Once you have a few rules, it helps to know how they work together. You'll find them all on the Rules tab in Settings.
Rules run in order
- Rules run from top to bottom, in the order they're listed. When two rules set the same thing on a transaction, the lower one wins.
- A new rule is added at the bottom, so it wins over older ones where they overlap.
- To move a rule, drag the grip beside it. On a touch screen, press for a moment, then drag.
- Every matching rule gets its say: one can set the category while another adds a tag. Tags add up, so each matching rule adds its own.
- A rule that renames a merchant changes the name the rules below it see.
Transaction
Costco Gas
Rule A
Merchant contains “Costco”, set category to Groceries
Rule B
Merchant contains “Costco Gas”, set category to Gas
Order in the list
A on top, B below
Rule A runs first
Groceries
Rule B runs after it
Gas
The transaction ends up in
The lower rule wins
Gas
Drag a rule's grip to change which one is lower. Category names here are examples.
When rules run
- On new transactions. Every new transaction, from a bank, a statement or typed in by hand, goes through your rules before we categorize it. So a rule always beats our suggestions and your past choices.
- When you save a rule. It applies straight away to every matching transaction you already have. The whole list runs on those matches, in order, so a lower rule still gets the last word.
- When you edit a rule and save. It applies again to everything it matches now.
- When you choose Apply again. The circular arrow on a rule runs it again over everything that matches, for example after you changed some of those transactions by hand.
What each action does
Action | What it does |
|---|---|
Set category | Files matches under a category. Choosing Uncategorized clears the category and stops us guessing one. |
Add tags | Adds tags. Tags already on a transaction stay. |
Rename merchant | Shows a cleaner name in your lists. The bank's own wording stays in the transaction's details. |
Exclude (Ignore) | From budgets keeps matches visible but out of budget calculations. From everything leaves them out of every total. See ignore a transaction. |
Split | Splits each match the way you set, into parts or with people. Only your parts count in your numbers. A transaction you split yourself is never changed. |
Business | Marks matches for your business books. Thrive and Thrive Duo. See mark business transactions. |
Mark as recurring | Adds matches to your recurring charges, coming as often as you choose, so they get a due date, reminders and a place in your budget's fixed costs. |
Turn a rule off or delete it
Use the switch beside a rule to turn it off. An off rule is skipped for new transactions and can't be applied again until you turn it back on. Nothing it already changed is undone.
To delete a rule, choose the bin icon and confirm. Changes it already made stay; it just stops applying to new transactions.
The “Always file … under …?” suggestion
When you change a transaction's category, we may ask something like Always file Netflix under Streaming & Subscriptions? Choose Create rule to open a rule already filled in with that merchant and category, ready to apply to past and future transactions. Choose Not now to skip it.
We only ask when a rule would help: not when a rule already covers that merchant, and not for changes made to many transactions at once. On the Transactions table on a computer, it appears at the bottom of the screen for a few seconds; in a transaction's details, it sits near the top.
After Not now, we won't suggest a rule for that merchant again on this device for about six months, and we pause other suggestions for a while.
Look at your own rules
Open Rules to see the order yours run in. Drag a rule's grip to move it.