# How to Add Income and Other Inflows > This article explains how to enter your income into YNAB. It also covers reimbursements, refunds, and other inflows. Source: https://support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-add-income-and-other-inflows-H1ZNjfZJi Last updated: 2026-07-10T14:31:47.229Z Learn how to add income and categorize other inflows like refunds and reimbursements in YNAB. Reflect on payees with Income v Expense, eliminating the need for separate income categories in your plan. If you're just getting started and haven't had a chance to [add an account](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-add-an-account-ByoxswMJs) yet, you'll want to do that first! #### In This Article [Adding an Inflow Transaction](#adding) [Searching for Income Categories?](#categories) [Reimbursements, Refunds, and Other Inflows](#reimbursements) [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)](#faq) * * * ## Adding an Inflow Transaction #### What about future income? When making a plan for your spending, it's important to enter your income **only** when you receive it. Want to plan ahead? No problem—set up a [scheduled transaction](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/scheduled-transactions-a-guide-BygrAIFA9) for [income you know is coming](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/assigning-future-income-an-overview-BJsTo0jCq) and consider giving a [Plan Template](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/creating-a-plan-template-ByZJZx_R9) a try, too! ### How to Add New Income or Inflows to YNAB ### iOS 1. Tap the _Home_ tab. 2. Tap the _Transaction_ button (plus sign icon) at the bottom of the screen. 3. Enter the amount of your income. 4. Tap _Done_. 5. Tap the drop down menu at the top of the screen and tap _Inflow_. 6. In the Payee field, choose or create a payee that describes the **source** of the money (typically a person or business, but you can use something more general like Paycheck, Interest, or Gift Money). This payee is how you'll be able to differentiate your income sources while reflecting with [Income v Expense](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/income-v-expense-Byu1BYWRq).  7. Verify the category is set as **Income: Ready to Assign**. If this is a credit card return or refund, you'll instead categorize it back to the original spending category. 8. For the account option, make sure you've selected the account that is **receiving** the funds. 9. Feel free to customize the transaction further by changing the date or adding a photo/memo. You can also tap _Show more_ to set a flag, clear the transaction, or make the transaction repeat. 10. Tap _Save_ when you're done. Your money is now waiting in Ready to Assign. **Is your account linked for Direct Import?** Inflow transactions imported into **checking** accounts will automatically be categorized as Income: Ready to Assign. For other accounts, you'll be prompted to [assign a category](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/categorizing-transactions-a-guide-HyRl60sks#how) for the transaction the first time a payee imports. Make sure that any inflow transactions are correctly categorized as Income: Ready to Assign, and YNAB will remember for next time! For more on how to edit details (like categories) and other actions to take on imported transactions, review our guide on [approving and matching transactions](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/approving-and-matching-transactions-a-guide-ByYNZaQ1i). #### Credit Card Cash Back Rewards When you choose to receive a cash back reward directly to your checking account, follow the steps above to enter it as income. As you create the payee, enter something that helps you remember where the reward came from, like "\[CC Company Name\] Cash Back" or "\[CC Company Name\] Reward". You'll select this specific payee each time you have a similar reward transaction for this credit card.  If you chose a credit card statement credit **rather than** a cash reward, follow the steps in [How to Handle Credit Card Rewards and Statement Credits](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/credit-card-rewards-and-statement-credits-a-guide-ryoRzYY0q) instead. ### Android 1. Tap the _Home_ tab. 2. Tap the _Transaction_ button (plus sign icon) at the bottom of the screen. 3. Enter the amount of your income. 4. Tap _Done_. 5. Tap the drop down menu at the top of the screen and tap _Inflow_. 6. In the Payee field, choose or create a payee that describes the **source** of the money (typically a person or business, but you can use something more general like Paycheck, Interest, or Gift Money). This payee is how you'll be able to differentiate your income sources while reflecting with [Income v Expense](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/income-v-expense-Byu1BYWRq). 7. Verify the category is set as **Income: Ready to Assign**. If this is a credit card return or refund, you'll instead categorize it back to the original spending category. 8. For the account option, make sure you've selected the account that is **receiving** the funds. 9. Feel free to customize the date, add a flag or memo, or set this as a repeating inflow by adjusting the additional fields on this screen. 10. Tap _Save_ when you're done. Your money is now waiting in Ready to Assign. **Is your account linked for Direct Import?** The first time a payee imports, you'll be prompted to [assign a category](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/categorizing-transactions-a-guide-HyRl60sks#how) for the transaction, so make sure that any income transactions are correctly categorized as Inflow: Ready to Assign. YNAB will remember for next time! For more on how to edit details (like categories) and other actions to take on imported transactions, review our guide on [approving and matching transactions](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/approving-and-matching-transactions-a-guide-ByYNZaQ1i). #### Credit Card Cash Back Rewards When you choose to receive a cash back reward directly to your checking account, follow the steps above to enter it as income. As you create the payee, enter something that helps you remember where the reward came from, like "\[CC Company Name\] Cash Back" or "\[CC Company Name\] Reward". You'll select this specific payee each time you have a similar reward transaction for this credit card.  