A rule isn't changing my transactions

A saved rule did not change a transaction you expected it to change.

To check, select Rules in the sidebar (on a phone, select the More tab, then Rules), then select the pencil icon on the rule. Look for the transaction in the list under "This rule applies to N transactions". The list shows up to 300 matches and tests transactions as they are now.

If the transaction is not in the list, start with the first section. If it is in the list, go on to the others.

The conditions do not match the transaction

• The payee was renamed or merged. On a transaction you already have, a payee condition tests the current name. Renaming or merging a payee does not update rules, so a condition with the old name no longer matches. Edit the rule to use the new name, or use imported payee, which does not change.
• The condition needs the whole text. is matches the full text, so SBUX# does not match "SBUX #1234". Use contains to match part of a name.
• The amount has the wrong sign. Spending is negative. amount is 45.00 does not match a $45.00 purchase. Use -45.00, or use amount (outflow) with 45.00.
• The amount is not close enough. is approximately matches within 7.5%, and a rule created from a transaction uses it. Edit or remove the amount row to match other amounts.
• The rule needs every condition. With all, every condition must match. Choose any if one match is enough.
• A yes/no condition reads no. An earlier version of the app could save a new cleared, reviewed or reconciled condition as no while the list showed yes. If the rule reads "cleared is no", "reviewed is no" or "reconciled is no" and you meant yes, select the pencil icon, choose yes, and select Save changes.

The rule tests the transaction as it arrived

If the transaction is in the list but the rule did not run when it arrived, the transaction looked different then.

• The rule was written before bank transactions kept the bank's own description. Earlier, imported payee on a bank transaction held the merchant name, such as "Amazon". It now holds the description your bank sends, such as "Amazon Prime". A rule that tests imported payee is Amazon no longer matches new bank transactions. Edit the rule to use the Bank description shown in Details, use contains, or test payee instead. Existing rules are not changed automatically. Older bank transactions are corrected to the bank's description by a later sync, so a rule on a merchant name also stops matching them, which affects Run rules on existing transactions.
• The payee had another name. On a new transaction, a payee condition tests the name your bank or file sent, not a name you gave the payee later. A rule written with the new name does not match the next transaction. Use imported payee with contains.
• The category was empty. A new transaction has no category yet. A category condition with is matches it only if an earlier rule has set that category.
• The status was different. A transaction from a file or your bank arrives not reviewed and not reconciled. A reviewed or reconciled condition set to yes does not match it. A cleared condition tests the status the transaction arrives with. A bank transaction that arrives pending is not cleared, so a cleared condition set to yes does not match it when it arrives. A file import arrives cleared by default, so a cleared condition set to no does not match it. To start file imports as uncleared, turn off Transactions imported from a file (CSV/OFX) start as Cleared in Settings. For a transaction you add, a cleared condition tests the cleared mark you save it with in the Add row (on a phone, the Add transaction form).

Another rule sets the same field afterward

If the transaction is in the list but has a different value, look for a later rule that sets the same field. Every matching rule applies, and the rule that runs last wins.

1. On the Rules page, find other rules that match the same transaction and set the same field. The page lists rules in run order.
2. Edit the rule you want to win and set Stage later than the other rule's stage (Pre, then Default, then Post). In the same stage, the rule you created later runs last. Or edit or delete the other rule.

The transaction arrived in a way that skips rules

Rules run only on file imports, bank transactions and the Add row (on a phone, the Add transaction form) when you did not choose a category yourself. They do not run on transactions that were in your budget before you created the rule, or on edits. How rules run lists everything they skip. To apply rules to transactions you already have, follow Run rules on transactions you already have.

The transaction already has a value

• Run rules skips every transaction that already has a category.
• When an incoming transaction matches one you entered yourself, rules do not change its category.

To replace existing values, use Apply actions to N selected now in the rule editor.

An action does not apply to that transaction

Some actions skip transfers, split transactions, imports, or transactions whose cleared status comes from your bank. The Actions table in Rule conditions and actions lists each limit.

An add tag action stops working when its tag is deleted. The Rules page then shows add tag “deleted tag”. Edit the rule and choose another tag.

Still not fixed

Email support@goodsteward.io with the rule as the Rules page shows it, the transaction's payee, amount, date and account, and how the transaction was added: file import, bank connection or the Add row.