[GH-ISSUE #335] Movement of money between budget categories disappeared #6952

New Issue

GiteaMirror · 2026-04-10T16:36:55-05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:36:55 -05:00

Originally created by @Deguello on GitHub (Nov 18, 2021).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues/335

I know this is basically impossible to duplicate, but here it is anyway...

Last night, my budget was flawless. All the balances in all the categories were as I expected and matched those in the budgeting app I'm transitioning away from.

This morning, I was overbudgeted in November by $13 on the desktop. This didn't show up in the mobile app. I tried a manual sync. Nothing changed. I closed the app and reopened it. The overbudgeted amount went away for November, but now it said that I'd overspent by $13. After going through my categories one by one, I found the issue.

I have a Fun category that serves as a pool for Restaurants, Socializing, etc. Last Friday, I spent $13 at a restaurant and covered that spending by transferring from Fun. For almost a week, everything was kosher. This morning, that transfer had apparently disappeared and Restaurants was $13 short and that $13 was back in Fun. Redoing the transfer resolved the issue, but if I weren't so familiar with the whole process, I'd have been lost and freaked out.

Again, I get that there's likely nothing to do be done about the particular occurrence, but I figured it was worth throwing out here anyway.

Originally created by @Deguello on GitHub (Nov 18, 2021). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues/335 I know this is basically impossible to duplicate, but here it is anyway... Last night, my budget was flawless. All the balances in all the categories were as I expected and matched those in the budgeting app I'm transitioning away from. This morning, I was overbudgeted in November by $13 on the desktop. This didn't show up in the mobile app. I tried a manual sync. Nothing changed. I closed the app and reopened it. The overbudgeted amount went away for November, but now it said that I'd overspent by $13. After going through my categories one by one, I found the issue. I have a Fun category that serves as a pool for Restaurants, Socializing, etc. Last Friday, I spent $13 at a restaurant and covered that spending by transferring from Fun. For almost a week, everything was kosher. This morning, that transfer had apparently disappeared and Restaurants was $13 short and that $13 was back in Fun. Redoing the transfer resolved the issue, but if I weren't so familiar with the whole process, I'd have been lost and freaked out. Again, I get that there's likely nothing to do be done about the particular occurrence, but I figured it was worth throwing out here anyway.

GiteaMirror added the can’t replicate label 2026-04-10 16:36:55 -05:00

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-04-10 16:36:58 -05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:37:00 -05:00

@bpaulien commented on GitHub (Nov 18, 2021):

I think I just experienced this. The website is weird, missing all the work I did the other night on fixing my CC accounts and balances, and existing debt vs starting balances, etc. Now it's all back to the way it was before I fixed it. That's on the website. Now, when I open my mobile app, it seems to be right. So maybe I'll do the force sync thing, and hopefully the website will catch up.

@bpaulien commented on GitHub (Nov 18, 2021): I think I just experienced this. The website is weird, missing all the work I did the other night on fixing my CC accounts and balances, and existing debt vs starting balances, etc. Now it's all back to the way it was before I fixed it. That's on the website. Now, when I open my mobile app, it seems to be right. So maybe I'll do the force sync thing, and hopefully the website will catch up.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:37:01 -05:00

@Deguello commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2021):

Another thought: I did add a Restaurant transaction on the mobile app last night and I think that's the first time I've opened it since I entered that $13 transaction last Friday. It feels like -- and I get that this isn't how the sync objects are supposed to work, but it feels like -- maybe the mobile didn't correctly process the $13 movement, took in the transaction last night, then that's what got synced and that's what I saw this morning.

I went from peachy before I entered the transaction last night to overbudgeted (like the $13 was moved to the new category but also stayed in the old category) when I first looked at the app, to overspent (the $13 left the new category and was still in the old category, such that the total amount budgeted was back to where it should be) when I closed and restarted the app, to back to peachy when I moved the $13 again.

Obviously, that's all speculation as to causation but the gist is:

Things were wonderful.
The moved money appeared in two places making me overbudgeted, then I restarted the app.
The movement of the money seemingly never happened, making me no longer overbudgeted but overspent.
I moved the money again, now things are wonderful again.

