## How to Track Transactions Manually in the MoneyWise App

Tracking transactions manually is an option for Basic or Pro app users. To add a transaction manually, follow these steps:

1. Go to the envelope that you want to use to organize the transaction.
2. If you're using the web app, select the "+ Transaction" option from the row of buttons at the top. In the mobile app, click "Activity +" above the list of transactions. This will bring up a screen to allow you to enter a new transaction.
3. Give the transaction a name, enter the dollar amount, select if it's a deposit or a withdrawal and choose the account to which the transaction should be allocated.
4. Save the transaction. This will add the transaction to the envelope.

You can also add transactions from the Accounts screen. You will follow the same steps with the addition of selecting an envelope to categorize the transaction.

## What Transactions Will I See in the MoneyWise App?

__Basic Users:__ You will see only the transactions that you track manually in the MoneyWise app.

__Pro Users:__ The MoneyWise App will process any transactions made from your active connected accounts. This includes transactions from checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards.

If you don't want to see transactions from a certain account or credit card, you can turn the account "inactive" from the bank's settings screen. You can access this by clicking on the Account, clicking the three dots in the top right corner, and moving the toggle beside "Active" to off.

## When Will Transactions Appear?

__Pro Users:__ As soon as you connect an account, you'll see a few of your recent transactions in the Transactions screen on the MoneyWise app. Any future transactions you make will also appear in the app within 24 hours of your bank registering the transaction.

The MoneyWise app only pulls in the initial transactions from the day you connected your account and any new transaction moving forward. You can't pull in past transactions from before the account was connected.

## How Do I Manage Unassigned Transactions?

__Pro Users:__ When transactions come through, they'll initially be marked as "unassigned." You’ll need to assign these transactions to the appropriate envelope. You can easily do so by tapping, or long pressing, on the transaction and choosing the best envelope.

Once you assign a transaction to an envelope, you will be able to see it in that envelope's activity screen.

If you mis-categorize a transaction, you can tap or long press the transaction to recategorize it.

## What if I Need to Split a Transaction Into Multiple Envelopes?

__Pro Users:__ It's easy to split transactions into multiple envelopes in the MoneyWise app. To do so, simply follow these steps:

5. Tap on the transaction you would like to split, and select the "split" icon.
6. Choose two or more categories to split the transaction amount between. You can specify the exact amount of money you want to allocate into each envelope.
## 
## Can the MoneyWise App Auto-Categorize Transactions?

__Pro Users__: The MoneyWise app can automatically categorize your transactions if you wish. However, there are a couple of caveats. Some retailers use unique codes for each credit card transaction, rather than a standard transaction code for all purchases at that retailer.

When this happens, the app isn't able to distinguish that two transactions should be categorized in the same way. This is a retailer specific instance and not something we are able to change in the MoneyWise app. However, since many retailers don't use that logic, you can still auto-categorize the bulk of your transactions if you'd like.

You are able to set your preference for auto-categorization from the app's settings options.

7. Go to the "Transactions" tab.
8. Choose "Preferences."
9. If you want to stop all auto-categorization, you can toggle the "Automatically Categorize" option off at the top of the screen.
10. If you want to manually categorize certain transactions, search for the transaction description and choose which one you want to adjust. In the mobile app, swipe the description to the left and click "Manual." In the web app, right click on the transaction and choose "Manual" from the list.

In the Transactions section, you can also see all of the established rules for assigning your transactions and make changes to them if you wish. If you see a transaction description that you would like to assign to a different envelope, simply select the bolded envelope name and choose a different one from the list of options.

### Why Are Some of My Transactions Not Auto-Categorizing Correctly?

__Pro Users:__ At some point, you may realize that transactions you have assigned before are not auto-categorizing as you'd expect. There are two possible explanations:

11. If you assigned the transaction while it was "Pending," the transaction name may have changed once finalized.
12. The financial institution or retailer uses unique descriptions for each transaction, making it difficult for the app to determine to which envelope the transaction belongs.

In either instance, if we aren’t sure where to place a transaction we default to you to make the proper selection.

## How Are Pending Transactions Handled?

__Pro Users:__ Pending transactions are transactions that have been sent to your bank or credit card but still need to be verified and finalized. A transaction is pending if you see the word "Pending" beneath it on the Transactions screen.

Depending on your bank, the verification process for transactions typically takes two or more days to finalize. Pending transactions serve as a placeholder, and it's not uncommon for the transaction amount to change once finalized.

For example, if you go to a restaurant and leave a tip, your pending transaction amount typically doesn't reflect the tip until the transaction is finalized.

Another common example is a $1 pending transaction from a gas station's fuel pump. The amount you actually paid at the fuel pump typically won't be reflected until the transaction is finalized.

In the MoneyWise app, pending transactions are used as placeholders and should be assigned to the appropriate envelope--even though the amount may change.

This helps you immediately account for the transaction so that when you look to spend from that envelope again you don't neglect or forget about transactions that are still pending. Just remember that pending transactions are placeholders, so your envelope balance may change once the transaction finalizes.

Additionally, the name of the pending transaction may change once finalized. This means you may have to reassign it to the envelope again once the transaction is finalized.

If you have any questions about how to manage your transactions, please reach out to us at support@moneywise.org and we will be happy to help you.

MANAGE | Sep 10, 2021

Managing Transactions

By: MoneyWise

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