How to use transaction rules

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Have some transactions that you'd like to automatically categorise without having to do anything? Transaction rules let you do just that, along with automatically categorising any new transactions that occur.

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1. Create a transaction rule

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In the transactions feature, select the transaction rules icon to create a new rule.

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2. Enter your details

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Start by selecting if you want the rule to apply to an income or expense transaction. Then now, enter the name or description of that transaction; this can either be an exact match or just a word within the transaction. Now select the category you want the transaction to be categorised into. Once you're all done, select the green 'Add transaction rule' button down the bottom.

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Once you select 'Add transaction rule', a pop-up will appear where you can choose to apply the rule to current transactions. If you select 'Yes' then the rule will be applied to any current transactions that meet your rule criteria along with new transactions that occur. If you select 'No,' then the rule will only apply to any new transactions that occur.

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3. Rule conditions

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Transaction rules can either be generic or exact.

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Generic example: if you have a bunch of transactions named ‘Test transaction 12345’ and the numbers at the end change each transaction, you can create a rule using the name ‘Test transaction’, and the rule will pick all transactions up starting with those words.

Exact example: Say you only want to auto-categorise one of those many transactions, you would create a rule using transaction name ‘Test transactions 12345’ to only categorise that particular transaction with that exact name.

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4. Edit your rules

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Once you create your rule, it will appear below the 'Your active rules' heading. To edit your rule you can simply select the rule you want to edit or search for it using the name you've entered. You can make changes to the name or category for the rule, once you complete your changes select the green 'Save changes' button.

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To delete the transaction rule, simply select the bin icon in the top right corner and then a pop up will appear to confirm the deletion.

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5. Shortcut to create a rule

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To quickly create a rule, you can swipe to the left on a transaction and select the transaction rules icon. This will then pre-populate all your transaction details so all you have to do is select a category to assign to the rule and you're good to go.

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6. How and when the rules apply to transactions

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When you connect your accounts or when new transactions load in, we automatically check these transactions against your rules to see if any match the criteria you've set. If they do, then they automatically get categorised to the category you've selected in the rule.

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Note: At times there may be a slight delay in updating categories for these transactions, if this is the case then you can simply pull down to refresh in the transactions feature.

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You're all ready to go 🎉

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Woohoo! You've now got an overview of how to use transaction rules. If you run into any issues or have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us at hello@budgetbuddie.co.nz.

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