Bank Connection Statuses

What Are Connection Statuses?

When you connect your bank accounts to Purpose Budget, we display a status badge next to each account to help you understand if everything is working properly. These statuses let you know at a glance whether your transactions are syncing and if any action is needed on your part.

Understanding Each Status

Synced (Green)

This is the ideal status! Your bank connection is active and has successfully synced within the last 48 hours. Hover over the badge to see exactly when your last sync occurred (e.g., "Last synced: 2 hours ago").

No action needed - Your transactions will continue to import automatically.

Delayed (Yellow)

This status appears when your bank hasn't sent updates in over 48 hours. While your connection is still technically active, something may be preventing new transactions from coming through.

What to do:

• Wait a bit: Sometimes banks have temporary delays during weekends or maintenance windows
• Try refreshing: Go to your Accounts page and look for a sync option
• Check back later: Most delays resolve within 24-48 hours automatically

Error (Red)

This status means your bank connection has encountered a problem and requires your action to fix. You'll see a "Reconnect" button next to the badge.

Common causes:

• Password changed: If you recently updated your bank password, you'll need to reconnect
• Security verification required: Your bank may require you to verify your identity
• Bank system changes: Banks occasionally update their systems, requiring a fresh connection
• Multi-factor authentication expired: You may need to re-verify with your bank's 2FA

Syncing (Blue)

This status appears when Purpose Budget is actively communicating with your bank to fetch new transactions. You'll also see this for newly connected accounts that haven't completed their first sync yet.

No action needed - Just wait a moment for the sync to complete.

How to Reconnect Your Bank

If you see an Error status, follow these steps to reconnect:

1. Go to Dashboard → Accounts
2. Find the account with the Error badge
3. Click the Reconnect button next to the error badge
4. Follow the secure Plaid flow to log in to your bank
5. Complete any verification steps your bank requires
6. Wait a few moments for the connection to establish

Why Do Connections Become Delayed?

Several factors can cause temporary sync delays:

• Bank maintenance: Banks regularly perform system maintenance, especially on weekends
• Holiday schedules: Transaction processing may slow during bank holidays
• High volume periods: End of month or tax season can cause temporary slowdowns
• Network issues: Occasional connectivity issues between systems

Most delays are temporary and resolve automatically. The Delayed (yellow) status is informational - it's only the Error (red) status that requires you to take action.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does Purpose Budget sync with my bank?

We check for new transactions multiple times per day. Most transactions appear within 24 hours of posting to your bank account.

Why isn't my pending transaction showing up?

Purpose Budget only imports posted transactions, not pending ones. This prevents duplicate entries and ensures accuracy. Once a transaction posts to your account, it will appear in your budget.

What if reconnecting doesn't fix the error?

If you've tried reconnecting multiple times without success:

• Try disconnecting and reconnecting the account completely
• Check if your bank is experiencing known issues (check their website or app)
• Contact us at support@purposebudget.com for help

Will I lose my transaction history if I reconnect?

No! Reconnecting refreshes the connection to your bank - it doesn't affect any transactions already imported into Purpose Budget. All your existing data remains safe.