Concepts
What are categories for in Expense Trail?
Spending and income types for reports, budgets, and trends.
Categories answer what you spent on or earned from—Food, Rent, Transport, Salary—not which card or wallet paid. They power reports, budgets, and trends. Income and expense categories live in separate tabs.
Examples that work well
| Category | Use for |
|---|---|
| Food | Groceries, dining, coffee |
| Rent | Housing payments |
| Transport | Fuel, transit, rideshare |
| Salary | Primary income (income tab) |
Categories vs tags
Categories are your primary buckets for budgeting and reports. Tags are optional filters (e.g. "vacation-2026", "tax-deductible" for your own records)—not a substitute for categories.
Common mistakes
- One category per card — "Visa" is a wallet or payment method, not a spending type.
- Skipping income categories — Logging salary as negative expense breaks reports; use income categories.
- Too many micro-categories — Start with 8–12; split later when patterns emerge.
Set up categories
Settings → Organization → Categories — add expense and income groups as needed. Tie category budgets in Budgets.
Product guide: Categories.