TrackingPlanningReporting

Managing Rules

Edit, delete, and reorder your automation rules

Keep your rules organised and up to date as your spending patterns change.

Viewing Your Rules

Open Tracking > Rules from the main navigation to see all your rules. Each rule shows:

  • The rule name
  • Condition summary (what it matches)
  • Action badges (category, tags, renamed merchant)

Use the search box to find rules by name, category, tag, merchant, or description text.

Editing a Rule

  1. Click on any rule in the list to open the editor.

  2. Modify conditions or actions as needed.

  3. Click Save Changes (on iPhone, tap Save).

Running a rule on existing transactions

When editing a rule you'll see a Run now button at the top of the form. Click it to apply the rule to all existing transactions that match its conditions.

When editing a rule, scroll to Run this rule now near the bottom of the form and tap it. Financio applies the rule to your existing transactions and tells you how many were updated. It runs the rule as it was last saved, any unsaved edits above are ignored.

This is useful when you've updated a rule's actions and want those changes reflected across your transaction history, or when you've added new transactions that weren't automatically matched.

What Gets Updated

Only transactions in the matched accounts are checked. If the rule is limited to specific accounts, only those accounts are scanned.

Deleting a Rule

  1. Click on the rule to open the editor.

  2. Click the Delete Rule button.

  3. Confirm, the web asks Yes / No; on iPhone tap Delete.

Transactions Are Not Affected

Deleting a rule does not change any transactions that were previously categorised or tagged by it. Only future matching is stopped.

Reordering Rules

Rules are processed in order from top to bottom. To change the order:

  1. Click the reorder icon (the up/down arrows) in the top right of the Rules page. It appears once you have more than one rule, and is hidden while a search is active.

  2. Use the up and down arrows beside each rule to move it.

  3. Click the reorder icon again to save the new order and leave reorder mode.

  1. Tap the reorder icon (the up/down arrows) in the top right.

  2. Use the chevrons beside each rule to move it, each move saves straight away.

  3. Tap the reorder icon again to leave reorder mode.

Why order matters

When multiple rules match, all of them are applied in order. For imported transactions and recurring instances, the first rule that sets a category wins, so place more specific rules (like "Uber Eats") above general ones (like "Uber").

For example:

  • Rule 1: "Uber" sets category to "Transportation"
  • Rule 2: "Uber Eats" sets category to "Take Away"

If an "Uber Eats" transaction is imported and Rule 1 is first, it would be categorised as "Transportation". By placing the more specific "Uber Eats" rule first, you ensure food deliveries are correctly categorised.

Specific Rules First

For imports and recurring transactions, place more specific rules (like "Uber Eats") before general rules (like "Uber") to ensure correct matching.

Tips for Effective Rules

Start with common transactions

Look at your transaction history and identify merchants that appear frequently. Create rules for these first to get the most benefit.

Use description matching for bank codes

If your bank includes reference codes in descriptions (like "BPAY REF 12345"), use description matching to identify bill payments or transfers.

Combine conditions strategically

Use "Both must match" when you need precision:

  • Merchant: "Transfer"
  • Description: "Savings"
  • Logic: Both must match

This only matches transfers to your savings account, not other transfers.

Review rules periodically

As your spending changes, some rules may become obsolete. Delete rules for merchants you no longer use to keep your list manageable.

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