# Transactions Overview Transactions represent individual financial activity in FreeBudget. They record money moving in or out of your accounts and are used to calculate balances, dashboard charts, and reports. Transactions are the activity inside your accounts. *** ### What a Transaction Is A transaction represents a single financial event. Examples include: * A purchase * A deposit * A transfer * A payment * A refund Every transaction in FreeBudget belongs to **one account**. Transactions include: * A date * An amount * A description * A category Transactions are the primary input used to calculate dashboard charts and reports. *** ### How Transactions Are Added FreeBudget supports three ways to add transactions: * Manual entry * [CSV imports](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/how-csv-imports-work.md) * Automatic sync from bank-linked accounts {% hint style="info" %} When transactions are added, positive amounts are treated as income or inflows, and negative amounts are treated as expenses or outflows in dashboards and reports. {% endhint %} Once transactions exist, they behave the same regardless of how they were added. *** ### Manual Transactions Manual transactions are entered by you. They are useful for: * Cash spending * Adjustments * Transactions not captured elsewhere #### [Recurring Transactions](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/how-recurring-schedules-work.md) Transactions can also be generated automatically through recurring schedules. A recurring schedule defines a transaction that repeats on a set frequency (weekly, biweekly, monthly, or yearly), and FreeBudget creates the transactions for you on the dates you specify. This is useful for predictable income and expenses like paychecks, subscriptions, or rent. *** ### [CSV Imports](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/how-csv-imports-work.md) You can import transactions using CSV files from: * Banks * Credit card providers * Other budgeting apps * Spreadsheets you create yourself CSV imports are always free. Imported transactions behave the same as manually entered or bank-linked transactions once added. *** ### Bank-Linked Transactions (Plaid) If you link an account using Plaid, transactions will sync automatically. These transactions: * Import automatically * Update regularly * Reduce manual entry Once imported, bank-linked transactions behave the same as all other transactions. {% hint style="info" %} Transactions usually sync daily. The exact timing depends on when Plaid receives updated data from your financial institution. If you want to check that it's up-to-date, you can manually ask FreeBudget to check for updates by clicking the refresh icon in the top-right corner of the app. {% endhint %} *** ### [Categorization](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/categories-overview.md) Transactions are categorized to help group and analyze spending. FreeBudget supports [auto-categorization](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/how-auto-categorization-works.md) with clear indicators showing which transactions were categorized automatically versus manually reviewed. Categories affect: * Your Dashboard charts * Your Income & Expenses report Categories can always be changed. #### Previous Categorization Helper When FreeBudget recognizes a transaction similar to one you've categorized before, a category icon appears on the row. Hover over it to see how past similar transactions were categorized, making it easier to stay consistent over time.
#### Batch Categorization Batch categorization lets you quickly assign a category to multiple transactions at once, so you don’t have to edit them individually. It’s especially useful after imports or when fixing groups of similar transactions that were categorized incorrectly. If you find yourself doing this often, it’s a good sign to set up a Rule so it’s handled automatically going forward.
#### [Rules](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/how-rules-work.md) FreeBudget also supports custom categorization rules. Rules let you override FreeBudget’s default auto-categorization by matching text in a transaction description and assigning the category you want. Rules can also optionally rename the transaction description. If more than one rule matches, the most specific matching rule is used. Rules are especially helpful for descriptions that you want categorized consistently across future transactions. You can add a rule by selecting a transaction and using the "Create Rule" icon or by going to the Rules tab.
*** ### [Permanent Categories](#permanent-categories) FreeBudget includes three permanent system categories: * **Uncategorized** * **Transfers** * **Payments** These categories are built into the system and cannot be edited, renamed, or deleted. They exist to keep reports accurate and prevent double counting. *** ### Transfers and Payments Between Accounts Each transaction belongs to a single account. When money moves between two accounts, such as a transfer or credit card payment, it is typically represented as **two transactions**, one in each account. These transactions should be categorized as Transfers or Payments to keep reports accurate. *** ### Editing and Control All transaction fields can be edited after they are posted, including date, account, description, and category. #### [Split Transactions](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/how-split-transactions-work.md) If a single transaction covers multiple types of spending, you can split it into separate line items, each with its own category and amount. This is useful for purchases that span multiple categories, like a store trip that includes both groceries and household supplies. Reusable split patterns can be saved as [split templates](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/how-split-templates-work.md) and applied to both individual transactions and recurring schedules. Split transactions can be unsplit at any time to restore the original entry. *** ### Downloading Transactions You can download your transactions as a CSV file at any time. Downloads reflect **exactly what you are currently viewing**, including: * Date range * Applied filters This allows you to export a subset of your data or your full transaction history, depending on how your view is configured. *** ### Why Transactions Might Look Off If something does not look right, it is usually due to: * [Duplicate transactions](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/duplicated-transactions.md) * Missing transactions * Filters or date ranges being applied * Categorization choices * Categorized to Uncategorized, Transfers, or Payments by mistake * Overlapping [CSV imports](#csv-imports) and bank-linked data *** ### Other Common Questions
Questions? #### Why do I see [duplicate transactions](/help-center/transactions-and-categories/duplicated-transactions.md)? Duplicate transactions usually occur when: * CSV imports overlap with bank-linked data * The same CSV file is imported more than once * Transactions are entered twice by mistake Duplicates can be safely deleted without affecting your account setup. *** #### Can I edit or delete transactions from bank-linked accounts? Yes. Bank-linked transactions can be edited (descriptions only), re-categorized, or deleted just like manual transactions. *** #### Do pending transactions count? Pending transactions may appear temporarily for bank-linked accounts. Once finalized by the bank, they may update or be replaced with the final version. *** #### What happens if I delete a transaction? Deleting a transaction removes it from: * Dashboard charts * Reports This change is immediate. #### Can I download my transaction data? Yes. You can download your data as a csv file by clicking the Download Transactions icon listed in the `Transactions` page.
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