[GH-ISSUE #1995] [Feature] Handle credit cards like nYNAB #7713

New Issue

GiteaMirror · 2026-04-10T17:41:17-05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:17 -05:00

Originally created by @stryguardian on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues/1995

Verified feature request does not already exist?

I have searched and found no existing issue

💻

Would you like to implement this feature?

Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve?

One of the main features of (new) YNAB that keeps me using it is the way it handles credit cards. We use credit cards for some regular purchases, like groceries, due to the 5% cash back we get for doing so. In YNAB, a transaction in "Groceries" will take the funds for that transaction and move it over to paying for the credit card. So if I spend $100 for groceries, it will take that $100 credit card transaction from the funds budgeted for groceries and put it toward paying that $100 to the credit card. That way, I know exactly what money I have to pay off the card each month and keep it at a 0 balance.

Describe your ideal solution to this problem

Unfortunately, I am no programmer. But I would basically love to see Actual use the same system for credit cards that nYNAB has in place. It is an invaluable tool for staying out of credit card debt.

Teaching and learning

This is a pretty straightforward, easy-to-use feature and a key reason many people seem to choose YNAB over other zero-based budgeting tools. It would be a fantastic addition to what it already a solid budget offering. Plus, it's just good budgeting to keep credit card balances at 0.

Originally created by @stryguardian on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues/1995 ### Verified feature request does not already exist? - [X] I have searched and found no existing issue ### 💻 - [ ] Would you like to implement this feature? ### Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve? One of the main features of (new) YNAB that keeps me using it is the way it handles credit cards. We use credit cards for some regular purchases, like groceries, due to the 5% cash back we get for doing so. In YNAB, a transaction in "Groceries" will take the funds for that transaction and move it over to paying for the credit card. So if I spend $100 for groceries, it will take that $100 credit card transaction from the funds budgeted for groceries and put it toward paying that $100 to the credit card. That way, I know exactly what money I have to pay off the card each month and keep it at a 0 balance. ### Describe your ideal solution to this problem Unfortunately, I am no programmer. But I would basically love to see Actual use the same system for credit cards that nYNAB has in place. It is an invaluable tool for staying out of credit card debt. ### Teaching and learning This is a pretty straightforward, easy-to-use feature and a key reason many people seem to choose YNAB over other zero-based budgeting tools. It would be a fantastic addition to what it already a solid budget offering. Plus, it's just good budgeting to keep credit card balances at 0.

GiteaMirror added the needs votes feature labels 2026-04-10 17:41:17 -05:00

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-04-10 17:41:18 -05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:19 -05:00

@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023):

✨ Thanks for sharing your idea! ✨

This repository uses lodash style issue management for enhancements. That means enhancement issues are automatically closed. This doesn’t mean we don’t accept feature requests, though! We will consider implementing ones that receive many upvotes, and we welcome contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help you make a successful contribution).

The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+

Don’t forget to upvote the top comment with 👍!

@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023): :sparkles: Thanks for sharing your idea! :sparkles: This repository uses lodash style issue management for enhancements. That means enhancement issues are automatically closed. This doesn’t mean we don’t accept feature requests, though! We will consider implementing ones that receive many upvotes, and we welcome contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help you make a successful contribution). The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+ Don’t forget to upvote the top comment with 👍!

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:20 -05:00

@Kidglove57 commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023):

I was one who came from the old YNAB and, like many at the time, disliked this methodology when it was introduced in the new web based YNAB in 2016. So I instead treated my credit cards in the new YNAB as overdrawn current accounts to get around it. So long as the net total of my “for budget” accounts was positive I knew I was fine. But I can totally appreciate that this can be a very helpful method for those who may otherwise be in danger of carrying card debt.

So my 2 cents is that if this was introduced I would like it to be optional, to reflect the very different places from which folk have arrived in Actual.

@Kidglove57 commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023): I was one who came from the old YNAB and, like many at the time, disliked this methodology when it was introduced in the new web based YNAB in 2016. So I instead treated my credit cards in the new YNAB as overdrawn current accounts to get around it. So long as the net total of my “for budget” accounts was positive I knew I was fine. But I can totally appreciate that this can be a very helpful method for those who may otherwise be in danger of carrying card debt. So my 2 cents is that if this was introduced I would like it to be optional, to reflect the very different places from which folk have arrived in Actual.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:21 -05:00

@deftly1970 commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023):

So my 2 cents is that if this was introduced I would like it to be optional, to reflect the very different places from which folk have arrived in Actual.

