How Tally works
Short answers to the things people ask most. If something is still unclear, tell us.
How do my transactions get in?
Import a bank statement (CSV) on the Import page, add expenses manually, or — soon — connect your bank directly. Everything lands in one list.
How does categorisation work?
Tally categorises automatically from a built-in merchant dictionary (and, if enabled, AI). You can change any category. “Remember for this merchant” applies your choice to all transactions from that merchant; a plain edit changes only that one — so if most Bolt charges are food but one is a ride, you can set that single one to transport and it stays.
What are receipts for?
Scanning a receipt breaks one purchase into its items. Each item gets its own category and a business/personal tag, and your spending is then counted by those item categories — not just one line for the whole shop.
Cash or card — the payment source?
Each receipt item has a source: cash by default, or a card/account. Cash items become a real cash expense (so cash is counted once), card items add detail to a bank payment. One receipt can be split between cash and card.
What do business tools add?
Turn on business tools in Settings and a Business section appears with invoicing: create an invoice, send it, and track it (draft → sent → paid → overdue), with a reminder before the due date. That section also shows simple bookkeeping for the period — income from paid invoices and your business expenses (transactions tagged “business”, the deductible side).
How does invoicing work?
Create an invoice with your client and line items — it starts as a draft you can edit. “Issue” assigns a number (auto “YYYY-NNN” or your own) and sets a payment reference; then you mark it paid when the money arrives. Fill your business details (name, registration number, bank/IBAN, VAT status) in Settings — a Latvian invoice needs them, and they appear on every invoice. Online “pay by link” needs a payment provider and comes later.
What are “Unrecognized items” on a receipt?
If part of a photo can’t be read, the missing amount is added as one “Unrecognized items” line so the receipt still matches its total. You can leave it or fill it in.
Transfers between my own accounts?
Moving money between your own accounts is neither income nor spending. Add your accounts in Settings and those movements drop out of the statistics so they don’t inflate your totals.
Why is the order of operations what it is?
The list is sorted by when each operation actually happened, not by the day the bank booked it. A card payment is often booked a day later than you made it, so Tally reads the real time from the transaction details — that way your last purchases sit where you expect.
What is a cash withdrawal marked “destination unknown”?
When you take cash out of an ATM, the money left your account but Tally can’t know what you spent it on — so it’s shown as “spent — destination unknown”, counted once as a move to cash (not as extra spending). Scan the receipts you paid in cash and that amount gets itemised into real categories.
Recurring vs reminders?
Recurring payments are the regular charges Tally detects itself (rent, subscriptions, a loan). Reminders are nudges so you don’t miss something with a deadline — recurring payments can feed them.
What are “Observations”?
On the overview Tally points out a few plain facts from your data for the period: your biggest single expense, where most money goes, whether spending is up or down versus the previous period, how much your regular payments add up to, and how much is still uncategorised. It’s honest arithmetic, not guesses — no invented advice.
Is my data private?
Your data is yours and you can erase it or delete your account any time in Settings. Receipt photos are sent to an AI provider only to read the text off them. See the Privacy Policy for details.