u/YNAB_youneedabudget

Hey, folks! We're changing how auto-categorization works so a one-off purchase can't override a payee's established category.

Previously, YNAB auto-categorized based on the last category used for a payee. That's a problem when a payee has an established pattern that gets temporarily interrupted. Say your "Grocery Store" payee is almost always "Groceries," but one time you buy a gift card there and categorize it to "Gifts." Next time a Grocery Store transaction imports, it defaults to "Gifts," following the last pick even though that's not what's typical.

So we’re changing that behavior. Now, the default category only changes when 2 of the 3 most recent transactions agree on a different category.

This should stabilize auto-categorization significantly so one-off exceptions don’t change the default. In our Grocery Store example, since only 1 of the last 3 transactions was Gifts, the default stays Groceries.

For payees with fewer than 3 transactions, the default will be the last category used with that payee.

As part of this change, we’re adding some more options in Manage Payees (see screenshot).

Let YNAB auto-categorize based on payee history (shows an explanation and the current default category)
Always use my choice. (Set a default that never changes.)
Do not auto-categorize [payee name].

This release began rolling out on all platforms on August 17 and should be out to everyone soon if all goes well.

https://preview.redd.it/nojnngc4o5kh1.jpg?width=1218&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d5557ed4b80a12c4f26f450c2f72076f9f565f9

Hey folks! I have an update on a change in the approval process for matched transactions. This change is only out to about 25% of users right now, but will be ramping up to everyone in the coming days. We paused briefly to survey folks who already had it, and the results gave us confidence to keep going.

First, does this change affect you? Only if you do one (or both) of these things:

You manually enter your transactions and also import from your bank
You use "Enter Now" on pending transactions before they import

If that's not you, everything will stay the same on your end. You'll still approve every import like normal.

If it is you, when an imported transaction matches one you already entered (or already hit "Enter Now" on), it now comes in pre-approved.

Why: By the time a match happens, you've already made every important decision. You entered the transaction, picked the category, and reflected on that spending. The match itself doesn't change your plan. Approving it again was redundant, so we took that extra step out.

Now, to address some specific feedback from the community.

Some of you liked approving matches, it felt like a "yep, checked it" moment, while others worried about missing an incorrect match. Both are fair concerns. Incorrect matches are actually quite rare, though a few of you with specific spending trends may see them more often than most. We're exploring ways to address both: letting you search and filter for matched transactions to review them, plus improvements to auto-matching itself. Nothing's locked in yet, but it's on our radar.

Got thoughts either way? This form goes straight to our product team. We’d love to hear from you on this.

[Update] We're adjusting how auto-categorization works

Update: No Approvals on Matched Transactions