I'm with @Kidglove57 on this. I would be fine if the feature was introduced, but I would also want it to be optional.

@deftly1970 commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023): > So my 2 cents is that if this was introduced I would like it to be optional, to reflect the very different places from which folk have arrived in Actual. I'm with @Kidglove57 on this. I would be fine if the feature was introduced, but I would also want it to be optional.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:23 -05:00

@kymckay commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023):

I'm not sure I understand the value of this, don't you just look at the negative balance of your credit card to see how much needs to be paid off? It feels like this feature over-complicates things both for the user and the developer, but I haven't used YNAB so perhaps I'm misunderstanding.

@kymckay commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2023): I'm not sure I understand the value of this, don't you just look at the negative balance of your credit card to see how much needs to be paid off? It feels like this feature over-complicates things both for the user and the developer, but I haven't used YNAB so perhaps I'm misunderstanding.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:24 -05:00

@MajorMajorMajorMajor commented on GitHub (Jan 7, 2024):

I'm not sure I understand the value of this, don't you just look at the negative balance of your credit card to see how much needs to be paid off? It feels like this feature over-complicates things both for the user and the developer, but I haven't used YNAB so perhaps I'm misunderstanding.

@kymckay, Not necessarily - if you started the month with a balance already on the card and lack the budget to pay the entire debt this month.

The case they're solving for is if you want to stick to a plan to pay down your existing credit card over time, factoring in new spend for the month.

@MajorMajorMajorMajor commented on GitHub (Jan 7, 2024): > I'm not sure I understand the value of this, don't you just look at the negative balance of your credit card to see how much needs to be paid off? It feels like this feature over-complicates things both for the user and the developer, but I haven't used YNAB so perhaps I'm misunderstanding. @kymckay, Not necessarily - if you started the month with a balance already on the card and lack the budget to pay the entire debt this month. The case they're solving for is if you want to stick to a plan to pay down your existing credit card over time, factoring in new spend for the month.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:26 -05:00

@kymckay commented on GitHub (Jan 7, 2024):

The case they're solving for is if you want to stick to a plan to pay down your existing credit card over time, factoring in new spend for the month.

@MajorMajorMajorMajor I'm afraid there's a dot I'm not connecting because I don't see how the proposed behaviour makes that scenario easier than the existing behaviour. OP also mentions keeping the balance at 0 which contradicts this. I still hold the pretty strong opinion that this is an over-complicated workflow (it's just adding a layer of indirection into your credit spending which obfuscates things for no reason). Very open to having that opinion changed if someone can lay out a workflow which requires this.

@kymckay commented on GitHub (Jan 7, 2024): > The case they're solving for is if you want to stick to a plan to pay down your existing credit card over time, factoring in new spend for the month. @MajorMajorMajorMajor I'm afraid there's a dot I'm not connecting because I don't see how the proposed behaviour makes that scenario easier than the existing behaviour. OP also mentions keeping the balance at 0 which contradicts this. I still hold the pretty strong opinion that this is an over-complicated workflow (it's just adding a layer of indirection into your credit spending which obfuscates things for no reason). Very open to having that opinion changed if someone can lay out a workflow which requires this.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:27 -05:00

@Teprifer commented on GitHub (Jan 8, 2024):

I'm not sure I understand the value of this, don't you just look at the negative balance of your credit card to see how much needs to be paid off? It feels like this feature over-complicates things both for the user and the developer, but I haven't used YNAB so perhaps I'm misunderstanding.

Going back to this, you're not wrong in the first point, I just think a key reason YNAB went with special categories for credit cards is it follows the envelope budgeting approach closer in some respect. As in the example below, it makes it clearer what the money in the bank accounts are for.

I don't think either way is more right to be honest, I think it's about what people are used to and how they like to view things.

It's key to keep in mind that credit cards themselves are weird, since you're both paying for something, and not, at the same time, until you pay off the card, then you have paid for it. This is partly why it would involve a number of very special carve out changes specific to credit cards,, and why a regular category can't be used.

With how actual does it at the moment, the money that will pay off the card isn't visually captured within the budget - even though it's in an account. i.e. the money is present, but not assigned to a job(within the budget screen).

