The Expenses report shows you exactly where your money is going. With a visual breakdown by category and the ability to drill down into specific spending areas, you can identify opportunities to save and make informed decisions about your budget.
Accessing the Report
- Go to Reports from the main navigation.
- Select Expenses from the report options.
The Donut Chart
The main visualisation is a donut chart showing your expenses by category:
- Each slice represents a spending category
- Larger slices indicate higher spending
- The centre shows your total expenses for the period
- Hover over any slice to see the category name and amount
Percentage vs Amount
Toggle between two display modes:
Amount Mode — Shows the dollar value for each category. The chart is sized based on actual spending.
Percentage Mode — Shows each category as a percentage of total spending. Useful for understanding proportions regardless of the total amount.
Period Selection
Use the date controls to select the time period for your report:
- Month/Year picker — Select a specific month
- Navigation arrows — Move forward or backward by month
- Custom range — Set a specific date range for analysis
Category Breakdown
Below the chart, a detailed breakdown shows parent categories with their subcategories listed beneath. Each row displays the category name and the total amount spent.
Use the collapse/expand button (chevron icon) next to the "Transactions" heading to toggle subcategory rows. When collapsed, only parent category totals are shown for a cleaner summary view. Expand to see the full breakdown by subcategory.
Click on any category row to drill down further.
Drilling Into Categories
Parent Categories
Clicking a parent category (in the chart or the table) opens a subcategory breakdown panel showing:
- Each subcategory with its total amount
- The percentage each subcategory contributes to the parent total
- A summary row with the parent category's total spending
From here, click any subcategory to see its individual transactions. Use the back arrow to return to the subcategory breakdown, or continue back to the main table.
Subcategories and Individual Categories
Clicking a subcategory or a category without children shows:
Transaction List
All transactions in that category for the selected period, showing:
- Date
- Merchant
- Description
- Amount
Merchant Breakdown
A secondary breakdown showing spending by merchant within that category. This helps you identify:
- Your most frequent merchants
- Where you're spending the most within a category
- Opportunities to consolidate or switch providers
Finding Savings
The merchant breakdown often reveals unexpected spending patterns. You might find you're visiting one coffee shop far more than you realised, or that a particular subscription is costing more than expected.
Filtering Options
Click the Filters button to customise your report. You can filter by:
- Accounts — View just credit card spending or focus on specific accounts
- Categories — Exclude essentials to focus on discretionary spending
- Merchants — Analyse spending at specific stores or providers
- Tags — See "Business" expenses for tax, or "Holiday" spending for trip budgeting
- Amounts — Find small recurring charges or track large purchases
For detailed information on how filters work, including saving filter configurations, see Filtering Reports.
Uncategorised Expenses
If you see an "Uncategorised" slice in your chart, it means some transactions don't have a category assigned. To fix this:
- Click on the Uncategorised slice
- Review the transactions shown
- Go to Transactions and categorise each one
- Consider setting up Automation Rules to automatically categorise similar transactions in the future
Accuracy Matters
For the most useful expense analysis, ensure all transactions are categorised. Uncategorised transactions hide the true picture of your spending.
Downloading Data
Download Chart
Save the donut chart as a PNG image. Useful for:
- Monthly budget reviews
- Sharing with financial advisors
- Including in personal financial reports
Download CSV
Export the expense data to a spreadsheet containing:
- Category name
- Total amount
- Transaction count
- Percentage of total
Common Use Cases
Monthly Budget Review
At the end of each month, review your expenses report to see if you stayed within budget for each category.
Identifying Problem Areas
Large unexpected slices might indicate areas where spending has gotten out of control.
Tracking Discretionary Spending
Use category filters to focus on non-essential categories and see where you might be able to cut back.
Comparing Periods
Look at the same month across different years to identify seasonal patterns or lifestyle changes.
Table View
Click Table to switch from the chart to a full tabular view. The table provides:
- Sortable columns
- Exact amounts for each category
- Easy export to spreadsheet applications
This view is ideal for detailed analysis or when you need precise figures for budgeting.