Guide · Version 7No chapter contains this term.
Getting started
On first launch the app creates a checking account and offers a short introduction. You add more accounts under Settings → Features → Accounts. If a list is still empty, “Add defaults” fills it with a prepared set, for categories for example nine main categories with subcategories.
You record a new expense on iPhone and iPad with the round “+” at the bottom right, on the Mac with ⌘N. Income and transfers start from the “…” menu; on iPad and Mac the three buttons sit at the top of the sidebar.
When you open each area for the first time, a short guided tour with callouts explains the most important elements. “Reset guided tour” under Settings → Information shows it again. That is also where you find the introduction, “What’s new” and the help.
The app speaks twelve languages and follows your device language, otherwise English. Under Settings → General → Appearance → Language you can choose another one. All languages except German and English are machine translated; reports of errors are welcome.
Recording entries
The three types
You choose beforehand whether to record an expense, income or transfer; the type cannot be changed in the form. Required are title, an amount above 0, date and account. A transfer needs a source account and a different target account.
Category, payment method, person and group are optional. With “+” next to a field you create a new item right there. From the second letter of the title the app suggests earlier titles and takes over their category and payment method.
Calculator and calendar iPhone · iPad
The amount field opens a calculator, including a currency key for foreign currencies (see Foreign currencies). You pick the date in a dedicated month calendar. On the Mac, amount and date are normal input fields.
Marks: reconciled, flagged, tax-relevant
“Reconciled” marks entries you have compared with your bank statement. “Flagged” sets a flag; flagged entries are collected in the watchlist in the “…” menu, swiping right flags too. “Tax-relevant” (column symbol) marks entries for your tax return; under Settings → Export you find “Only tax-relevant entries” and the receipts as ZIP.
Editing, deleting, copying
Tap an entry to edit it. Swiping left deletes it after a confirmation; for a transfer both sides disappear. Press and hold or right-click offers “Copy”, “Save as template”, “Reconcile”, “Flag”, “Delete” and “Create rule from entry …”. The “…” menu (Mac: File) has “Edit last entry”.
Entries dated in the future always appear in the statement. In Status and Overview they only count when the option “Include future entries” is on.
Quick entry
“Quick entry” in Status: describe the entry in one sentence, for example “12.50 bakery yesterday cash” or “Salary 2,450 checking”. The app recognizes amount, title, date, income or expense as well as payment method, account and category from your data and opens the entry form pre-filled; nothing is saved until then. This works in all twelve languages.
“Already recorded?”
If you save a new expense or income that apparently already exists, the app asks. That happens when a recurring entry with the same account, amount and type is at most three days away, or an entry with the same title and amount exists on the same day. “Save anyway” creates the entry, “Cancel” keeps you in the form. The app does not ask when editing, for transfers or on import.
Entry location iPhone · iPad · optional
With “Save location” in the options (off by default) the app remembers the approximate location (about 100 meters) when recording. You can remove it per entry. The “Map of expenses” under Reports shows on all devices where you spent money.
Fast paths
- Press and hold the app icon: New expense, New income, Scan receipt, Search.
- Control Center, Lock Screen, Action Button: six controls (see Widgets).
- Option “New expense on launch”: the app opens the form right away.
- Mac: menu bar item with “New expense”, “New income”, “Quick entry”.
Templates
Templates save typing for entries that come up often. You find them in the “…” menu under “Templates” or under Settings → Features. A template stores title and optionally amount, account, criteria and note.
In the entry form the symbol on the right of the title field opens the templates. Only the fields filled in the template are taken over; type and date stay.
New templates also come straight from an entry: with the switch “Save as template” at the end of the form or by pressing and holding an entry.
Recurring entries
Switch on “Recurring entry” when recording and choose interval and end date. The app creates all occurrences immediately as individual entries; they carry a repeat symbol in the list. This works for transfers too.
When you tap an entry of a series, the app asks what you want to change: only this entry, the whole series or everything from a cut-off date. Earlier entries remain unchanged with a cut-off date.
When deleting you choose likewise: only this one, this and all future ones, or the whole series.
You manage all series in the “…” menu under “Recurring entries” (iPad and Mac: sidebar). There you can end a series on a day, dissolve it into individual entries, copy or delete it.
Rules
With rules the app assigns entries itself, for example: title contains “REWE” → category Groceries. You create them under Settings → Entries → Rules (iPad and Mac: sidebar → Manage → Rules).
