Rules
Automatically set categories and merchants, add tags, hide, or flag matching transactions.
Rules change incoming transactions that match your conditions, and can also update ones already in Penny. Manage them in Settings → Rules.
Conditions
All of a rule's conditions must match. Where a condition lists several names, merchants, accounts, or categories, matching any one of them is enough. Blank conditions aren't checked.
| Condition | Matches when |
|---|---|
| Name | The transaction name contains, or exactly equals, your text |
| Merchant | The merchant is one you pick |
| Account | The transaction is on an account you pick |
| Category | The transaction is currently in a category you pick |
| Direction | It's income, or it's an expense |
| Amount | Equals, is above, is below, is at least, is at most, or is between two values |
| Penny taxonomy | It matches one of the Penny taxonomy values |
| Uncategorized only | No category has been assigned |
Name matching ignores case. Contains matches anywhere in the name, so WHOLEFDS
matches WHOLEFDS MKT #10432. Exact requires the whole name. Add several name
conditions to catch different spellings. Keep the text specific, since AMA also
matches AMARILLO GRILL and PANAMA CITY PARKING.
Actions
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Set category | Puts the transaction in a category |
| Set merchant | Normalizes who it was paid to |
| Apply tags | Adds one or more tags |
| Hide | Keeps it out of your totals |
| Mark as needs review | Flags it for you to look at |
A rule can take several actions at once.
Priority
When several rules set a category or merchant, the rule higher in the list wins. Drag to reorder, with specific exceptions at the top and broad rules at the bottom. Tags from matching rules are combined. Uncategorized only rules run last, only for transactions that still have no category. They can categorize, tag, hide, or flag those transactions without overriding actions from other rules.
Rules never overwrite a category or merchant you set by hand.
Applying to past transactions
Rules apply to new transactions. To update existing ones too, turn on Apply to existing transactions when saving and check the preview of what matches.
Editing, reordering, or deleting a rule leaves past transactions alone unless you apply it again. A transaction's history shows which rule changed it.
Examples
Adjust the names to match what your bank actually sends.
| Goal | Conditions | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Keep card payments out of spending | Name contains CHASE CREDIT CRD AUTOPAY | Set category Credit card payment (a transfer category) |
| Clean up a merchant | Name contains SQ *BLUE BOTTLE | Set merchant Blue Bottle, set category Coffee |
| Separate two incomes | Name contains ACME CORP PAYROLL, direction is income | Set category Salary, apply tag Alex's income |
| Flag large purchases | Amount above 500, direction is expense | Mark as needs review |
| Catch anything left uncategorized | Uncategorized only, direction is expense | Mark as needs review |
| Hide an import artifact | Name is exactly INTERNAL ADJUSTMENT | Hide |
Use exact name matching for hide rules to reduce accidental matches, and check the preview before applying them.
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