Of course, doing a special credit card category would be a fair bit of work, at the moment a transfer transaction doesn't have a category(wouldn't need one as AB could infer which credit card category by the account money is being transferred to), and transfers don't affect category balances - which in this case it would need to.

Example workflow, starting fresh with no card balance(for simplicity):

-> Starting

Credit card category: 0
Coffee category: $20
Card balance: 0
Bank Account balance: 100

-> Transaction to spend $5 on coffee

Credit card category: $5
Coffee category: $15
Card balance: -$5
Bank Account balance: 100

-> Transaction to spend $10 on coffee

Credit card category: $15
Coffee category: $5
Card balance: -$15
Bank Account balance: 100

-> Pay off the credit card by transferring $15 from bank account to credit card

Credit card category: $0
Coffee category: $5
Card balance: $0
Bank Account balance: 85

In this example you can see the existing behaviour, bank account balance staying the same, credit card balance going down, until the card is fully paid off, then the account goes down, credit card goes up to zero.

With the credit card category you can also see money shifting within the budget from the category the expenditure is against moving to the category related to the credit card used as each transaction is made.

Viola! You can instantly see at a glance that the money is there ready and waiting for when you're paying off the card, just as with any other transaction where you're spending money.

@Teprifer commented on GitHub (Jan 8, 2024): > I'm not sure I understand the value of this, don't you just look at the negative balance of your credit card to see how much needs to be paid off? It feels like this feature over-complicates things both for the user and the developer, but I haven't used YNAB so perhaps I'm misunderstanding. Going back to this, you're not wrong in the first point, I just think a key reason YNAB went with special categories for credit cards is it follows the envelope budgeting approach closer in some respect. As in the example below, it makes it clearer what the money in the bank accounts are for. I don't think either way is more right to be honest, I think it's about what people are used to and how they like to view things. It's key to keep in mind that credit cards themselves are weird, since you're both paying for something, and not, at the same time, until you pay off the card, then you have paid for it. This is partly why it would involve a number of very special carve out changes specific to credit cards,, and why a regular category can't be used. With how actual does it at the moment, the money that will pay off the card isn't visually captured within the budget - even though it's in an account. i.e. the money is present, but not assigned to a job(within the budget screen). Of course, doing a special credit card category would be a fair bit of work, at the moment a transfer transaction doesn't have a category(wouldn't need one as AB could infer which credit card category by the account money is being transferred to), and transfers don't affect category balances - which in this case it would need to. Example workflow, starting fresh with no card balance(for simplicity): -> Starting Credit card category: 0 Coffee category: $20 Card balance: 0 Bank Account balance: 100 -> Transaction to spend $5 on coffee Credit card category: $5 Coffee category: $15 Card balance: -$5 Bank Account balance: 100 -> Transaction to spend $10 on coffee Credit card category: $15 Coffee category: $5 Card balance: -$15 Bank Account balance: 100 -> Pay off the credit card by transferring $15 from bank account to credit card Credit card category: $0 Coffee category: $5 Card balance: $0 Bank Account balance: 85 In this example you can see the existing behaviour, bank account balance staying the same, credit card balance going down, until the card is fully paid off, then the account goes down, credit card goes up to zero. With the credit card category you can also see money shifting within the budget from the category the expenditure is against moving to the category related to the credit card used as each transaction is made. Viola! You can instantly see at a glance that the money is there ready and waiting for when you're paying off the card, just as with any other transaction where you're spending money.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:27 -05:00

@MajorMajorMajorMajor commented on GitHub (Jan 8, 2024):

Thanks for the example! Makes it a lot easier to understand.

So far, this is the same as just having a credit card account For Budget. Here's how it would look without any special handling for credit cards:

-> Starting

To Budget: 80
Coffee category: $20
Card balance: 0

Bank Account balance: 100
Card balance: 0
---
Total For Budget: 100

-> Transaction to spend $5 on coffee

To Budget: 80
Coffee category: $15
---

Bank Account balance: 100
Card balance: -5
---
Total For budget: 95


-> Transaction to spend $10 on coffee

To Budget: 80
Coffee category: $5

Bank Account balance: 100
Card balance: -15
---
Total For budget: 85

-> Pay off the credit card by transferring $15 from bank account to credit card

To Budget: 80
Coffee category: $5

Bank Account balance: 85
Card balance: 0
---
Total For budget: 85

The special handling for cards YNAB works differently in that:

Racking up spending on your credit card does not reduce your total To Budget amount. In this example, it would remain at $100 until the credit card payment leaves your bank account
You are allowed to underpay your credit card, creating new debt or leaving behind some existing debt. A special "credit card with exclamation point" icon warns you when this happens
One way to accomplish this is to click the negative amount in an overspent category, click "Cover Overspending", and pick your credit card payment category in that dropdown. This does not reduce your To Budget amount, but makes your overspent category green. Yay! Your overspending is covered! (By creating debt.)

