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Categories

Categories help CalBudget describe where money comes from and where it goes. Use expense categories for spending, income categories for money coming in, and colors to make reports and calendar filters easier to scan.

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Expense and income categories

CalBudget keeps expense categories and income categories separate. This keeps reports clear and helps imports apply the right category type. Examples of expense categories:
  • Rent or mortgage
  • Groceries
  • Utilities
  • Subscriptions
  • Debt payments
Examples of income categories:
  • Paycheck
  • Freelance
  • Interest
  • Refunds

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Add a category

  1. Open Category Setup.
  2. Choose Expenses or Income.
  3. Select Add Expense Category or Add Income Category.
  4. Enter a category name.
  5. Choose a color.
  6. Save.

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Edit a category

You can rename a category or change its color. Transactions that already use the category stay assigned to it.

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Delete a category

Deleting a category unassigns it from transactions that used it. The transactions stay in CalBudget, but they no longer have that category until you choose another one.

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Use categories in the calendar

Categories make the calendar easier to scan and filter. They also power spending reports, category trends, AI Financial Report context, and import cleanup.

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Categories and imports

Imported files may include category names. When they do, CalBudget uses the file-provided category if it matches or can be created. If an imported row does not include a category, CalBudget checks your category rules. The best matching enabled rule can assign the category automatically during statement imports and reconciliation.