Financio gives you full control over your categories. You can create new ones, rename existing ones, reorganise the hierarchy, and hide categories you don't use.
Accessing Categories
Open Tracking > Categories from the main navigation to open the Categories page.
Use the Expenses and Income tabs to switch between category types.
Creating a Category
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Click the New Category button in the top right.
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Enter a name for your category.
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Optionally choose a Parent Category to create a subcategory.
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Click Create. (When editing an existing category the button reads Save Changes.)
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Tap the + button in the top right.
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Enter a Category Name.
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Optionally pick a Parent Category (leave it on None (Top Level) for a top-level category).
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Tap Save.
Start Broad
If you're unsure, create a parent category first. You can always add subcategories later as you identify more specific spending patterns.
Editing a Category
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Click on any category name in the list.
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Update the name or change the parent category.
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Click Save Changes (on iPhone, tap Save).
Deleting a Category
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Click on the category you want to delete.
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Click the Delete Category button in the dialog.
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If the category has transactions, you'll see a count of affected transactions and the option to reassign them to another category.
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Select a new category from the dropdown, or choose Uncategorised to leave them without a category.
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Click Delete Category to confirm.
Reassign Before Deleting
When deleting a category with transactions, you can choose where those transactions should go. Any automation rules that referenced the deleted category are listed first: those rules keep running, but they stop assigning a category, so edit them afterwards to point at a different one.
Reordering and Nesting Categories
Financio supports up to three levels of category hierarchy. Categories higher in the list appear first in dropdown menus.
Use the up and down arrows on the left of each row to change its position; the new order saves automatically.
To change a category's level, hover over the row to reveal the indent arrows: the right arrow (Make subcategory) nests it under the category directly above it; the left arrow (Move up one level) moves it back out.
Reordering and nesting use the same gesture. Press and drag the handle (the three lines on the left of a row): drag up or down to change position; drag right to nest the category under the one above it, left to move it back out. A guide line shows where and at which level the row will land. The new order saves as soon as you let go.
Moving Transactions
If the category you're nesting under already has transactions of its own, Financio shows Move Transactions Required: parent categories can't hold transactions, so those transactions are moved into the category you're indenting under. Choose Move Transactions & Continue to proceed.
Nesting Limits
Categories at the third level (sub-subcategories) can't be indented further. A category can only be indented if there's another category directly above it at the same level. That category becomes its new parent.
Hiding Categories
If you don't use certain default categories, you can hide them instead of deleting:
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Hover over the category row.
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Click the eye icon to toggle visibility.
Hidden categories:
- Won't appear in category dropdown menus
- Are shown greyed out in the Categories list
- Can be unhidden at any time
- Keep their transaction history intact
Hidden Parent Categories
When you hide a parent category, its immediate subcategories are hidden with it.
Changing Your Category Preset
If you want to switch to a different set of default categories, you can change your preset in Settings:
- Go to Settings > Categories.
- Select a new preset (Simple, Standard, or Detailed).
- Click Save Changes.
Financio will ask how to handle your existing transactions: you can match them to the new categories by name or start fresh. See Category Presets for full details.
Tips for Organising Categories
Keep it simple
Too many categories makes tracking harder. Start with the defaults and only add new ones when you have a clear need.
Use subcategories for detail
If you want to track "Coffee" separately from "Restaurants", create them as subcategories under "Food & Drink" rather than as top-level categories. You can even go deeper; for example, create "Restaurants" under "Food & Drink", then add "Fine Dining" and "Fast Food" under "Restaurants".
Review periodically
Every few months, review your categories. Hide ones you never use and consider merging similar categories.