Anatomy of a rule
| Part | Options |
|---|---|
| Field | title, note or payee |
| Comparison | contains, starts with, is exactly; under “Advanced” also regular expression |
| Restriction | only income or only expenses, optionally an amount range |
| Then set | category, payment method, person and/or group |
Where rules apply
- On import from the bank or another app, rules fill empty criteria (can be switched off per import).
- While recording a suggestion appears that you accept with one tap.
- On existing entries you can apply a rule afterwards; the app asks first and tells you how many.
Existing values are never overwritten; transfers are never changed. You reorder rules by dragging; the form shows live “Matches N entries”.
Faster from an existing entry: press and hold or right-click → “Create rule from entry …”. The form is then pre-filled with the entry’s title, type and criteria. The item appears only when no active rule matches yet, and never for transfers.
Contracts & subscriptions
Under “Contracts & subscriptions” (Settings → Entries, on iPad and Mac in the sidebar under “Record”) you manage recurring entries such as rent, insurance or streaming as contracts. Each contract has provider, start, minimum term, automatic renewal, notice period, reminder (days ahead), customer or contract number, website and note.
At the top are your fixed costs per month and year in the app currency and their share of your income (average of the three previous months, highlighted from 50 %).
Contracts are sorted by the next notice deadline: orange when it ends in 30 days or less, red from 14 days. The reminder arrives as a notification at 9 a.m., as many days ahead as you set.
When you change the amount of a series “from a date”, the app remembers the old price and shows the increase in percent. So you see which subscription got more expensive.
Accounts and criteria
You manage accounts, categories, payment methods, people and groups under Settings → Features. An account has a name and an opening balance, which may be negative. The currency of an account comes from the system region when it is created.
You decide the order of accounts yourself (iPhone/iPad: “Change order”, then drag; Mac: drag the row); it applies to all pickers, widgets and the Watch. You can archive an account you no longer use: it disappears from the pickers for new entries, its entries and balances remain. The last account cannot be deleted.
Categories have two levels: main and subcategory. You can record on both. If you delete a main category, its subcategories go with it.
If you delete a criterion, the entries remain but lose the assignment. The confirmation tells you how many entries are affected. If you delete an account, all its entries are deleted too, after a double confirmation.
Every item automatically gets a fitting symbol. When editing you can choose another; “Automatic” restores the suggestion.
The five areas
Status
Status shows the selected period at a glance: the total at the top, below it income, fixed expenses from recurring entries and the remaining expenses, then the available budget as a bar. Tap a number to see the entries behind it. In the current period, “Free until …” shows how much will probably be left at the end and what that means per day; tapping it opens the forecast. Below: “Quick entry” and the latest entries.
On iPhone you choose one of five views with the button at the top right or under Settings → General → Appearance → Status view. iPad and Mac show all key figures in one row.
| View | Shows |
|---|---|
| Minimal | balance and “Free until month end” |
| Simple | balance, income and expenses, latest entries |
| Budget | like Simple, plus budget bar and “Free until” |
| Standard | fixed and variable expenses separated, quick entry, “More key figures” to expand (default) |
| Expert | all key figures visible at once, like on iPad |
Overview
Overview lists 13 periods side by side with income, expenses and balance. A tap opens the statement of that period.
Statement
Statement shows all entries with a running balance, grouped by day or as a continuous list. A paper clip indicates attached receipts. The calendar symbol next to the search switches to a month calendar with daily totals; a dot marks planned recurring entries, tapping a day shows its entries.
Statistics
Statistics groups income and expenses by category (flat or by main category), account, payment method, person or group (“Analyze by”), with the charts distribution, ranking, income & expenses and balance curve. Each chart shows expenses, income or all. Tap a segment or run your finger along the curve to see individual values; the share symbol in the card passes the chart on as an image. “Comparison” sets the period against the previous period or the previous year: two bars per group and the change in percent. Ranking and distribution show the eight largest groups.
Goals
Goals shows your budgets and savings goals with rings and traffic light (see Budgets and savings goals).
Detailed or compact, sidebar
With the button at the top you switch every area between “Detailed” and “Compact”. On iPad and Mac the sidebar leads to the five areas, to recurring entries, templates, watchlist, search, contracts, rules, accounts, criteria and reports. You create new entries there with the three buttons at the very top; commands that open a window end with “…”. You create new budgets and savings goals in “Goals” with the “+” at the top right; currency converter and help open from the symbols at the bottom next to “Settings”.
Period and account selection
The selected period is at the top. You browse with the arrows; a tap opens the choice between month, quarter, half-year and year. The period applies to all areas. You set the start day of the period (1 to 28) and the first day of the week in Settings.