I don't think this is a healthy way to run a budget though.

@MajorMajorMajorMajor commented on GitHub (Jan 8, 2024): Thanks for the example! Makes it a lot easier to understand. So far, this is the same as just having a credit card account For Budget. Here's how it would look without any special handling for credit cards: ``` -> Starting To Budget: 80 Coffee category: $20 Card balance: 0 Bank Account balance: 100 Card balance: 0 --- Total For Budget: 100 -> Transaction to spend $5 on coffee To Budget: 80 Coffee category: $15 --- Bank Account balance: 100 Card balance: -5 --- Total For budget: 95 -> Transaction to spend $10 on coffee To Budget: 80 Coffee category: $5 Bank Account balance: 100 Card balance: -15 --- Total For budget: 85 -> Pay off the credit card by transferring $15 from bank account to credit card To Budget: 80 Coffee category: $5 Bank Account balance: 85 Card balance: 0 --- Total For budget: 85 ``` The special handling for cards YNAB works differently in that: - Racking up spending on your credit card does not reduce your total To Budget amount. In this example, it would remain at $100 until the credit card payment leaves your bank account - You are allowed to underpay your credit card, creating new debt or leaving behind some existing debt. A special "credit card with exclamation point" icon warns you when this happens - One way to accomplish this is to click the negative amount in an overspent category, click "Cover Overspending", and pick your credit card payment category in that dropdown. This does not reduce your To Budget amount, but makes your overspent category green. Yay! Your overspending is covered! (By creating debt.) I don't think this is a healthy way to run a budget though.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:28 -05:00

@bucketbrynn commented on GitHub (Jul 8, 2024):

I would like to add to the case for the YNAB style credit card method.

I think the current credit card method is good if you are perfect at following your budget. However, I am not. I would say I stick to the budget about 94% of the time, but occasionally emergencies pop up, a sweet treat calls, or groceries are more than expected. I like the YNAB style because I can see how much money I have set aside, how it differs from my credit card balance, and I can still "use" the money I have set aside because it hasn't officially left my bank account yet. It's the reality of what my bank account money is doing, and I prefer my budget to show that reality.

I'm not advocating or recommending that people do this, but it is likely to happen at some point someone uses their credit card for more than they budgeted for.

That being said, I would still prefer this feature to be optional, perhaps with a toggle between the Actual Method and the YNAB Method. I prefer the YNAB Method because that's how I've done it for years, and there are people who feel the same way about the Actual Method.

*I am a software developer, and will probably start messing around with adding this feature once the SimpleFIN sync is out of beta.

@bucketbrynn commented on GitHub (Jul 8, 2024): I would like to add to the case for the YNAB style credit card method. I think the current credit card method is good if you are perfect at following your budget. However, I am not. I would say I stick to the budget about 94% of the time, but occasionally emergencies pop up, a sweet treat calls, or groceries are more than expected. I like the YNAB style because I can see how much money I have set aside, how it differs from my credit card balance, and I can still "use" the money I have set aside because it hasn't officially left my bank account yet. It's the reality of what my bank account money is doing, and I prefer my budget to show that reality. I'm not advocating or recommending that people do this, but it is likely to happen at some point someone uses their credit card for more than they budgeted for. That being said, I would still prefer this feature to be optional, perhaps with a toggle between the Actual Method and the YNAB Method. I prefer the YNAB Method because that's how I've done it for years, and there are people who feel the same way about the Actual Method. *I am a software developer, and will probably start messing around with adding this feature once the SimpleFIN sync is out of beta.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:28 -05:00

@CrazyKidJack commented on GitHub (Sep 13, 2024):

Seems to me like if someone wants to see "the reality" of the money not having left their bank account yet... they should look at their bank account balance. It won't change until they actually pay off the card.

But if they budgeted $20 for coffee, and they buy a $5 coffee with a credit card... then they obligated themself to pay $5 at a future date (when they pay off their credit card). IMO, an obligation to pay money is just as "real" as actually paying it... because if you don't pay it... bad things happen.

