Bank Accounts

Balance connects to your bank through Plaid, a secure financial data service used by thousands of apps. Plaid handles the connection so Balance never sees or stores your banking credentials.

Connecting a Bank Account

1. Go to the Accounts tab
2. Tap New
3. Search for your bank by name
4. Enter your online banking username and password (this goes directly to Plaid)
5. Complete any verification your bank requires (security questions, text/email code)
6. Select which accounts to link (checking, savings, credit cards, loans)

Transactions begin syncing within a few minutes. For more on Plaid’s security, see Security.

Reconnecting

Bank connections sometimes expire. This can happen after a password change, a security update from your bank, or when your bank requires re-authentication. You’ll see an error indicator on the affected account.

Tap the account to reconnect through Plaid. You’ll re-enter your banking credentials and complete any verification steps. Your existing transactions are preserved.

Removing a Bank

You can remove a bank connection from the account detail page. Removing a bank stops new transactions from syncing, but all existing transactions remain in Balance.

Account Settings

Each connected account has two toggles:

• Show Transactions: Turn this off to hide an account’s transactions from your daily view. Useful for investment accounts or accounts you don’t need to categorize. The account stays connected and continues syncing.
• Include in Balance: Turn this off to exclude an account from your total balance display. Useful if you don’t want a specific account (like a credit card or investment) affecting the number you see on the home page.

Loan accounts (student loans, mortgages) show as a negative balance when balance display is enabled.

Access these by tapping on any account to open its detail page.

Troubleshooting

Bank won’t connect?

• Try again in a few hours. Temporary outages between Plaid and banks are common.
• Double-check your credentials by logging into your bank’s website directly.
• Make sure you complete any multi-factor authentication steps quickly, as codes can expire.

Account keeps disconnecting?

• Check if your bank recently changed its login flow or added new security steps.
• Reconnect through the account detail page.

If issues persist, contact hello@balancebudget.app with your bank name and a description of the error.