Pending, possible match and removed transactions
What the Pending, Possible match and Removed by provider markers mean on bank transactions, and what you can do about each.
Updated November 10, 2026
Three markers on bank transactions need explaining: Pending, Possible match and Removed by provider. Each shows beside the payee in the Transactions list.
Pending
A Pending marker with a clock means your bank hasn't finalized the transaction. Its status is uncleared and you can't change it. When the transaction posts, it is marked posted and cleared. Its date and amount don't change.
The Pending shown button in the list toolbar (on a phone, an icon only) hides pending transactions. It then reads Pending hidden. Nothing is deleted, and Balance at the top of the page still counts them. With no search, view chip or filter, in one account or several, they also leave the footer count, the Uncleared count and section totals in Grouped view, and the file you export. In one account, the Balance column and the balances on scheduled items leave them out too, so the top transaction in the list shows Balance minus their total. Under a search, view chip or filter, they are hidden from the list only, and the footer count and an export still include them. See The Transactions page.
A bank transaction stays in the account your bank put it in. You can't move it to another account. See Edit a transaction.
If the posted amount differs from the pending amount, the posted version arrives as a new transaction. For example, a restaurant charge of $42.10 posts as $50.52 after a tip. You get a new $50.52 transaction, and at the next sync the $42.10 one is marked Removed by provider. Delete the $42.10 transaction so the charge isn't counted twice.
If a pending transaction disappears from your bank's records and a posted transaction matches it (same amount, and the same bank description or payee), Good Steward removes the pending copy and keeps it in Trash as a merged duplicate.
Possible match
A Possible match marker appears on both of two transactions that look like the same purchase: one from your bank and one you entered by hand. It appears when all of these are true:
- Both are in the same account and have the same amount.
- Their dates are within 3 days.
- Yours is uncleared, is not a transfer or a split, and is not yet matched to a bank transaction.
- Only one of your transactions fits.
A transaction imported from Good Steward Local can match a bank transaction up to 31 days apart, cleared or not.
To decide, open the bank's transaction. The Possible duplicate banner says "This looks like the transaction you entered by hand on 2026-10-07. Merge them?" Choose one:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Merge | Keeps your transaction with its payee, category and notes, and adds the bank's status. The bank's copy goes to Trash as "Merged duplicate". |
| Not the same | Keeps both transactions and removes the markers. |
Undo doesn't reverse Merge. If you do nothing, both transactions stay and your balance counts both.
Removed by provider
A red Removed by provider marker (on a phone, Removed) means your bank reported this transaction before and has stopped reporting it. Good Steward doesn't delete it. It stays in the list until you decide. Reconciled transactions are never marked.
Open the transaction. The banner Transaction removed by data provider says whether an identical transaction is still in your list. Choose one:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Keep it | Keeps the transaction and stops marking it. |
| Delete it | Deletes it. Later syncs don't add it again. You can bring it back with Undo or from Trash. |
The Removed by provider chip above the list (on a phone, in the View: menu) shows how many there are. If the bank reports the transaction again, the marker clears by itself.
The bank strip
When you view one linked account, a strip above the list shows the bank's name, Last synced, Sync now and Manage →. Needs attention or Disconnected appears when the connection is broken. On a phone the strip is one line unless the connection is broken. See How bank sync works and A bank needs attention or is disconnected.