Categorizing your transactions

Why categorize

Your budget's actual figures only work if each transaction is filed into a category. After an import, some transactions arrive already sorted (from rules you've taught the app); the rest wait to be filed. Here are the ways to do it, from fastest to most surgical.

Everything below lives on the Budget tab and applies to imported transactions (a premium, account-required feature).

1. The "Needs a category" review queue

When transactions need filing, a yellow Needs a category box appears. Pick a category for a transaction and the app does more than file that one row — it learns a rule: every transaction from that same merchant gets the same category, now and on future imports. So you teach it "Safeway → Groceries" once, and you never file Safeway again.

2. Group by merchant

In the transaction list, set Group to By merchant. Instead of hundreds of rows, you see one row per store, biggest first, with a count and total. Assign a category to a merchant here and it categorizes all of that merchant's transactions across every month at once — and remembers it for future imports. This is the quickest way to clear a large first import.

3. Bulk select in the list

With Group set to None (rows), each transaction has a checkbox. Tick several rows (or use Select all), then choose a category from the "Set … to" dropdown to file them all in one move. Use this when a handful of unrelated charges belong together but don't share a merchant.

4. Auto-categorize with AI

Click Auto-categorize with AI in the review queue and the app files the remaining uncategorized transactions for you — first by any rules you've taught it, then using AI for the rest. It reports how many it handled by rule, how many by AI, and how many still need your eyes. Always skim the results; AI is a helpful first pass, not the last word.

5. Search and filter across all months

The transaction list is also a find-and-fix tool. Set Show to All months, type in the Search box (matches the description or merchant), and use the Category filter to narrow to one category — or to Uncategorized to hunt down everything still unfiled. There's also a Type filter to show only expenses or only income. This is how you correct a mistake buried in a big import.

Handy extras in every picker

• ＋ New category… — every category dropdown lets you create a brand-new

category inline without leaving the list. See Managing your categories.

• Uncategorized — in the transaction list, choosing Uncategorized on a

row clears its category and sends it back to the review queue, in case you filed it wrong.

• 🚫 Excluded (ignore) — for transfers and card payments that aren't

spending. See Transfers and exclusions.

A good order to work in

1. Group by merchant and clear your biggest, most obvious stores.
2. Run Auto-categorize with AI for the long tail.
3. Skim what's left in the review queue and file it by hand.
4. Later, use search-and-filter to fix any stragglers.

Filing teaches the app, so each month gets faster. See the glossary for any unfamiliar terms.