Tier Availability
Essential & PremiumWhat are Transactions?
Transactions are the heart of your budget. Every time money moves - whether it's a purchase at the grocery store, your paycheck depositing, or a transfer between accounts - that's a transaction. Purpose Budget tracks these movements so you can see exactly where your money is going and ensure your budget stays on track.
Think of transactions as your budget's activity log. Each transaction tells a story: "On March 15th, I spent $47.23 at Target using my credit card, and it came from my Groceries category." When you record all your transactions, you get a complete picture of your financial life.
Types of Transactions
1. Expenses (Outflows)
Money leaving your accounts - purchases, bills, fees.
Examples:
- Groceries at Whole Foods: -$87.42
- Electric bill payment: -$125.00
- Coffee shop purchase: -$5.75
- Rent payment: -$1,500.00
2. Income (Inflows)
Money coming into your accounts - paychecks, refunds, deposits.
Examples:
- Paycheck deposit: +$2,400.00
- Tax refund: +$850.00
- Freelance payment: +$500.00
- Cash back reward: +$25.00
3. Transfers
Money moving between your own accounts - not income or expenses.
Examples:
- Checking to Savings: $200.00
- Credit card payment from checking: $450.00
- Moving funds to emergency fund: $100.00
Why transfers matter: Properly recording transfers prevents double-counting. If you pay your credit card from checking, that's not an expense - it's moving money you already spent. The expense was when you used the card.
Anatomy of a Transaction
Every transaction in Purpose Budget has several key pieces of information:
Transaction Components
- Date: When the transaction occurred (default: today)
- Payee: Who you paid or who paid you (e.g., "Starbucks", "ABC Company - Salary")
- Amount: How much money moved (always positive number, type determines direction)
- Account: Which account the money came from/went to (checking, credit card, etc.)
- Category: What budget category this affects (Groceries, Income, Rent, etc.)
- Notes (optional): Additional details for reference ("Birthday gift for mom", "Client XYZ invoice")
- Cleared Status: Whether transaction has posted at your bank (Cleared ✓ or Uncleared)
Adding Transactions Manually
Essential and Premium users can manually add transactions. Here's how:
Step-by-Step: Add a Manual Transaction
- 1. Navigate to Transactions: Click "Transactions" in the sidebar
- 2. Click "Add Transaction": Usually top-right corner or prominent button
- 3. Choose Account: Select which account (checking, credit card, etc.)
- 4. Enter Date: When transaction happened (defaults to today)
- 5. Type Payee: Merchant name or description ("Target", "Electric Company")
- 6. Enter Amount: Dollar amount (don't include + or - sign)
- 7. Select Type: Expense (outflow), Income (inflow), or Transfer
- 8. Choose Category: What budget category this affects
- 9. Add Notes (optional): Any extra context you want to remember
- 10. Mark Cleared (optional): Check if already posted at bank
- 11. Save: Click "Create Transaction" or "Save"
Imported Transactions (Premium)
Premium users with bank sync get transactions automatically imported from their connected accounts. These transactions appear in your transaction list but need to be categorized.
How Imported Transactions Work
- Daily sync: Purpose Budget fetches new transactions from your bank overnight
- Appear uncategorized: New imports show up needing category assignment
- Auto-matching: Transaction rules can auto-categorize based on payee
- Review and approve: You verify amount, category, and save
Imported vs Manual Transactions
Imported: Date, payee, and amount come from your bank (read-only)
Manual: You control all fields and can edit anything
Both types: Need category assignment, support notes, can be cleared/uncleared
Categorizing Transactions
Every transaction (except transfers) needs a category. This is how Purpose Budget knows which budget envelope the money comes from or goes to.
Categorizing Expenses
When you spend money, choose the category that best fits:
- Groceries at Target: → Groceries category
- Gas station fill-up: → Transportation or Gas category
- Netflix subscription: → Subscriptions or Entertainment category
- Doctor copay: → Healthcare or Medical category
Categorizing Income
Income transactions typically go to "Ready to Assign" so you can allocate the money to categories:
- Paycheck: → Ready to Assign (then allocate to budget categories)
- Freelance payment: → Ready to Assign
- Tax refund: → Ready to Assign
Pro Tip: You can categorize income directly to specific categories (like "Extra Income" or "Gifts Received"), but most people prefer sending all income to Ready to Assign first, then intentionally allocating it through the budget page.
Understanding Transfers
Transfers are special because they move money between your accounts without affecting your budget categories. They're neither income nor expenses.
Common Transfer Scenarios
Paying a Credit Card
Type: Transfer
From Account: Checking
To Account: Credit Card
Why: You already budgeted for the credit card purchases when you made them. The payment is just moving money from checking to pay down the card balance.
Moving to Savings
Type: Transfer
From Account: Checking
To Account: Savings
Why: Just moving money between your accounts. The money still exists in your budget, just in a different location.
Reimbursable Expense
Initial transaction: Expense (you pay $100 for work supplies from Groceries category)
When reimbursed: Income transaction categorized to Groceries (+$100) to restore the category
This returns the $100 to your Groceries category, like the expense never happened to your budget.
Split Transactions
Sometimes a single purchase covers multiple budget categories. Split transactions let you divide one transaction across multiple categories with different amounts.
