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Manual accounts

CalBudget starts with accounts you create yourself. Add the checking, savings, credit, cash, or investment accounts you want to plan from, enter the starting balance, and CalBudget uses that balance as the first anchor for your calendar forecast.

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When to add an account

Add a manual account for any balance you want CalBudget to include in your plan:
  • A checking account you use for bills and paychecks
  • A savings account for emergency funds or sinking funds
  • A credit account you want to track on the calendar
  • A cash account for cash spending
  • An investment account you want visible in your planning view
You do not need to connect a bank to use CalBudget. Manual accounts are enough to build a forecast, schedule bills, add income, and review upcoming low-balance days.

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Add an account

  1. Open Accounts.
  2. Select Add account.
  3. Enter an account name, such as Main Checking.
  4. Enter the starting balance.
  5. Choose the account type.
  6. Choose a color.
  7. Save the account.
The starting balance is the amount CalBudget uses before applying dated transactions and recurring schedules. If the balance is off, your projected daily balances will be off too, so use the most recent balance you trust.

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Add optional bank details

Manual accounts can also store a bank name and the last four digits of the account number. These details help you recognize the account later, especially if you plan with more than one checking or credit account.
  1. Open Accounts.
  2. Find the account.
  3. Edit Bank Name and Account Number (last 4).
  4. Save.
These fields are for your own notes inside CalBudget. They do not connect to your bank by themselves.

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Edit an account

You can rename an account, change its type, update its color, or choose whether it uses brand colors where available. Existing transactions stay attached to the account.

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Delete an account

Deleting an account permanently deletes the account and all transactions attached to it. Only delete an account when you are sure you no longer need its history in CalBudget.

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How accounts affect the forecast

Each account has its own balance path. CalBudget starts with the account balance, then adds income and subtracts expenses by date. Recurring transactions extend that plan into the future so you can see when money is expected to arrive, leave, or run low. If you import a statement for reconciliation, choose the account that matches the bank file. That lets CalBudget compare real posted activity against the planned transactions for the same account.