Budget Not Calculating Correctly - Troubleshooting

When budget numbers don’t seem right, it’s usually a misunderstanding of how budgeting works or uncategorized transactions. This guide helps you understand budget calculations and fix calculation issues.

Understanding Budget vs Bank Balance

Most common “issue” isn’t actually a problem:

Budget Current Balance ≠ Bank Account Balance

Budget Current Balance shows:

• This month’s income minus this month’s expenses
• Based on categorized transactions only
• Resets each month
• Tracks budget progress

Bank Account Balance shows:

• All money in your actual bank account
• Across all time, not just this month
• Never resets
• Actual account balance

These are DIFFERENT things!

Example:

• Bank account: $5,000 (total in account)
• Budget Current Balance: $1,200 (this month’s money left after spending)

This is normal and correct.

How Budget Calculations Work

Current Balance Formula

Current Balance = 
  Total Income (this month)
  - Total Expenses (this month)
  - (Only includes categorized transactions)
  - (Transfers excluded)

Category Balance Formula

For expense categories:

Category Current = Budgeted Amount - Spent

For income categories:

Category Current = Expected - Received

What Gets Included

✅ Included in calculations:

• Categorized transactions
• From current selected month
• Income adds to balance
• Expenses subtract from balance

❌ NOT included:

• Uncategorized transactions (don’t affect budget until categorized)
• Transactions marked as transfers
• Transactions from other months
• Hidden or archived accounts

Common Calculation Issues

Issue 1: Uncategorized Transactions

Problem: Budget doesn’t reflect recent spending

Cause: Uncategorized transactions don’t count toward budget

How to check:

1. Go to Transactions tab
2. Look at “X Uncategorized” badge at top
3. Number shows how many transactions need categorizing

Solution:

1. Tap filter area
2. Filter to “Uncategorized” status
3. Categorize all transactions
4. Budget updates immediately

Why this happens:

• Transactions sync automatically
• But Balance can’t guess which category
• You must assign categories
• Until categorized, they’re “invisible” to budget

Prevention:

• Categorize transactions daily
• Check for uncategorized count regularly
• Keep uncategorized count at zero

Learn about categorizing →

Issue 2: Transfers Counted as Expenses

Problem: Money moved between accounts reducing budget

Cause: Transfer not marked as transfer

How to identify:

1. Look for ATM withdrawals
2. Look for transfers between your banks
3. Look for account payments
4. These should be marked as transfers

Solution:

1. Find the transfer transaction
2. Tap to open details
3. Toggle “Transfer” switch ON
4. Budget updates immediately

Common transfers to mark:

• ATM withdrawals (money → cash)
• Transfers between checking and savings
• Credit card payments from checking
• Moving money between your banks

Why it matters:

• Transfers don’t reduce your total money
• Just moving between your accounts
• Shouldn’t count as expense
• Marking correctly keeps budget accurate

Learn about transfer transactions →

Issue 3: Wrong Month Selected

Problem: Budget shows unexpected numbers

Cause: Viewing different month than intended

How to check:

1. Look at month button (top of Budget or Transactions)
2. Shows current selected month
3. May not be current month

Solution:

1. Tap month button
2. Select correct month
3. Budget updates for that month

Common scenario:

• Accidentally changed months
• Reviewing past month
• Forgot you switched
• Wondering why numbers seem off

Issue 4: Hidden/Inactive Accounts

Problem: Some transactions not reflected in budget

Cause: Account may be hidden or deactivated

How to check:

1. Go to Accounts tab
2. Look for “Show Hidden” option
3. Check all accounts are visible
4. Check connection status

Solution:

• Unhide accounts if needed
• Reconnect if showing error
• Verify all expected accounts present

Issue 5: Split Transactions Incorrect

Problem: Transaction split doesn’t add up

Cause: Split amounts don’t equal transaction amount

How to identify:

1. Go to Transactions
2. Look for split transactions (multiple category badges)
3. Tap to view details
4. Check category split amounts

Solution:

1. Tap transaction
2. Tap “Category”
3. Verify amounts add up to total
4. Adjust splits to match
5. Save when amounts correct

Example issue:

• Transaction: $100
• Split: $60 + $30 = $90
• Missing $10 not assigned
• Budget only reflects $90

Fix:

• Add $10 to one of the categories
• Or create new split for the $10
• Total must equal transaction amount

Learn about splitting →

Issue 6: Income Not Adding

Problem: Paycheck not increasing budget balance

Causes:

• Transaction not categorized
• Marked as transfer (shouldn’t be)
• Assigned to expense category (wrong type)
• Not in current month view

Solutions:

If uncategorized:

1. Find paycheck transaction
2. Categorize as “Salary” or appropriate income category
3. Budget updates

If marked as transfer:

1. Tap transaction
2. Toggle Transfer OFF (paychecks aren’t transfers)
3. Categorize as income

If wrong category type:

• Income must go to income categories
• Can’t assign to expense categories
• Create income category if needed

Issue 7: Manual Transactions Not Counted

Problem: Added manual transaction but budget unchanged

Causes:

• Manual transaction not categorized
• Marked as transfer
• Wrong date (different month)

Solutions:

