Manual Accounts

Manual Accounts

Manual accounts let you track finances that can't be automatically connected—cash on hand, banks not supported by Plaid, foreign accounts, or any financial account you want to manage yourself.

When to Use Manual Accounts

Cash Tracking

Track cash spending:

• Wallet cash
• ATM withdrawals
• Cash-only purchases
• Petty cash

Unsupported Banks

For institutions not available through Plaid:

• Smaller regional banks
• Credit unions without Plaid support
• Newer financial institutions
• International banks

Foreign Accounts

International banking:

• Foreign bank accounts
• Accounts in other currencies
• International credit cards

Special Purpose

Track specific funds:

• Emergency fund (even if in a connected account)
• Savings goals
• Business vs. personal separation

Creating a Manual Account

Step by Step

1. Tap "Add Account"
2. Select "Manual Account"
3. Choose account type:
   • Checking
   • Savings
   • Credit Card
   • Cash
   • Investment
   • Other
4. Enter account details:
   • Account name
   • Starting balance
   • Currency (optional)
5. Save

Account Types

Checking/Savings

• Standard bank accounts
• Track balance and transactions
• Positive balance expected

Credit Card

• Credit accounts
• Track balance owed
• Negative balance = amount owed
• Credit limit tracking

Cash

• Physical cash
• Track spending and ATM deposits
• Simple balance tracking

Investment

• Brokerage or retirement accounts
• Track contributions and balance
• No automatic price updates

Other

• Any account type not listed
• Flexible for unique situations

Managing Transactions

Adding Transactions

For manual accounts, add transactions yourself:

1. Tap the "+" button
2. Select the manual account
3. Enter transaction details:
   • Amount (negative for expenses, positive for income)
   • Date
   • Merchant/description
   • Category
   • Notes (optional)
4. Save

Quick Entry

From the account view:

1. Tap "Add Transaction"
2. Enter details
3. Transaction appears immediately

Editing Transactions

Modify any transaction:

1. Tap the transaction
2. Edit any field
3. Save changes

Deleting Transactions

Remove incorrect entries:

1. Tap the transaction
2. Tap "Delete"
3. Confirm

Balance adjusts automatically.

Balance Management

Current Balance

Manual account balances are calculated from transactions:

Current Balance = Starting Balance + Sum of All Transactions

Adjusting Balance

If your balance doesn't match reality:

Option 1: Reconciliation transaction

1. Calculate the difference
2. Add an adjustment transaction
3. Categorize as "Adjustment" or similar

Option 2: Edit starting balance

1. Tap account settings
2. Modify starting balance
3. All balances recalculate

Credit Card Balances

For credit cards:

• Negative balance = amount owed
• Positive balance = credit available or overpayment
• Payments reduce the negative balance

Importing Transactions

OFX Import

If your bank provides OFX files:

1. Download OFX from your bank's website
2. In Curl Budget, tap "Import"
3. Select the OFX file
4. Map to a manual account
5. Transactions are imported

CSV Import

For CSV files (varies by format):

1. Export transactions from your bank
2. Import into Curl Budget
3. Map columns to fields
4. Review and import

After Import

Imported transactions:

• Appear in the manual account
• Can be edited or deleted
• Are categorized by AI
• Affect account balance

Tips for Manual Account Success

Stay Consistent

For cash tracking:

• Add transactions daily
• Use consistent categories
• Note the merchant even for cash

Set Reminders

• Weekly balance check
• Monthly reconciliation
• After ATM withdrawals

Use Realistic Categories

Cash purchases often fall into:

• Cash & ATM
• Miscellaneous
• Actual category (Food, Entertainment, etc.)

Choose what works for your analysis needs.

Reconcile Regularly

Monthly:

1. Count your cash or check your statement
2. Compare to Curl Budget balance
3. Add adjustment if needed
4. Note any discrepancies

Manual vs. Connected Accounts

Aspect	Manual Account	Connected Account
Transaction entry	You add each one	Automatic sync
Balance updates	Calculated from entries	Synced from bank
Effort required	Higher	Lower
Accuracy	Depends on your entries	High (from bank)
Works without internet	Yes	Requires sync
Missing transactions	Possible if forgotten	Unlikely

Hybrid Approach

Some users combine both:

• Connected accounts for banks/cards
• Manual account for cash only
• Complete financial picture

Integration with Features

Categories and Tags

Manual transactions work with all organization features:

• AI categorization (based on merchant)
• Manual category assignment
• Tags for additional context
• Auto-Rules apply

Reports

Manual accounts appear in all reports:

• Cash Flow includes manual transactions
• Explorer groups by category/merchant
• Filter by manual account specifically

Budgets

Manual account spending counts toward budgets:

• Category budgets include manual transactions
• Tag budgets include tagged manual transactions
• Same tracking as connected accounts

Transfers

Transfer detection works with manual accounts:

• ATM withdrawal + cash deposit = transfer
• Manual transfers between accounts are detected
• Must enter both sides for matching

Common Scenarios

Cash Tracking Workflow

Daily:

1. Make a cash purchase
2. Open Curl Budget
3. Add transaction to Cash account
4. Categorize appropriately

Weekly:

1. Count remaining cash
2. Compare to Curl Budget
3. Adjust if needed

Unsupported Bank Workflow

When statements arrive:

1. Download OFX/CSV from bank website
2. Import into Curl Budget
3. Review categorization
4. Done until next statement

Foreign Account Workflow

Periodically:

1. Log into foreign bank
2. Note new transactions
3. Add to manual account
4. Convert currency if tracking in home currency

Related Features

• Transactions - View and manage all transactions
• Categories - Organize manual transactions
• Auto-Rules - Automate categorization
• Plaid Integration - For automatic connections