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Guides to budgeting with Pensum, from what zero-based budgeting is to reconciling an account. Many link to the demo, so you can see each idea in a working budget.
Getting started
- Zero-based budgetingGive every dollar a job before you spend it. What zero-based budgeting is, why it works, and how Pensum does it.
- Your first budgetSet up a budget in Pensum: add your accounts, build categories, assign what you have, and keep it up to date.
- A tour of PensumThe parts of Pensum you'll use most, in the order you'll need them, and how to take the tour in the app.
- Importing your historyStart your Pensum budget from another budgeting app, a Pensum backup, your bank's files, or bank sync, and how Pensum avoids counting anything twice.
- Sharing a budgetInvite a partner or family member to your Pensum budget as an editor or viewer, what each can do, and how to hand the budget to someone else.
- Installing the app and notificationsPut Pensum on your phone's Home Screen or your computer like an app, get a notification when new transactions are waiting, and open bank files with it.
- GlossaryThe words Pensum uses, from Left to assign to sinking fund, in plain language.
Budgeting
- Left to assignWhat Left to assign means in Pensum, where the number comes from, and what to do when it's positive, zero, or over-assigned.
- Category typesSpending, Sinking, Savings and Holding categories in Pensum, what each is for, and how the reports treat them.
- Targets and goalsSet a target on a sinking fund or savings category in Pensum, see what to set aside each month, and know when you're behind.
- Overspending and reassigningWhat to do when a category goes red in Pensum: reassign money from another category, cover overspending, and what happens at month end.
- Month-end rulesWhat happens to money left over or overspent in a Pensum category at the end of the month, and when to choose Start fresh.
- Extra incomeKeep bonuses, tax refunds and extra paycheck months out of your monthly plan in Pensum, then put them to work on purpose.
- Budgeting a month aheadMark paychecks as income for next month in Pensum, so each month is funded before it starts.
- Credit cardsHow credit cards work in a Pensum budget: purchases come out of categories, payments are transfers, and what happens to a balance you carry.
- Transfers and splitsMove money between your accounts without touching your budget, split one purchase across categories, and record refunds in Pensum.
- Tidying categoriesClean up categories you no longer use in Pensum without losing their history in reports.
Accounts and transactions
- Adding and closing accountsAdd checking, savings, credit card and cash accounts to a Pensum budget, set their starting balance, and close one you no longer use.
- Bank syncConnect your bank to Pensum through SimpleFIN or Stripe so transactions come in by themselves, and what to do when a connection needs attention.
- Importing a bank fileDownload transactions from your bank's website and import them into Pensum as QFX, OFX, CSV or QIF, without counting anything twice.
- Reviewing imported transactionsApprove the transactions bank sync and imports bring in, check their suggested categories, and teach Pensum your payee names.
- Searching transactionsFind transactions in Pensum by payee, amount, range, money in or out, and status, with examples.
Reconciling
- Reconciling an accountCheck Pensum against your bank with a statement, a balance or a bank file, and what reconciled means.
- When the balance doesn't matchFind why Pensum's balance differs from your bank's, using where the difference started, the likely causes, and their one-click fixes.
Reports
- ReportsWhat each Pensum report answers, how to read it, and what to do about what it shows.
Your account
- Plans and billingPensum's plans, how a new account starts, changing or cancelling a plan, and what happens when a plan ends.
- Exporting, backing up and deletingDownload a copy of your Pensum budget in several formats, restore a backup, and delete a budget or your account.
- Privacy and securityWhat Pensum stores, who can see it, how it's protected, and what SimpleFIN and Stripe see when you use bank sync.
Troubleshooting
- Left to assign is negativeWhy Pensum shows Over-assigned, and how to bring Left to assign back to zero.
- My balance doesn't match the bankQuick checks when an account's balance in Pensum differs from your bank's, before reconciling.
- Bank sync needs attentionWhat each bank sync warning in Pensum means, and how to fix it.
- Transactions came in twiceFind and merge duplicate transactions in Pensum, and why they happen.
- A category shows money I didn't expectWhy a Pensum category has more or less available than you thought, and where to look.
- I can't edit my budgetWhy a Pensum budget is view-only, and how to get editing back.
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