1. Find manual transaction (look for “Manual” badge)
2. Check if categorized
3. Check transfer status
4. Verify date is in current month
5. Categorize if needed

Verification Steps

Verify Budget is Correct

Step 1: Check uncategorized count

• Should be 0
• Categorize any remaining

Step 2: Check for transfers

• Mark appropriately
• Don’t count as expenses

Step 3: Verify month

• Viewing correct month
• Transactions in right month

Step 4: Check all accounts

• All connected and syncing
• No hidden accounts
• No error status

Step 5: Verify splits

• Split amounts add up
• No partial assignments

Step 6: Check income

• Income categorized correctly
• Not marked as transfers
• Assigned to income categories

Manual Verification

To double-check calculations:

1. Add up income:

   • Go to Budget tab
   • Add all income category amounts
   • Should match “Total Income”

2. Add up expenses:

   • Add all expense category spent amounts
   • Should match total expenses

3. Calculate balance:

   • Income - Expenses
   • Should match “Current Balance”

4. Compare to transactions:

   • Go to Transactions
   • Filter by month
   • Count categorized transactions
   • Verify they’re all reflected

Platform-Specific Issues

Mobile App

If budget on mobile seems wrong:

1. Pull-to-refresh on Budget tab
2. Force close and reopen app
3. Log out and back in
4. Clear app cache (Settings → Apps → Balance → Clear Cache)

Web Browser

If budget on web seems wrong:

1. Hard refresh page (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R)
2. Clear browser cache
3. Log out and back in
4. Try different browser

Sync Between Devices

If budget differs between devices:

1. Pull-to-refresh on both
2. Check internet connection
3. Log out and in on both
4. Usually syncs within seconds
5. May take up to 1 minute

Advanced Troubleshooting

Budget Shows Negative When Shouldn’t

Possible causes:

1. Expenses greater than income (actually negative)
2. Income not categorized correctly
3. Large expense incorrectly categorized
4. Transfer counted as expense

Check:

• Total income vs total expenses
• All income categorized?
• Any huge expenses?
• Transfers marked correctly?

Category Shows Wrong Spent Amount

Possible causes:

1. Transaction miscategorized
2. Split transaction incorrect
3. Wrong month
4. Duplicate transactions

Check:

1. Go to Transactions
2. Filter by that specific category
3. Review all transactions in that category
4. Verify each one belongs there
5. Check splits add up

Budget Resets Unexpectedly

This is normal monthly reset:

• Budgets reset each month automatically
• Not a bug
• Previous month data is saved (select that month to view)
• New month starts fresh

If resets mid-month:

• Check selected month
• May have accidentally changed months
• Select current month again

Understanding Monthly Reset

What Resets Each Month

Resets to zero:

• Spent amount in each category
• Income received
• Current Balance calculation

Stays the same:

• Budgeted amounts (your budget)
• Category list
• Account connections
• Previous month data (accessible by selecting that month)

Why monthly:

• Monthly budgeting approach
• Fresh start each month
• Previous months available for review
• Prevents confusion with rolling balances

Getting Help with Calculations

Describe the Issue Specifically

When contacting support about calculations:

Include:

• What you expect to see
• What you actually see
• Specific numbers (expected vs actual)
• Screenshots
• Steps you’ve tried

Example good description: “My Current Balance shows $500, but when I add up my income ($2000) minus expenses ($1200), I get $800. I have 0 uncategorized transactions. I’m viewing November 2024.”

Example unclear description: “My budget is wrong.”

Prevention Tips

Keep Budget Accurate

✅ Do:

• Categorize transactions daily
• Check for uncategorized count regularly
• Mark transfers correctly
• Review budget weekly
• Verify calculations monthly

❌ Don’t:

• Let uncategorized transactions pile up
• Ignore uncategorized count
• Forget to mark transfers
• Mix up income and expense categories
• Panic if numbers seem off (investigate first)

Weekly Review Routine

Once per week:

1. Check uncategorized count (should be 0)
2. Review each category’s spending
3. Verify transfers marked
4. Compare to expectations
5. Adjust budget if needed

When Budget IS Calculating Correctly

Sometimes budget is right, expectations are wrong:

“Why is my balance so low?”

• You spent more than expected
• Income lower than planned
• Budget is accurately showing this
• Not a calculation error

“Why don’t I have more money?”

• Budget shows monthly flow, not total assets
• Bank balance includes money from previous months
• Budget Current Balance = this month only

“Numbers seem wrong but I can’t find issue”

• Budget may actually be correct
• Review spending vs budget
• Compare to bank statements
• May reveal surprising spending patterns

Contact Support

If after all troubleshooting, calculations still seem wrong:

Email: support@balancebudget.app

Include:

• Expected vs actual numbers
• Screenshot of Budget tab
• Screenshot of Transactions (showing categorized count)
• Month you’re viewing
• Steps you’ve tried
• Uncategorized transaction count
• Number of connected accounts

Next Steps

• Understanding the Dashboard → - How budget works
• Setting Category Budgets → - Budget amounts
• Transaction Types → - Income/Expense/Transfer
• Budget Progress Tracking → - Monitor spending

Understanding how budgets work is key! Most “errors” are actually correct calculations. 📊