A category is overspent

A category is overspent when its Balance on the Budget page is below zero. Balance is the amount you budgeted for the month, plus anything carried in from earlier months, minus what you spent.

How to tell

• The Balance column shows a red badge with the negative amount. The row has a red tint and the bar under the name is full. The part of the bar beyond the money available is red and the rest is green. The red part is the overspend as a share of what you spent: $12.12 over on $2,372.12 spent is a thin red end, and $560.96 over on $685.96 spent is mostly red. When the overspend is as large as what you spent this month, the whole bar is red. On a phone, the row reads Left with the amount in red.
• A category with a heart shows gold instead of red. In Group view, a group in the Generosity bucket has a gold bar, but its Balance is still red.
• The N overspent chip appears under the headline band. Select it to go to the rows. See Attention chips.
• The Over plan card in the Month summary lists up to five overspent categories. Categories with a heart are listed apart, up to five, under "Gave beyond plan". The card's header shows how many categories without a heart are over plan, or "None". When a category with a heart is over, a heart and the number of such categories follow.

In Group view, the chip counts groups whose total is below zero. A group can stay positive while one category in it is overspent, so open the group to find the category.

Overspending does not reduce any other category. To cover it, change the Budgeted amounts yourself.

A transaction is in the wrong category

The Spent amount includes something that belongs elsewhere.

1. Select the amount in the Spent column of the category's row. On a phone, select Spent $X under the name (Saved $X in a Savings & Investments group). Transactions opens for that category and month.
2. Change the category of each transaction that belongs elsewhere. See Edit a transaction.

Balance updates when you return to Budget.

The plan is lower than what you spend

The transactions are right and Spent is larger than Budgeted.

1. Enter a larger amount in the Budgeted box on the category's row. It saves automatically.
2. To use the new amount in later months, see Set your monthly amounts.

Example: Groceries has Budgeted $600.00 and Spent $672.00, so Balance is -$72.00. Enter $680.00 and Balance becomes $8.00.

To keep your total plan the same, lower another category's Budgeted amount by the same figure.

An occasional bill is larger than one month's amount

Budget a smaller amount every month and turn on Rollover, so unspent money builds up for the bill.

1. Open the first month you want to start building up.
2. Select the Rollover button in the Rollover column of the category's row. On a phone, it is at the end of the row's second line. The button shows an arrow when Rollover is on.

Rollover applies from that month forward until you change it in a later month. See How Rollover works.

Example: Car insurance has Budgeted $50.00 each month with Rollover on since January and nothing spent. The April Balance is $200.00. A $180.00 bill in May leaves a Balance of $50.00 + $200.00 - $180.00 = $70.00.

Last month's overspending carried in

Rollover was on last month and last month's Balance was negative. Rollover carries a negative Balance into the next month, as it does a positive one.

Example: Dining out has a September Balance of -$250.00 with Rollover on. October has Budgeted $200.00 and nothing spent, so the October Balance is $200.00 - $250.00 = -$50.00.

Choose one fix:

• Enter a larger Budgeted amount this month to cover the carried amount.
• Stop the carry. Open the previous month and select the Rollover button on the category's row to turn it off. This month then starts with nothing carried in. From that month on, no Balance carries forward, positive or negative.

Still not fixed

Email support@goodsteward.io with the category name, the month and a screenshot of the category's row.