Account Balances

The Accounts page is where you answer a simple question: how much is actually in this account right now, or how much do I owe on it? If a number looks wrong, the fix is usually in the account’s history, not in the budget categories.

Reading the Accounts Overview card #

The Accounts Overview card is your active account list. It groups accounts by type, such as Transaction Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debt Accounts, and Fixed Asset Accounts.

Each group header has a caret you can use to collapse or expand the section. The header row also shows:

• the account type name
• a count badge showing how many accounts are in the group
• totals for that whole group

Each account row shows these columns:

• Starting
• Inflow
• Outflow
• Balance
• Net Flow

At the bottom, Grand Total adds everything together across your visible account groups.

If you click an account row, Common Cents opens that account’s detail view.

What the detailed account view shows #

At the top of the detail view, the first controls help you move around:

• ← Back to All Accounts returns to the overview list.
• Jump To Account opens a different account without leaving the detail screen.

The Account Overview card then shows the account’s identity and status:

• the account name and type icon
• Primary if it is your primary transaction account
• Closed if the account is archived
• whether it is On Budget or Off Budget
• the last activity date, when available
• whether it is included in dashboard cash flow summaries
• the close date, if the account has been closed

The four balance cards underneath break the current account view into:

• Starting
• Inflow
• Outflow
• Balance

The amounts shown are for the month that is selected in the month navigation.

For debt accounts, you may also see Payment Category Available. That number is budget money reserved for a payment. It is separate from the debt account balance itself.

If the account is linked to a fixed asset or linked debts, the Linked Accounts panel gives you buttons you can click to jump directly to those related accounts.

Account transactions under the balance summary #

The transaction card on the detail page shows the account’s full transaction history. That list is not limited to the current header month, even though the summary cards above it reflect the current account view.

The header actions change based on the account:

• Ordinary accounts show Transfer and Add Transaction.
• Debt accounts show debt-specific actions such as Pay Card, Pay Loan, or Apply Interest.
• View All Transactions takes you to the combined transaction list for every account.
• When export options are available, Export Filtered lets you export the list you are currently viewing.

Each transaction row also has an action menu. The common choices are Edit and, for eligible normal spending transactions, Start a Refund.

What usually changes an account balance #

An account balance usually moves because of one of these things:

• the original starting balance you entered when the account was created
• regular inflow or outflow transactions
• transfers between accounts
• debt actions such as card payments, loan payments, or interest
• fixed asset disposal or gain/loss adjustments when you use that workflow

See also: Transfers

Use the right number for the right question #

Use an account balance when you care about the real-world balance of the account itself.

Use a category balance when you care about how much of your budget is available for a purpose.

Those numbers often work together, but they are not interchangeable.