Goal progress calculations
How the Goals page works out percent, Needs, Pace, Projected and the Reached, On track and Behind statuses.
Updated November 4, 2026
The Goals page works out every figure on a goal card each time you open it, using the current month.
What a goal card shows
| Item | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Status badge | Reached, On track, Behind or No deadline. |
| Progress line | The progress and the target, such as "$1,200.00 of $3,000.00", with a percent. |
| Needs | The amount per month that reaches the target by the deadline. Shown only with a deadline, and not once the goal is reached. |
| Pace | The average change per month over the last three months. Red when zero or negative. |
| Projected | The month the goal is reached at the current pace. Not shown once the goal is reached, or when no projection exists. |
| to go | The amount still missing. |
A Pay off card shows the amount paid first and the amount to pay second, such as "$1,500.00 of $5,000.00 paid down", with the percent beside them. If the debt has grown since you created the goal, the first figure is negative.
A Pay off goal that is still tracked by a category has no status badge and no figures. Its card reads "Choose the account that holds this debt." Edit the goal and choose the account or account group that holds the debt.
The subtitle at the top of the page adds up the Needs figures shown on your active goal cards. A Pay off goal still tracked by a category adds nothing.
Current amount and pace
| Tracked by tab | Current amount | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| Category | The money recorded into the category from your first transaction through the current month: outflows count up and inflows count down. Only transactions in on-budget accounts count, and a transfer between two on-budget accounts does not. A transfer to an off-budget savings account counts when the checking side carries the category. Budgeting an amount does not count, and a purchase recorded in the category counts up like any other outflow. Progress then subtracts the starting point. | The same total over this month and the two before, divided by 3. |
| Account | The account's balance. | The net of its transactions dated from the start of the month two months ago, divided by 3. |
| Account group | The total balance of the account group's open accounts. | The same net, added across those accounts, divided by 3. |
For a Balance-only account, the current amount is the latest figure your bank reported. See Transactions or Balance only for a bank account.
An off-budget category reads $0.00. A hidden category is read the same way as any other. Its goal card shows the category name with a small hidden label and, under the progress bar, "This category is hidden, so automatic fills do not add to it." Fills only set Budgeted amounts, which a category goal does not count (see Set up a goal). Rollover does not change goal progress.
Starting point, progress, percent and to go
| Goal | Starting point |
|---|---|
| Tracked by a category | $0.00 if Count the money already in there is checked, so money recorded into the category before you created the goal counts. The money recorded into the category so far if you cleared it. |
| Save up, tracked by an account or group | $0.00 if Count the money already in there is checked. The balance when you created the goal if you cleared it. |
| Pay off | The balance when you created the goal |
Changing Tracked by on an existing goal sets the starting point again: the money recorded so far for a category, the current balance for an account or group.
- Progress is how far the current amount has moved from the starting point toward the target. It is negative when the amount has moved away from the target.
- Percent is progress divided by the distance between the starting point and the target, from 0% to 100%. If the starting point equals the target, it is 100%.
- to go is the distance between the current amount and the target. It is never below zero.
A Pay off target is a balance. A debt balance is negative, so the default target of $0.00 means fully paid off. Payments that reduce the debt count as positive pace. A Pay off goal is tracked by an account or account group.
Needs and Projected
- Needs = to go ÷ (months left + 1), rounded up to the next cent. The current month counts as one of the months. A deadline in the past counts as zero months left, so Needs is the whole amount to go.
- For a category goal with a deadline, up to the deadline month the goal's funding formula plans the Needs figure as it stood at the start of the month. After the deadline month the formula plans nothing. Money moved in during the month lowers Needs on the card at once. Before the deadline month it lowers the formula's amount from next month; in the deadline month the formula does not count it.
- Projected = this month + (to go ÷ Pace, rounded up to whole months).
- If Pace is zero or negative, Projected uses Planned monthly instead. If that is empty too, there is no projection.
Status
| Status | When |
|---|---|
| Reached | to go is $0.00. |
| No deadline | The goal has no By month and is not reached. |
| On track | Projected is in or before the deadline month. |
| Behind | Projected is after the deadline month, or there is no projection. The progress bar turns gold. |
Examples
Today is October 2026 in all three. The card shows months in the form Jun 2027.
Category, with a deadline. Family vacation target $3,000.00, By Dec 2026, created with Count the money already in there checked. $1,200.00 has been recorded into the category so far; its transactions dated August 1 or later add up to $750.00 moved in.
- Progress is $1,200.00, which is 40%. to go is $1,800.00.
- Months left: 2. Needs = $1,800.00 ÷ 3 = $600.00/mo.
- Pace = $750.00 ÷ 3 = $250.00/mo.
- Projected = October 2026 + 8 months (7.2 rounded up) = Jun 2027.
- Jun 2027 is after Dec 2026, so the status is Behind.
Account, no deadline. A savings account holds $2,000.00 when you create a Save up goal for $5,000.00.
- With Count the money already in there checked, the starting point is $0.00. Progress is $2,000.00 (40%) and to go is $3,000.00.
- With it cleared, the starting point is $2,000.00 and progress is $0.00 (0%). At a balance of $2,300.00, progress is $300.00, which is 10% of the $3,000.00 distance. The card line reads "$300.00 of $5,000.00".
- At a balance of $2,000.00, to go is $3,000.00 either way. The account's transactions dated August 1 or later add up to $900.00, so Pace is $300.00/mo and Projected is Aug 2027 (10 months). The status is No deadline.
Pay off, with a deadline. A card balance is -$5,000.00 when you create the goal, Pay down to is empty and By is Dec 2027. The balance is now -$3,500.00, and the card's transactions dated August 1 or later add up to $900.00.
- Distance: $5,000.00. Progress is $1,500.00, which is 30%. to go is $3,500.00. The card line reads "$1,500.00 of $5,000.00 paid down".
- Months left: 14. Needs = $3,500.00 ÷ 15 = $233.34/mo.
- Pace = $900.00 ÷ 3 = $300.00/mo. Projected = October 2026 + 12 months (11.7 rounded up) = Oct 2027.
- Oct 2027 is before Dec 2027, so the status is On track.