Weeks or custom periods are not available as a period; for any date range use the detailed search with date from and to.
Below, a capsule shows the selected account and its balance (on the Mac in the bar at the bottom). A tap opens the account picker with the “Options” tab. “All accounts” appears from two accounts; the balances are then converted to the app currency.
Options
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Previous months as carryover | The balance of earlier periods flows into the current one. |
| Include future entries | Entries dated in the future count in Status and Overview. |
| Only reconciled in balances | Only entries compared with the bank count. |
| Ignore transfers for “All accounts” | Transfers between your own accounts don’t distort the totals. |
| Incognito mode | Amounts as “***”, in widgets too. |
| Reconciliation default | New entries count as reconciled immediately. |
| Budget warnings, reminders | Switch notifications on and off. |
| Save location | Remember the location when recording (iPhone/iPad). |
Budgets and savings goals
A budget limits expenses, a savings goal tracks how much you put aside. You create both from the “…” menu (iPad/Mac: “+” on “Goals”) and manage them under Settings → Features → Goals.
Every goal needs a name, an amount, a start and at least one criterion: account, category, payment method, person or group. Several criteria must all match. It can run once or repeat, with carryover of the remainder if you like: for a budget the remainder is carried over with its sign, for a savings goal only the shortfall. Per budget you decide whether income, expenses and transfers count and whether only reconciled entries count. A goal can be deactivated instead of deleted.
Budgets turn orange from 80 % and red above 100 %; savings goals are orange below 100 % and green from 100 %. If you want, the app notifies you for budgets at 80 % and 100 %, for savings goals at the milestones 25, 50, 75 and 100 % (option “Budget warnings”). When a savings goal is reached, the ring shows a little celebration once.
Under Options → Reminders you can also be reminded daily to record, the day before a recurring entry and at month end to reconcile, at a time of your choice.
Reports, monthly close, year in review
Under “Reports” in the “…” menu (iPad/Mac: sidebar) you find eleven ready-made analyses: Financial report, Financial comparison, Highest income, Highest expenses, Highest expenses variable, Highest expenses fixed, Most expensive days, Most frequent categories, Most frequent payment methods, Most frequent people, Most frequent groups. The “Most frequent” reports have a choice of income, expenses total, expenses fixed or expenses. Every row opens the entries behind it. Every report can be exported in five formats and printed.
The monthly close and the year in review “Your year” show the top 10 categories separated by expenses and income, the savings rate, the most expensive and thriftiest month, the comparison with the previous year or month, overspent budgets and open reconciliations. Both can be browsed, shared as an image and shown with amounts hidden. In January and in the first seven days of a month, Status offers them by itself.
Plus the map of expenses, as soon as “Save location” is switched on.
Forecast and “what if”
“Free until …” in Status shows how much will probably be left at the end of the period, and what that means per day. A tap opens the forecast: 30 days of actual history and the preview with a horizon to the end of the period, 3, 6 or 12 months. It shows the lowest point and warns “In the red on …”. Optionally it estimates the variable expenses from your history.
Under “What if” you can pause recurring entries or assume a different amount and add imaginary expenses. Nothing is saved. The basis is exclusively your recorded entries and series.
Search and filter
The filter (funnel at the top) hides entries by category, payment method, person, group or type and applies to all areas. A filled funnel shows that a filter is active. There is also “Only tax-relevant”.
The detailed search (“…” menu or ⌘F) finds entries across all periods and accounts, by title, note, amount, date, criteria and more. For every field you choose the comparison, such as “contains” or “greater than”. On iPad and Mac the search is its own page in the sidebar: you enter a keyword at the top, “Criteria” expands the other fields, the results appear right below.
With “Find & replace” you mark results and assign them a different category, payment method, person or group at once, or delete them. After replacing, the app searches again so the result list matches the changed values.
Receipts and receipt scan
In the entry form, under “Receipts & attachments”, you add photos, files (image or PDF) and on iPhone and iPad also scanned documents, sketches or signatures.
In the receipt view you can zoom, rename, rotate, show the recognized text and share the receipt. It is saved only when you save the entry. Under Settings → Features → Receipts you set resolution, quality and grayscale for scans and see the storage used. Receipts are synced with iCloud.
Receipt scan fills the entry
If you scan or photograph a receipt for a new entry, the app reads amount, date, merchant and payment method and fills them into empty fields, all on the device. Uncertain values are marked “estimated”; check them before saving. Fastest with “Scan receipt” when pressing and holding the app icon or in Control Center.