Of course there are exceptions that prove the rule, like very large (and intentional) debt... think a mortgage, car loan, etc... but those are the exception and not the rule. And also IMO, if someone wanted to use their credit card the way they use a mortgage (by not considering the money "spent" on that account as gone until the debt is actually paid from your bank account), then I think it's reasonable to expect them to track their credit card the way the would a mortgage (most commonly as an off-budget account... if at all...).

YNAB allows people to treat their credit cards like a mortgage but keep them on budget. I think this is just generally not a great idea. Makes you think you have more money to spend than you actually have. And if you do actually intend to not pay off the card, then it probably shouldn't be on-budget in the first place because the part of your budget for that isn't represented by actual dollars you plan on losing (because you aren't going to give actual dollars to the credit card company if you aren't paying off the card).

@CrazyKidJack commented on GitHub (Sep 13, 2024): Seems to me like if someone wants to see "the reality" of the money not having left their bank account yet... they should look at their bank account balance. It won't change until they actually pay off the card. But if they budgeted $20 for coffee, and they buy a $5 coffee with a credit card... then they obligated themself to pay $5 at a future date (when they pay off their credit card). IMO, an obligation to pay money is just as "real" as actually paying it... because if you don't pay it... bad things happen. Of course there are exceptions that prove the rule, like very large (and intentional) debt... think a mortgage, car loan, etc... but those are the exception and not the rule. And also IMO, if someone wanted to use their credit card the way they use a mortgage (by not considering the money "spent" on that account as gone until the debt is actually paid from your bank account), then I think it's reasonable to expect them to track their credit card the way the would a mortgage (most commonly as an off-budget account... if at all...). YNAB allows people to treat their credit cards like a mortgage but keep them on budget. I think this is just generally not a great idea. Makes you think you have more money to spend than you actually have. And if you do actually intend to not pay off the card, then it probably shouldn't be on-budget in the first place because the part of your budget for that isn't represented by actual dollars you plan on losing (because you aren't going to give actual dollars to the credit card company if you aren't paying off the card).

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:29 -05:00

@axelson commented on GitHub (Oct 12, 2024):

If I'm understanding this correctly, then can the title be updated slightly? e.g. the name could be changed from "like YNAB" to "like New YNAB" or "like nYNAB". This would make the distinction between YNAB4 (the last desktop version of YNAB) which uses the same type of credit card handling as Actual and the new online-only version of YNAB which has different behavior that is captured in this feature request.

I've only used YNAB4 (I want to have full control of my budget) so I was initially confused about what this feature request was describing. Also if this does get implemented +1 to the behavior being optional (maybe on a per-credit card account basis).

@axelson commented on GitHub (Oct 12, 2024): If I'm understanding this correctly, then can the title be updated slightly? e.g. the name could be changed from "like YNAB" to "like New YNAB" or "like nYNAB". This would make the distinction between YNAB4 (the last desktop version of YNAB) which uses the same type of credit card handling as Actual and the new online-only version of YNAB which has different behavior that is captured in this feature request. I've only used YNAB4 (I want to have full control of my budget) so I was initially confused about what this feature request was describing. Also if this does get implemented +1 to the behavior being optional (maybe on a per-credit card account basis).

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:30 -05:00

@sexyskinnybitch commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025):

I am one who doesn't want this. Actual already reduces the available funds by the credit card balance, it just doesn't add it to a fictitious credit card category in the process. I find the way Actual does it to be much cleaner. This is one feature I definitely do not miss from YNAB. Also, when I imported from YNAB, I found $1700 in over-funded credit card categories due to how YNAB handles it.

@sexyskinnybitch commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025): I am one who doesn't want this. Actual already reduces the available funds by the credit card balance, it just doesn't add it to a fictitious credit card category in the process. I find the way Actual does it to be much cleaner. This is one feature I definitely do not miss from YNAB. Also, when I imported from YNAB, I found $1700 in over-funded credit card categories due to how YNAB handles it.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:31 -05:00

@diblaze commented on GitHub (Mar 13, 2025):

If this would be implemented as a optional setting it would be best of both worlds.

I, for one, would love credit cards to be handled like nYNAB, with a category for each credit card that shows the amount you have left to pay.
When you have two credit cards or more, the information gets lost which card was used for which transactions. Therefore when paying invoices you must make sure the entire budget is zero'ed out, which is not always the case - for example when waiting to get imbursed for some transactions.

