Set up template lines
Give each category an amount, a frequency and a start date in a budget template, and choose Spread or On date.
Updated October 30, 2026
A template line plans a recurring amount for one category.
Steps
- Select Budget template under Plan ahead in the sidebar (on a phone, the More tab, then Budget template).
- Select the scenario to edit. To create one, see Budget templates and scenarios.
- Find the category's row. Hidden groups and categories are not listed.
- Choose a Frequency: daily, weekly, every 2 weeks, twice a month, monthly (the default), every 2 months, quarterly, every 6 months, yearly or one-time.
- Enter an Amount, for example
1200. The line is created when the amount is above $0. A minus sign is dropped. - Optional: enter a Start date to anchor the line to a date.
- Choose a Placement: Spread or On date.
A line on a category you later hide stays in the template, but it is not drawn and applying the template does not write it. A note under the worksheet says how many, for example "2 template lines are on hidden categories and are not applied." Select Manage categories beside it to open the Categories page. The projection beside the worksheet leaves those lines out too.
The row saves as you go. Yearly shows what the category's lines plan in the current year. Monthly is Yearly divided by 12.
On a smaller screen or a phone, each category is a card. Start date is labeled Starting from · optional, and the placements read "spread monthly" and "on occurrence".
Spread or On date
- Spread plans the line's monthly equivalent in every month from the start month onward, or in every month when there is no start date.
- On date plans the full amount only in the months it falls due, counted from the start date.
For example, a $1,200 yearly insurance bill with a start date in March:
- Spread plans $100 in March and in every month after.
- On date plans $1,200 in March and $0 in the other months.
With On date, the frequency decides which months get the amount:
| Frequency | What it plans |
|---|---|
| Monthly | The amount every month |
| Every 2 months | The amount every second month |
| Quarterly | The amount every third month |
| Every 6 months | The amount every sixth month |
| Yearly | The amount once a year |
| Twice a month | Double the amount every month |
| Weekly, every 2 weeks, daily | The amount on each date in the month |
| One-time | The amount in the start month only |
Weekly, every 2 weeks and one-time lines always behave as On date.
Add another line to a category
- Select + another line under the category's row. It appears once the category has a line.
- Enter a label, for example "Mission trip", then set the frequency, amount, optional date and placement.
- Select Add.
The category plans the total of all its lines. You can edit an extra line's label only. To change anything else, select the X (Remove line) and add the line again.
To stop planning a category, set its main line's amount to 0 and remove any extra lines. You cannot delete the main line. To plan a new category, select Add at the top of the page. To plan a hidden category, unhide it on the Categories page. See Manage categories and groups.