Receipts are read in the app language plus German and English; for Japanese, Korean and Chinese in the app language and English.
Foreign currencies and currency converter
Tap the currency key in the calculator and choose a currency. The converted amount is recorded, the original amount is shown in small print underneath. Transfers between accounts in different currencies are converted automatically.
The app loads rates at most once a day online (reference rates of the European Central Bank); for the first launch without internet a set of rates is included. Under Settings → Features → Exchange rates you manage the currency pairs (create, reload, delete). You open the currency converter from the “…” menu, on iPad and Mac from the symbol at the bottom of the sidebar; on the Mac also with ⌥⌘R as a separate window. There is no manual rate entry.
The “…” menu on iPhone also contains a simple calculator.
App lock and privacy screen
Under Settings → Security you protect the app with a 4- to 6-digit code, optionally plus Face ID or Touch ID. You decide when the app locks automatically: immediately when leaving or after 10 to 240 seconds (iPhone/iPad), and after 1 to 60 minutes of inactivity. The code applies only on this device and is not synced. The lock screen starts nothing by itself: you tap “Unlock with Face ID” or “Unlock with code”.
On iPhone and iPad the lock button above the “+” locks the app immediately when you hold it briefly. In the app switcher the app hides its content. After five failed attempts the app waits 30 seconds, then the waiting time doubles up to one hour at most. After a change of biometrics on the device the code is required once.
Incognito mode (in the options) replaces all amounts with “***”, in widgets and reminders too. Handy when someone is watching. Exports still contain the real amounts. With a lock set, Siri doesn’t say amounts and Spotlight shows no items of the app.
iCloud
iCloud sync is off at first. You switch it on under Settings → iCloud; it takes effect after restarting the app. Then you see the same data on iPhone, iPad and Mac with your Apple Account. The Watch gets its data straight from the iPhone.
Receipts are synced too. If two devices change the same entry, the change saved last wins. The data is in your private iCloud, not on third-party servers. There is no shared budget book with other people.
Under Settings → iCloud you see whether syncing actually happens: when it last synced and whether there is a problem, such as no iCloud account signed in, full iCloud storage or no internet connection. On a problem the sidebar on iPad and Mac shows a warning symbol. Your data on the device remains intact and usable in any case.
Backup, import and export
Backup
Under Settings → Data you create a backup encrypted with a passphrase (at least 8 characters) and can restore it later; that replaces all data after a double confirmation. Keep the passphrase safe: without it the backup cannot be opened.
Automatic backup (off by default) creates a backup in the app storage at most once a day when opening and keeps 3, 5, 10 or 20 versions. It is lost when the app is deleted and is not copied to iCloud Drive. In case you lose the device, share a backup to another place now and then. The app lock is not part of the backup.
Delete, reset, sample data
Also under Settings → Data: “Delete All Transactions” removes all transactions and recurring transactions after two confirmations; accounts and criteria stay. “Reset App” deletes all data and settings after two confirmations, turns off app lock and iCloud and starts the initial setup. “Create sample data” replaces all data with a sample household to try things out. If iCloud was on when the app started, both only turn iCloud off and ask you to restart, so the deletion never reaches your other devices. Create a backup first if you still need your data.
Import
“Import” reads statements from your bank or another app: CSV (also TXT and TSV), QIF, OFX/QFX and CAMT.053 (plus camt.052 and camt.054). 59 built-in profiles recognize known formats by themselves, including DKB, Sparkasse, ING, comdirect, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Postbank, N26, Volksbank/Raiffeisen, UniCredit, PayPal, Amex, George/Erste, Raiffeisen ELBA, UBS, Credit Suisse, cantonal banks, ABN AMRO, ING NL, Rabobank, ASN, Millennium, Swedbank, BCEE and the apps MoneyMoney, Finanzguru, Outbank, YNAB, StarMoney, MoneyWiz, ALF-BanCo, Financisto, MoneyBook, MoneyCoach, MoneyControl, Pocket Expense, Meine Ausgaben and the CSV exports of the old “Mein Haushaltsbuch” app. For unknown CSV files you map the columns.
Before importing you see a preview with duplicate check; for CAMT only pending transactions are deselected. Rules fill empty criteria. Imports suggest categories for you: transactions without a category get the one you usually use for that merchant. Review or turn it all off in the preview. The import can be undone. “Coming from another app?” explains how to export there.
