Splits

Splits are for one real-world transaction that needs more than one category. They are the right tool when one charge or deposit did happen as a single transaction, but the budget needs to divide it into multiple jobs.

When to use a split #

• one store receipt includes groceries and household items
• one payment partly covers a reimbursable expense
• one income event needs to be separated across budget purposes

How to open the split details screen #

In the normal transaction form, enter the account, date, payee, and total amount first. Then use the control under Amount:

• 📊 Add Details starts a new split
• ✏️ Edit Details reopens an existing split
• 🗑️ Delete Details removes the saved split lines

The bottom sheet title is Add Details or Edit Details, depending on whether the transaction already has split lines.

The controls inside the split screen #

Each split row gives you a small set of focused controls:

• Category for that split line
• Label for that split line, when Labels is enabled
• Amount for that split line
• the ✕ remove button for deleting a line

Below the list, the split editor also gives you:

• + Add Split to add another line
• Splits Total to show the current total of all lines
• Remaining to show how far you are from the transaction total
• Confirm Splits to save the detail lines
• Cancel to leave without saving

The rule that matters most #

The split lines still need to add up to the real transaction total.

If they do not, Common Cents blocks the save and tells you the split total is invalid. That protects you from creating a transaction that no longer matches the real-world amount.

What changes on the main form while splits are active #

Once a transaction has split details:

• the main Category field stops being the place where category detail is controlled
• the main Label field stops being the place where label detail is controlled
• the main Amount field is no longer where you edit the line-by-line breakdown

Instead, the split editor becomes the source of truth for those details.

Keep the split honest to the real event #

The point of a split is not to create extra transactions. It is to describe one transaction accurately.

If you really had two separate transactions, record two separate transactions. Use a split only when there was one real charge, one deposit, or one adjustment that needs multiple category lines.

Refunds can carry split details forward #

If you use Start a Refund from a transaction that already has split details, Common Cents can bring that split structure into the refund draft for you. That saves time and keeps the correction aligned with the original entry.