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Import Rules

Auto-categorize imported transactions using pattern-based rules with a visual query builder, so you spend less time manually sorting transactions and more time understanding your finances.

Overview

Import Rules let you define conditions that automatically assign categories, tags, vendors, and other fields to transactions as they are imported. Rules use a visual query builder with boolean logic, support multiple actions per rule, and can be previewed or applied retroactively to existing transactions.

Creating a Rule

  1. Navigate to Budget > Rules
  2. Click Add Rule
  3. Give the rule a descriptive name (e.g., "Amazon purchases", "Monthly rent")

Building Criteria

Each criterion consists of three parts:

Component Options
Field Description, Vendor, Amount, Date, Reference, Notes, Transaction Type
Match type Contains, Equals, Starts with, Ends with, Regex, Greater than, Less than
Pattern The value to match against

Tip: Use "Contains" for most text matching. Reserve "Regex" for complex patterns where simpler match types won't suffice.

The Transaction Type field lets you filter by Income or Expense. This is useful when the same description appears as both inflow and outflow (e.g., internal transfers between accounts).

Boolean Logic

Combine multiple conditions using logical operators:

  • AND — all conditions must be true
  • OR — at least one condition must be true
  • NOT — negate a condition or group

Groups can be nested to unlimited depth for complex logic. For example:

(vendor contains "Amazon" AND amount > 50)
OR
(description contains "Prime")

This matches any Amazon purchase over £50, or any transaction mentioning "Prime" regardless of vendor or amount.

Actions

When a rule matches a transaction, one or more actions are applied:

Action Effect
Set category Assign a specific category
Set vendor Set the vendor/payee field
Set notes Add or replace notes
Add tags Attach tags from your tag sets
Set account Assign to a specific account
Set type Mark as expense or income
Set reference Set the reference field
Auto-Link as Transfer Find and link a matching opposite transaction as a transfer

You can configure multiple actions per rule — for example, set the category to "Subscriptions" and add a "streaming" tag simultaneously.

Auto-Link as Transfer

The Auto-Link as Transfer action automatically finds a matching transaction on a different account — same amount, opposite type (income vs expense), within a few days — and links the two as a transfer. This is particularly useful for banks that represent internal movements as separate income/expense entries (e.g., Monzo pot transfers).

Example rule for automatic transfer linking:

  • Criteria: Transaction Type is Expense AND Description contains "Pot Transfer"
  • Action: Auto-Link as Transfer

This works when applying rules manually, during CSV import, and during bank sync.

Priority

Each rule has a priority number. Higher priority numbers run first. When multiple rules match the same transaction, the highest-priority rule wins for any conflicting actions.

Tip: Use priority strategically — give specific rules (e.g., "Netflix subscription") a higher priority than general rules (e.g., "All entertainment vendors").

Behavior Settings

Control how actions interact with existing field values:

Behavior Effect
Always Overwrite existing value
If empty Only set the field if it is currently blank
Append Add to the existing value (text fields)
Merge Combine with existing values (for tags)

Note: "If empty" is useful when you want manual categorization to take precedence over rules.

Preview Matches

Before saving a rule, click Preview to see which existing transactions in your account would match the criteria. This lets you verify the rule behaves as expected without making any changes.

Tip: If the preview shows unexpected matches, refine your criteria — add more conditions or switch to a more specific match type.

Run on Existing Transactions

Rules normally apply during import, but you can also apply them retroactively:

  1. Open the rule you want to apply
  2. Click Run Rule Now
  3. Optionally restrict to uncategorized transactions only
  4. Confirm to apply

Warning: Running a rule with "Always" behavior on existing transactions will overwrite any manual categorization you've previously done on matching transactions.

Related Features

  • Import — rules are applied automatically during the import process
  • Transactions — rules modify transaction fields
  • Categories — the most common rule action is setting a category
  • Tags — rules can add tags from your configured tag sets

Settings

  • Auto-apply import rules — toggle whether rules run automatically on new imports (on/off). When disabled, you must run rules manually.