How can I assign a custom or pre-defined category to my online transaction and its future occurrences automatically?

Modified on Thu, 4 Jul at 4:36 AM

To effectively assign a custom or pre-defined category to your online transactions and automate future occurrences using TimelyBills' Category Mapping feature, here’s a step-by-step guide:

Setting Up Category Mapping
Access Category Mapping:
Navigate to your TimelyBills platform where your bank transactions are synced automatically.
Locate an online transaction that you want to categorize differently.

Initiate Category Mapping:

Find the 'Change Category' button associated with the transaction (available only for online account transactions).
Configure Mapping Options:
Upon clicking 'Change Category', a popup titled "Category Mapping" will appear. This popup allows you to define how you want categories to be assigned.

You have several options for setting up the mapping:

This Only: Apply the category change rule for the specific selected transaction only.

This & All Future: Apply the category change rule for the selected transaction and all future occurrences of this transaction.
Past, This, and All Future: Apply the category change rule not only to the selected transaction and its future occurrences but also to all past transactions that match the criteria.

How Category Mapping Works

TimelyBills will check incoming transactions against your defined category mapping rules in the following order:

Category + Merchant -> To Category: If both the category and merchant of the incoming transaction match the specified mapping, the category is updated to the new category.

Merchant -> To Category: If only the merchant matches the specified mapping, the category is updated.

Category -> To Category: If only the category matches the specified mapping, the category is updated.

Automation of Future Transactions:

Once you set up a category mapping rule (especially using "This & All Future" or "Past, This, and All Future"), TimelyBills will automatically apply the defined category to future transactions that meet the specified criteria.

Tips for Effective Use

Be Specific: Ensure your mapping rules are specific enough to correctly identify transactions without unintended changes to unrelated transactions.
Review Regularly: Periodically review your category mappings to adjust for any changes in your spending patterns or merchants.

By utilizing these steps, you can efficiently manage your transaction categorization in TimelyBills, reducing manual effort and ensuring accurate financial tracking over time.