When to Use Splits
- Target purchase: $150 total ($80 groceries, $40 household items, $30 clothing)
- Costco trip: $200 ($120 groceries, $50 gas, $30 pharmacy)
- Amazon order: $95 ($60 books, $35 electronics)
- Paycheck: $2,500 gross ($400 taxes, $100 401k, $2,000 take-home)
Creating a Split Transaction
- Create transaction normally with total amount
- Click "Split" or "Split Transaction" button
- Divide total across multiple categories
- Ensure split amounts add up to total
- Save transaction
Split Example: $150 at Target
- • Total: $150.00
- • Groceries: $80.00
- • Household Items: $40.00
- • Clothing: $30.00
- = $150.00 (matches total)
Editing and Deleting Transactions
Editing a Transaction
- Find transaction in transaction list
- Click on the transaction or edit icon
- Modify any field (date, payee, amount, category, notes)
- Click "Save" or "Update"
Note: Imported transactions from bank sync have read-only date, payee, and amount. You can only edit category and notes.
Deleting a Transaction
- Find transaction to delete
- Click delete icon or open transaction and click "Delete"
- Confirm deletion
⚠️ Warning: Deleting a transaction is permanent and immediately adjusts your budget and account balances. Only delete if the transaction was entered by mistake or is a duplicate.
Cleared vs. Uncleared Transactions
The "cleared" status indicates whether a transaction has posted at your bank. This helps you reconcile your budget against your actual bank balance.
Cleared (✓)
- Transaction has posted and appears on your bank statement
- Money has actually left or entered your account
- Included in reconciliation process
Uncleared
- Pending transaction or check not yet cashed
- Money hasn't actually moved yet at the bank
- You've budgeted for it, but bank doesn't show it yet
Uncleared Transaction Example
You write a $500 rent check on March 1st. You enter it as uncleared in Purpose Budget:
- • Your budget shows $500 spent from Rent category (correct!)
- • Your bank still shows the $500 in your account (check hasn't cleared)
- • Purpose Budget shows account balance of $500 less than the bank
On March 5th, the check clears. You mark it as cleared in Purpose Budget. Now your budget balance matches your bank balance.
Transaction Rules (Auto-Categorization)
Transaction rules automatically categorize imported transactions based on payee name. Once you set up a rule, future transactions from that payee are auto-categorized.
Creating a Transaction Rule
- Find a transaction from a payee you want to auto-categorize
- Categorize it to the desired category
- Click "Create Rule" or check "Remember this payee"
- Confirm rule creation
Future transactions: All imports from this payee automatically get the same category.
Common Rules to Set Up
- "Shell Gas Station" → Auto-categorize to "Gas" or "Transportation"
- "Netflix" → Auto-categorize to "Subscriptions" or "Entertainment"
- "Whole Foods" → Auto-categorize to "Groceries"
- "ABC Company Payroll" → Auto-categorize to "Ready to Assign"
Best Practices
Recording Transactions
- Record as soon as possible: Don't wait until end of week or month
- Keep receipts temporarily: Until you've entered or verified the transaction
- Use mobile device: Add transactions immediately after purchase
- Be consistent with payee names: Always "Target" not mixing "Target Store" and "Target #1234"
Categorizing
- Don't overthink it: Close enough is fine - "Groceries" vs "Food" doesn't matter as long as you're consistent
- Use notes for important context: "Gift for Dad's birthday" or "Client ABC project materials"
- Set up rules early: Create transaction rules for frequent payees to save time
- Review uncategorized regularly: Don't let uncategorized transactions pile up
Reconciliation
- Match cleared status to bank: Mark transactions cleared when they post
- Reconcile monthly: Compare Purpose Budget to bank statement
- Investigate discrepancies: If balances don't match, find missing or duplicate transactions
- Use reconciliation feature: Purpose Budget has built-in reconciliation tools
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Recording Transfers as Expenses
Credit card payments are transfers, not expenses. The expense happened when you used the card.
❌ Forgetting Split Transactions
Don't force a multi-category purchase into a single category. Use splits for accurate tracking.
❌ Inconsistent Payee Names
Varying names like "Starbucks", "Starbucks #4321", "Starbucks Coffee" prevent transaction rules from working. Pick one format and stick with it.
❌ Not Reviewing Imports
Bank sync doesn't mean "ignore transactions." Always review imported transactions to ensure correct categorization.
❌ Deleting Instead of Editing
If you miscategorized, edit the transaction. Don't delete and re-create - you might lose important details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I add transactions for future dates?
Yes! This is great for scheduled bills or upcoming expenses. Enter the future date and mark as uncleared. Your budget accounts for it immediately, but it won't affect reconciliation until the date arrives.
Q: What if I have a duplicate transaction?
This can happen if you manually entered a transaction and it also imported from bank sync. Simply delete the duplicate - keep whichever one has better categorization or notes.
Q: How do I handle cash transactions?
Create a "Cash" account in Purpose Budget. When you withdraw cash from ATM, record a transfer from Checking to Cash. Then record cash purchases as expenses from the Cash account.
Q: Can I search for specific transactions?
Yes, use the search and filter features on the Transactions page. You can filter by account, category, date range, payee name, and more.
Q: What happens to my budget when I add a transaction?
Expense transactions reduce the category's available balance. Income transactions add to Ready to Assign (or the specified category). Transfers don't affect budget categories at all.
Q: How do pending credit card transactions work?
Pending transactions may or may not import depending on your bank. If you see them, they might change amounts or disappear if cancelled. Best practice: wait for transactions to post before relying on imported data.
Master Your Transactions
Understanding transactions is fundamental to successful budgeting. Whether you're manually entering every purchase or using automatic bank sync, accurate transaction tracking keeps your budget in sync with reality.