection}
+                        filterText={filterText}
+                        globalFilterText={globalFilterText}
+                    />
+                )}
+            </Table>
+            <SectionDescription>{afterSectionText}</SectionDescription>
+        </div>
     )
 }
 
diff --git a/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.module.css b/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.module.css
index 11ca12ba3..cbcaea064 100644
--- a/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.module.css
+++ b/src/data-workspace/section-form/section.module.css
@@ -71,4 +71,18 @@
     .hideForPrint {
         composes: hideForPrint from '../../app/app.css'
     }
+}
+
+/* section description area */
+.sectionDescription {
+    margin: 12px 4px 8px;
+    font-size: 13px;
+    color: var(--colors-grey800)
+}
+
+.sectionDescription :global(a):link,
+.sectionDescription :global(a):visited,
+.sectionDescription :global(a):hover,
+.sectionDescription :global(a):active {
+    color: var(--colors-blue700)
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index bc807442c..9f71bafe6 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -6787,6 +6787,11 @@ domhandler@^5.0.1, domhandler@^5.0.2, domhandler@^5.0.3:
   dependencies:
     domelementtype "^2.3.0"
 
+dompurify@^3.0.9:
+  version "3.0.9"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/dompurify/-/dompurify-3.0.9.tgz#b3f362f24b99f53498c75d43ecbd784b0b3ad65e"
+  integrity sha512-uyb4NDIvQ3hRn6NiC+SIFaP4mJ/MdXlvtunaqK9Bn6dD3RuB/1S/gasEjDHD8eiaqdSael2vBv+hOs7Y+jhYOQ==
+
 domutils@^1.7.0:
   version "1.7.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/domutils/-/domutils-1.7.0.tgz#56ea341e834e06e6748af7a1cb25da67ea9f8c2a"