Account and Category Balances

The dashboard puts account-focused numbers and category-focused numbers close to each other because you usually need both. The trick is knowing that they are answering different questions.

If you mix them up, the dashboard becomes confusing fast. If you keep them separate, it becomes one of the most useful screens in the app.

Start with the summary cards #

At the top of Home, Common Cents shows summary cards for:

• Net Worth
• Month Inflow
• Month Outflow
• Net Flow

These cards are the fast overview. They help you decide whether the month looks broadly right before you inspect individual accounts or categories.

Account balances answer “Where is the money?” #

Use an account balance when you need to know how much is in an account, how much is owed on a debt account, or whether a transfer changed the right place.

On Home, the account overview groups accounts by type and shows month-based columns such as starting amount, inflow, outflow, balance, and net flow. It is a quick way to compare how your accounts are behaving without opening each one separately.

If an account row looks wrong, that is your signal to open the Accounts area and inspect the account directly.

Category balances answer “What is the money for?” #

Use a category balance when you need to know how much is still available for groceries, rent, travel, or another job in your budget.

On Home, the category balances table focuses on two numbers that matter most at a glance:

• Activity for what happened in the category during the viewed month
• Available for what is still ready to use

The Activity number can also lead you into a drilldown when you need to see what is behind it.

Why they do not match one-to-one #

Transfers, off-budget tracking, debt workflows, and timing differences can all make the account story and the category story look different at first glance.

That does not automatically mean something is broken. It usually means you are looking at two valid views of the same budget from different angles.

The viewed month matters here #

The dashboard balances are tied to the month you are viewing in the header.

That means:

• account inflow, outflow, and net flow change with the viewed month
• category activity and available amounts change with the viewed month
• optional label activity and balances change with the viewed month when Labels is enabled

If you are trying to reconcile what you see, make sure you are looking at the same month on every screen you compare.

A practical way to read the screen #

Use this order when you are checking the dashboard:

1. Read the summary cards.
2. Check whether any account group or account row looks off.
3. Check category activity and available balances.
4. Open the deeper screen only for the part that needs explanation.

That keeps the dashboard doing what it is best at: helping you notice the right next question quickly.