@Deguello commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2021): Another thought: I _did_ add a Restaurant transaction on the mobile app last night and I **think** that's the first time I've opened it since I entered that $13 transaction last Friday. It feels like -- and I get that this isn't how the sync objects are supposed to work, but it feels like -- maybe the mobile didn't correctly process the $13 movement, took in the transaction last night, then that's what got synced and that's what I saw this morning. I went from peachy before I entered the transaction last night to overbudgeted (like the $13 was moved to the new category but also stayed in the old category) when I first looked at the app, to overspent (the $13 left the new category and was still in the old category, such that the total amount budgeted was back to where it should be) when I closed and restarted the app, to back to peachy when I moved the $13 again. Obviously, that's all speculation as to causation but the gist is: 1. Things were wonderful. 2. The moved money appeared in two places making me overbudgeted, then I restarted the app. 3. The movement of the money seemingly never happened, making me no longer overbudgeted but overspent. 4. I moved the money again, now things are wonderful again.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:37:02 -05:00

@rich-howell commented on GitHub (Nov 7, 2022):

Hey @Deguello

I am going to close this, there have been a number of improvements to the Sync in the closed version, if this still persists, please let me know and I will re-open it.

Cheers
Rich

@rich-howell commented on GitHub (Nov 7, 2022): Hey @Deguello I am going to close this, there have been a number of improvements to the Sync in the closed version, if this still persists, please let me know and I will re-open it. Cheers Rich

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:37:03 -05:00

@islami00 commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023):

@Deguello , you mentioned "moving" money between categories, may I ask how you did that? I'm also trying to do this, and actual doesn't seem to allow explicitly moving money between categories unless you add/remove from the budget (which doesn't leave a trail). An example of this is ynab money moves

@islami00 commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023): @Deguello , you mentioned "moving" money between categories, may I ask how you did that? I'm also trying to do this, and actual doesn't seem to allow explicitly moving money between categories unless you add/remove from the budget (which doesn't leave a trail). An example of this is ynab money moves

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:37:04 -05:00

@Kidglove57 commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023):

@islami00 there is no trail as such (it would be nice to have!) but then YNAB only added this quite recently.

You have probably seen this already, but if you click on the right column in Budget (Balance) there is a tool right there, to move money to another category.

See also the subsection towards the bottom, "moving money around", in these help notes:

https://actualbudget.org/docs/budgeting/

@Kidglove57 commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023): @islami00 there is no trail as such (it would be nice to have!) but then YNAB only added this quite recently. You have probably seen this already, but if you click on the right column in Budget (Balance) there is a tool right there, to move money to another category. See also the subsection towards the bottom, "moving money around", in these help notes: https://actualbudget.org/docs/budgeting/

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:37:05 -05:00

@Deguello commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023):

If I want a trail, of sorts, I create a $0 split transaction with an outflow from one category and an inflow to the other.

For example, if my GF owes me money and we buy a joint gift for someone, she pays and for my half I create a transaction for an $x outflow from my Gifts category and a $x inflow to my GF category. It zeroes out, Gifts decreases, GF “increases”, and it shows up in searches like I want it to.

@Deguello commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023): If I want a trail, of sorts, I create a $0 split transaction with an outflow from one category and an inflow to the other. For example, if my GF owes me money and we buy a joint gift for someone, she pays and for my half I create a transaction for an $x outflow from my Gifts category and a $x inflow to my GF category. It zeroes out, Gifts decreases, GF “increases”, and it shows up in searches like I want it to.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 16:37:05 -05:00

@islami00 commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023):

thanks! I'll go with the $0 split transactions as it leaves a trail

Edit:
I tried the 0 split for a while, and it gets a bit confusing looking at the budget as Budgeted - Spent != balance. I've opted to use the transfer balance to another category so I can plan accordingly during the next month.

@islami00 commented on GitHub (Oct 6, 2023): thanks! I'll go with the $0 split transactions as it leaves a trail Edit: I tried the 0 split for a while, and it gets a bit confusing looking at the budget as `Budgeted - Spent != balance`. I've opted to use the transfer balance to another category so I can plan accordingly during the next month.