Funding Detection

Funding Detection

When you add money to payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App, the funding transaction shouldn't count as spending—the actual spending happens when you use those funds later. Curl Budget's funding detection recognizes these internal funding transactions to keep your spending reports accurate.

The Double-Counting Problem

Without funding detection, using P2P apps creates confusing numbers:

1. You add $100 to Venmo from your bank account (-$100 from checking)
2. You pay a friend $100 on Venmo (-$100 from Venmo balance)
3. Your "spending" shows as $200, but you only spent $100

Funding detection recognizes step 1 as an internal transfer, not spending. Only step 2 (the actual payment to your friend) counts as spending.

How It Works

Curl Budget identifies funding transactions using:

Common P2P Platforms

• Venmo - Funding from linked bank account
• PayPal - Bank transfers to PayPal balance
• Cash App - Adding money to Cash App
• Zelle - Outgoing transfers to Zelle
• Apple Cash - Adding money to Apple Cash
• Other P2P apps - Similar funding patterns

Detection Patterns

Funding transactions are identified by:

1. Merchant recognition - Known P2P platform identifiers
2. Transaction descriptions - Keywords like "funding," "add cash," "bank transfer"
3. Transaction categories - Plaid's categorization of payment platforms

What Happens to Funded Transactions

When a transaction is identified as P2P funding:

• It's treated similarly to a transfer
• It doesn't count toward your spending totals
• It doesn't affect your budgets
• It appears in your transaction list but is marked as funding

Managing Funding Detection

Viewing Funding Status

When you view a transaction marked as funding:

• You'll see a "Funding" indicator
• The transaction details explain why it was flagged
• You can override if the detection is incorrect

Overriding Detection

If a transaction is incorrectly marked as funding:

1. Open the transaction
2. Tap "Not Funding"
3. The transaction counts normally in your spending

If a funding transaction wasn't detected:

1. Open the transaction
2. Tap "Mark as Funding"
3. It will be excluded from spending

Using Auto-Rules

For recurring funding patterns that aren't automatically detected, create an Auto-Rule:

1. Go to Settings → Auto-Rules
2. Create a rule matching the funding transaction
3. Set the action to exclude from spending or mark as transfer

Common Funding Scenarios

Venmo Example

• Funding: "VENMO PAYMENT" or "ACH VENMO" from your bank = Not spending
• Actual spending: "Venmo - John Smith" = Counts as spending (payment to someone)
• Receiving money: "Venmo - Jane Doe" = Counts as income (if relevant)

PayPal Example

• Funding: "PAYPAL INST XFER" from your bank = Not spending
• Actual spending: "PAYPAL *MERCHANT" = Counts as spending (purchase)

Cash App Example

• Funding: "CASH APP*ADD CASH" = Not spending
• Actual spending: "CASH APP*TO $CASHTAG" = Counts as spending (payment)

Impact on Reports

Cash Flow

Funding transactions are excluded from Cash Flow reports, preventing artificial inflation of your expense numbers.

Budgets

Funding doesn't count toward any budget categories. Your Venmo balance load doesn't affect your dining budget.

Category Spending

Funding is excluded from category totals, so your "Payments" or "Transfer" category shows actual outgoing payments, not internal wallet loads.

Funding vs. Transfers

Funding detection is a specialized form of transfer detection:

Funding	General Transfers
Moving money to a P2P platform	Moving money between your bank accounts
Often single-sided (you may not have the P2P app connected)	Two-sided (both transactions visible in Curl Budget)
Based on merchant/description patterns	Based on matching opposite amounts

Both are excluded from spending, but funding detection works even when you only see one side of the transaction.

Troubleshooting

Funding Not Detected

If P2P funding isn't being detected:

1. Check the merchant - Unusual description formats may not match patterns
2. Create an Auto-Rule - Set up a rule for your specific funding pattern
3. Manual override - Mark the transaction as funding

Non-Funding Marked as Funding

If actual spending is being marked as funding:

1. Override the detection - Mark as "Not Funding"
2. Check the merchant - Some payments to P2P platforms are actual purchases
3. Review the pattern - Adjust any Auto-Rules that may be too broad

Related Features

• Transfer Detection - General transfer handling
• Auto-Rules - Create custom funding detection rules
• Cash Flow Report - See accurate spending after funding exclusion