You can also open a file directly: on the Mac via File → Import statement … (⌘⇧I), by dragging it onto the window or (CSV) by double-clicking in the Finder; on iPhone and iPad CSV files via “Open with” from Mail or “Files” and on iPad by dragging onto the window.
Export
You can export as CSV, text, PDF, HTML or Markdown, from statement, statistics and reports via the “…” menu or under Settings → Export. Under “For other apps” you also find QIF (Quicken, MoneyMoney, Banking4 …) and a CSV in YNAB’s import format, plus “Only tax-relevant entries” and all receipts as ZIP. Then share, save or print (Mac: ⌘P).
Apple Watch, widgets, controls and Siri
Apple Watch
On Apple Watch you see balances, the last 20 entries, the month as well as budgets and savings goals. With “+” you quickly record an expense or income (no transfers); a favorite with an amount records instantly, as does “Duplicate last entry”. Without the iPhone nearby the entry waits in a queue until the connection is back. The Watch keeps no database of its own; it gets a snapshot from the iPhone. A separate privacy mode hides amounts.
Complications for balance, budget (the most urgent) and savings goal come in all shapes (circular, rectangular, corner, inline) and in the Smart Stack.
Widgets iPhone · Mac
| Widget | Content |
|---|---|
| Balance | Small or medium, on iPhone also on the Lock Screen. Account selectable via “Edit widget”, small with the history of the last 30 days. |
| Budget rings | Progress of your budgets and savings goals. |
| Quick entry | Your two most used templates and “New”. Templates with a fixed amount are recorded directly from the widget, without opening the app. |
Controls iPhone
In Control Center, on the Lock Screen and on the Action Button you can place six buttons: New expense, New income, New transfer, Quick entry, Scan receipt and Record template (configurable, records instantly). To add them: edit Control Center, “Add a control” and search for My Budget Book.
Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight
With Siri and the Shortcuts app you create a new entry, ask for balance, budget or the month’s expenses (“How much have I spent this month in My Budget Book”) and can name the account or budget directly. The queries answer without opening the app. In Spotlight search you find your accounts, budgets and savings goals by name; Spotlight never shows amounts. With an app lock set, Siri doesn’t say amounts and Spotlight shows no items of the app.
Appearance and color schemes
Under Settings → General → Appearance you choose light, dark or system and one of twelve color schemes: System, Coral, Teal, Modern, High contrast, Paper, Forest, Sunset, Lavender, Midnight, Berry and Graphite. Coral is the default on iPhone and iPad, Modern on the Mac. On the Mac the scheme only changes the accent color; surfaces and text keep the system look. The settings apply per device.
The app respects “Reduce motion”, “Reduce transparency” and “Increase contrast” from the accessibility settings and uses the Liquid Glass design from iOS 26.
Upgrading from the old app
If you used the earlier version of “Mein Haushaltsbuch” / “My Budget Book”, the app offers on first launch to migrate your data. Later you can do it under Settings → Data → “Import old database”; this replaces the current data. On the Mac you open the old database file via File → Import … or drag it onto the window.
The migration runs in one window in three steps: an explanation and file selection, then two safety confirmations; only the second one starts with “Migrate”. Progress and result appear in the same window.
The app makes a safety copy first. After the migration a report shows what was carried over; it remains available under Settings → Import & Export → Last migration report. You set up password protection and automatic backup again. Under “Files of the old app” you see and delete what the old app left behind.
All details, a checklist and the known gaps are on the upgrading page.
Mac and keyboard shortcuts
On the Mac and the iPad you switch between the areas in the sidebar.
| Shortcut | Action | Where |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘N | New expense | iPad, Mac |
| ⇧⌘N | New transfer | iPad, Mac |
| ⌘F | Search | iPad, Mac |
| ⌘, | Settings | iPad, Mac |
| ⌘1 to ⌘5 | The five areas | iPad, Mac |
| ⌘⇧I | Import statement | Mac |
| ⌥⌘R | Currency converter as a window | Mac |
| ⌥⌘4 | Statistics as a window | Mac |
| ⌘? | Help as a window | Mac |
| ⌘0 | Main window | Mac |
| ⌘P | Mac | |
| ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z | Undo / redo entry | Mac |
Only on the Mac, a € symbol in the menu bar shows today’s balance and “Free until …” and offers “New expense”, “New income” and “Quick entry”; hide it via View → Balance in menu bar. The entry table can be sorted, a balance footer shows the current state. Not on the Mac: lock button, calculator in the amount field, controls, Lock Screen widgets, save location.