BudgetSheet 2.7.1 - Simplified Categories

Categories in BudgetSheet have been drastically simplified. The old category sheet had 45 different categories that were often too narrow or mostly unused. The new system has 26 categories that make it easier to use and quickly categorize your transactions, including a new UNCATEGORIZED category so you can quickly spot transactions that require manual categorization.

This new category system is loosely based on Plaid's new category taxonomy. The full mapping rules from Plaid's new categories to BudgetSheet's new categories are shown below:

New customers and newly created sheets will be on the new category system. The new system does NOT have the FullCategory column anymore. There is now only a single simplified Category column in the BSA_Transactions sheet.

You can of course still also create your own columns if you need more categorization options.

Will this change my existing categories?

This update will NOT impact existing customers who wish to continue using the current categorization system they already have in place. New bank transaction imports will continue to use the old system for existing sheets as long as your BSA_Transactions sheet has the FullCategory column in it.

How can I change an existing sheet to the new system?

If you want to change an existing sheet full of transactions over to the new system, you will have to re-create the BSA_Transactions sheet and re-import your transactions into it.

The new system categorizes your transactions on the server as they stream in, and there is no direct mapping from the old category system in your spreadsheet to the new one. The only options for switching over right now are to either finish out the year with the existing category system and then switch over to the new one next year, or start over from scratch.

The good news is that the new system is optional for existing sheets, so there is no work required for you as part of this new version just to continue using it as-is.

BSA_Budget Sheet Updated

This new version of BudgetSheet also has some great updates to the optional Monthly Budgeting spreadsheet (in the "More Sheets & Templates..." menu) that you should check out if you are using the new category system. It now includes all your categories by default, and automatically fills in all the formulas, all the way down!

Happy Budgeting!

• Vance L