@diblaze commented on GitHub (Mar 13, 2025): If this would be implemented as a optional setting it would be best of both worlds. I, for one, would love credit cards to be handled like nYNAB, with a category for each credit card that shows the amount you have left to pay. When you have two credit cards or more, the information gets lost which card was used for which transactions. Therefore when paying invoices you must make sure the entire budget is zero'ed out, which is not always the case - for example when waiting to get imbursed for some transactions.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:33 -05:00

@rodrigost23 commented on GitHub (Jun 12, 2025):

I don't know if this would solve my issue, but I have a really hard time wrapping my head around credit cards budgets in Actual. Because what I spend in June will only be paid in July, but the credit card transactions are on June, so I can't count on future month's income.

@rodrigost23 commented on GitHub (Jun 12, 2025): I don't know if this would solve my issue, but I have a really hard time wrapping my head around credit cards budgets in Actual. Because what I spend in June will only be paid in July, but the credit card transactions are on June, so I can't count on future month's income.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:35 -05:00

@Chrobrego7 commented on GitHub (Feb 4, 2026):

I agree. I would prefer the way Ynab handles credit cards.

@Chrobrego7 commented on GitHub (Feb 4, 2026): I agree. I would prefer the way Ynab handles credit cards.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:37 -05:00

@db-src commented on GitHub (Feb 4, 2026):

The idea is that you would click the thumbs-up icon in the initial posts to vote for the features, rather than leaving comments that just generate email and comment noise.

@db-src commented on GitHub (Feb 4, 2026): The idea is that you would click the thumbs-up icon in the initial posts to vote for the features, rather than leaving comments that just generate email and comment noise.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:37 -05:00

@colin-young commented on GitHub (Mar 11, 2026):

I think what many people are looking for from this feature is just to have a tally of how much you spent on your credit card this month, and how much of your available funds are (or should be) allocated to paying the credit card. Even if you've made your budget all balance out, there's a disconnect with the real world in that you need to do an actual transfer of money. And for me there's always that little bit of doubt: "Did I really add all that up correctly and I'm not going to be left short for one of my bills?" Having the computer tell me "yes, we've got that much money allocated to transfer to your CC" makes me feel more confident. No, it isn't logical, but logical isn't the default state for people.

I'll admit I don't remember exactly how YNAB worked, other than it didn't assign the funds to the "fictitious" CC category until you had allocated available funds to the category the spending was out of. I think that's also one of the main objections people have to adding this feature. As @rodrigost23 has noted, there are reasons why you might not want to pay the CC this month that are nothing to do with accumulating debt. And sometimes you really are accumulating debt, either intentionally or through inattention. Then there's the issue that it takes time for a payment to come out of your account and get to the CC. So now you need to remember that you've already initiated the payment so neither your bank or CC account balances are correct.

Almost all of those issues are solvable with existing features, but they put extra work on the user. Computers are supposed to make our lives easier (at least in my radical view). Here's my suggestion which may or may not match YNAB, but also goes a little beyond I think (all this would be opt-in):

automatically create virtual budget categories for each CC account - I think this handles the opt-in. If you haven't ticked off that option, the categories aren't created and none of the following takes effect (basically a feature toggle)
provide a running sum of balance and spending on each CC in the budget view - this reflects actual spending
- if account is carrying a balance, provide both the balance and the spending since last billing cycle
- show if the carried balance has gone up or down since last month
- show the interest payments (rule to extract from transactions)
- show cash-back or other perks (rule to extract from transactions). Maybe even compare it to the interest
automatically allocate available funds to each CC category by recording the spending in both the real category and in the CC category from the transaction register of the CC account
- if any category contributing to the CC "available funds" is overspent, indicate that on the CC category, and link to the category that is overspent
- if the entire budget is over-allocated indicate that, and by how much - this is different from the previous case. There you can just move money between categories until you fix the problem. Here there is no way to fix it short of additional income.
- if there are uncategorized transactions, create a virtual "uncategorized CC spending" category and move that money out of available funds (this addresses the issue of not allocating funds immediately upon spending)
track the due date of each CC account
- don't count the category as "rolling over" until it is past the due date or is overspent as above

Ideally these virtual categories for CCs would be a live calculation from the data, not additional categories to be managed.

