When you add a transaction manually, Financio automatically checks your rules and applies matching actions as you type. This page explains how rule matching works during manual transaction entry.
Automatic Rule Matching
As you enter a transaction, Financio watches the Merchant and Description fields. When you pause typing, it checks your rules to see if any match.
If a matching rule is found, its actions are applied immediately:
- Category is set automatically
- Tags are added
- Merchant name may be cleaned up (if the rule includes a rename action)
Brief Pause Required
Rule matching triggers after a brief pause in typing (about half a second). This prevents unnecessary checks while you're still entering text.
What Gets Checked
When Financio checks for matching rules, it uses:
| Field | How It's Used |
|---|---|
| Merchant | Compared against rule conditions |
| Description | Compared against rule conditions |
| Account | Used for account-specific rules |
Rules are checked in order. Every matching rule is applied: tags from all of them are combined, and where two rules set a category or rename the merchant, the one lower in your rule list wins.
When Rules Apply
Rules are applied automatically in these situations:
New Transactions Only
When you're creating a new transaction, rules apply automatically as you type. This helps you categorise quickly without manual selection.
Not When Editing
When you're editing an existing transaction, rules don't automatically override your changes. This preserves any manual categorisation you've already done.
Re-applying Rules
Rules never re-run on a transaction you're editing. To apply a rule to transactions you already have, open the rule and use Run now (Run this rule now on iPhone). See Managing Rules.
Rule Actions
When a rule matches, it can perform these actions:
Set Category
The rule applies its configured category to the transaction. If the rule is set to apply to a specific transaction type (Income or Expense), it will only set the category when the transaction type matches.
Add Tags
Any tags configured in the rule are added to the transaction. You can still add or remove tags manually after the rule applies.
Rename Merchant
If the rule includes a "rename to" action, the merchant field is updated with the cleaner name. For example, a rule might rename "WOOLWORTHS 1234 SYDNEY" to "Woolworths".
Visual Feedback
When a rule matches and applies actions, you'll see:
- The category field updates automatically
- Tags appear in the tags section
- The merchant name may change (if the rule renames it)
- A banner names the rule that fired ("Rule Groceries from Woolworths applied"), or the number of rules if several matched
This instant feedback lets you verify the rule worked correctly before saving.
Rule Suggestions
If you're editing an older transaction that doesn't have a category, Financio may suggest creating a rule when you assign one. This helps build your automation library over time.
When you see a rule suggestion:
- Turn on Automatically categorise similar transactions (Create a rule on iPhone).
- Review the WHEN / THEN summary: Financio derives the match text for you, stripping reference numbers so the rule still matches next month.
- Optionally tick Apply to existing uncategorised transactions.
- Save the transaction, the rule is created with it.
The summary is a preview, not a form. To change the conditions, save the rule and then edit it from Tracking > Rules.
Best Practices
Keep merchant names consistent
Rules match on the merchant name you enter. Using consistent naming (or letting rules rename messy bank descriptions) improves matching accuracy.
Review applied categories
While rules save time, occasionally verify they're applying the correct category. Merchants can sometimes have transactions that belong in different categories.
Use the Description field
If the same merchant appears in multiple categories (e.g., a department store where you buy both groceries and clothing), add details in the Description field and create rules that match on description patterns.