@colin-young commented on GitHub (Mar 11, 2026): I think what many people are looking for from this feature is just to have a tally of how much you spent on your credit card this month, and how much of your available funds are (or should be) allocated to paying the credit card. Even if you've made your budget all balance out, there's a disconnect with the real world in that you need to do an actual transfer of money. And for me there's always that little bit of doubt: "Did I really add all that up correctly and I'm not going to be left short for one of my bills?" Having the computer tell me "yes, we've got that much money allocated to transfer to your CC" makes me feel more confident. No, it isn't logical, but logical isn't the default state for people. I'll admit I don't remember exactly how YNAB worked, other than it didn't assign the funds to the "fictitious" CC category until you had allocated available funds to the category the spending was out of. I think that's also one of the main objections people have to adding this feature. As @rodrigost23 has noted, there are reasons why you might not want to pay the CC this month that are nothing to do with accumulating debt. And sometimes you really are accumulating debt, either intentionally or through inattention. Then there's the issue that it takes time for a payment to come out of your account and get to the CC. So now you need to remember that you've already initiated the payment so neither your bank or CC account balances are correct. Almost all of those issues are solvable with existing features, but they put extra work on the user. Computers are supposed to make our lives easier (at least in my radical view). Here's my suggestion which may or may not match YNAB, but also goes a little beyond I think (all this would be opt-in): * automatically create virtual budget categories for each CC account - I think this handles the opt-in. If you haven't ticked off that option, the categories aren't created and none of the following takes effect (basically a feature toggle) * provide a running sum of balance and spending on each CC in the budget view - this reflects actual spending * if account is carrying a balance, provide both the balance and the spending since last billing cycle * show if the carried balance has gone up or down since last month * show the interest payments (rule to extract from transactions) * show cash-back or other perks (rule to extract from transactions). Maybe even compare it to the interest * automatically allocate available funds to each CC category by recording the spending in both the real category and in the CC category from the transaction register of the CC account * if any category contributing to the CC "available funds" is overspent, indicate that on the CC category, and link to the category that is overspent * if the entire budget is over-allocated indicate that, and by how much - this is different from the previous case. There you can just move money between categories until you fix the problem. Here there is no way to fix it short of additional income. * if there are uncategorized transactions, create a virtual "uncategorized CC spending" category and move that money out of available funds (this addresses the issue of not allocating funds immediately upon spending) * track the due date of each CC account * don't count the category as "rolling over" until it is past the due date or is overspent as above Ideally these virtual categories for CCs would be a live calculation from the data, not additional categories to be managed.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-10 17:41:38 -05:00

@Juulz commented on GitHub (Mar 11, 2026):

just to have a tally of how much you spent on your credit card this month, and how much of your available funds are (or should be) allocated to paying the credit card.

The credit card account in Actual shows exactly what you spent on your credit card if you input all the transactions. If you want to see activity since your last statement, don't reconcile until the statement comes. If you categorize each and every transaction to a category with available funds, you have effectively removed that money from your budget and can safely send it to the CC bank whenever you want (including waiting for the statement balance). Your new transactions are always covered that way.

If a category goes overspent, it goes negative, AND next month's To Budget goes negative. If your entire budget is overspent, the To Budget goes to the negative.

It looks like you want a complete credit card management tool for carrying debt. Perhaps you'd like to look at https://www.liquidbudget.com/ He has an envelope budget with many of the features you are looking for. It's not free, nor OS, but it is only $5/month - $50/year and includes Plaid bank sync.

@Juulz commented on GitHub (Mar 11, 2026): > just to have a tally of how much you spent on your credit card this month, and how much of your available funds are (or should be) allocated to paying the credit card. The credit card account in Actual shows exactly what you spent on your credit card if you input all the transactions. If you want to see activity since your last statement, don't reconcile until the statement comes. If you categorize **each and every transaction** to a category with available funds, you have effectively removed that money from your budget and can safely send it to the CC bank whenever you want (including waiting for the statement balance). Your new transactions are always covered that way. If a category goes overspent, it goes negative, AND next month's To Budget goes negative. If your entire budget is overspent, the To Budget goes to the negative. It looks like you want a complete credit card management tool for carrying debt. Perhaps you'd like to look at https://www.liquidbudget.com/ He has an envelope budget with many of the features you are looking for. It's not free, nor OS, but it is only $5/month - $50/year and includes Plaid bank sync.

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Reference: github-starred/actual#7713