If you chose a credit card statement credit **rather than** a cash reward, follow the steps in [How to Handle Credit Card Rewards and Statement Credits](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/credit-card-rewards-and-statement-credits-a-guide-ryoRzYY0q) instead. ### Web 1. Click on an account in the left sidebar. 2. From within the specific account register, click the_Add Transaction_ button and choose your date. 3. Use the payee to describe the source of the money. This could be a specific person or business, or something more general like 'Paycheck,' 'Interest,' or 'Gift Money'. This payee is how you'll be able to differentiate your income sources while reflecting with [Income v Expense](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/income-v-expense-Byu1BYWRq). 4. In the category field, select **Inflow: Ready to Assign**. If this is a credit card return or refund, you'll instead categorize it back to the original spending category. 5. In the inflow field, enter the income amount. 6. Click the _Save_ button, or you can click _Save and add another_ if you're on a roll and want to keep entering transactions. Your money is now waiting in Ready to Assign. **Is your account linked for Direct Import?** The first time a payee imports, you'll be prompted to [assign a category](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/categorizing-transactions-a-guide-HyRl60sks#how) for the transaction, so make sure that any income transactions are correctly categorized as Inflow: Ready to Assign. YNAB will remember for next time! For more on how to edit details (like categories) and other actions to take on imported transactions, review our guide on [approving and matching transactions](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/approving-and-matching-transactions-a-guide-ByYNZaQ1i). #### Credit Card Cash Back Rewards When you choose to receive a cash back reward directly to your checking account, follow the steps above to enter it as income. As you create the payee, enter something that helps you remember where the reward came from, like "\[CC Company Name\] Cash Back" or "\[CC Company Name\] Reward". You'll select this specific payee each time you have a similar reward transaction for this credit card.  If you chose a credit card statement credit **rather than** a cash reward, follow the steps in [How to Handle Credit Card Rewards and Statement Credits](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/credit-card-rewards-and-statement-credits-a-guide-ryoRzYY0q) instead. [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## Searching for Income Categories? Instead of having separate income categories, we want income to typically be categorized as Income: Ready to Assign. (There are a few exceptions — described below in [Reimbursements, Refunds, and Other Inflows](#reimbursements)). We want all income included in the Ready to Assign calculation because this number in YNAB reflects the funds in your accounts that haven't been assigned to categories yet. **We understand wanting to know where the money is coming from, especially while reflecting!** So, if you would like to track income sources, use different **payees** while categorizing the inflows as Income: Ready to Assign. They'll even be listed separately on [Income v Expense](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/income-v-expense-Byu1BYWRq) (web app only)!  ![report has payees in the rows, with months, average, and total in columns; all income is totaled at the bottom of each column](https://cdn.bfldr.com/NIEXAZS5/at/k66khk433hsbbs2s4t5fhxpp/IvE-Income-Sources-Web-Help-Article.png?auto=webp&format=png) In the example above, "Credit Card Cash Back Rewards", Employer", "Partner's Employer", and "Side Hustle" are all separate income source **payee** names. Even though all the inflow transactions for these sources were categorized as Income: Ready to Assign, Income v Expense shows the amounts separated **by payee**.  Wanting to track the specific deductions from your paycheck inflows? Check out [Payroll Deductions: An Overview](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/payroll-deductions-an-overview-HJMG_8WR9).  [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## Reimbursements, Refunds, and Other Inflows More often than not, inflow transactions will flow through Income: Ready to Assign, but there are some exceptions. Some examples could be an inflow transaction from a refund you've received, or a reimbursement from a friend. With any of these transactions, you might be wondering—which category should I select? To quickly determine the answer, ask yourself the following: **“Is this inflow offsetting an expense that’s already in YNAB?”** **If no**, then consider this new income and categorize it to Income: Ready to Assign. **If yes**, then categorize it back to the original spending category. This will also help keep [Income v Expense](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/income-v-expense-Byu1BYWRq) accurate since your spending will be offset by the amount of the return. **If unsure**, you can read [our article on reimbursements](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/reimbursements-in-ynab-H1W7ilhC5) for additional information or reach out to our Support Specialists for more help! #### Credit Card Refunds and Returns If your refund was on a credit card, no need to decide whether it offset an expense already in YNAB. Categorize the [credit card refund](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/credit-card-refunds-and-returns-H1J7qDWkj) to the original spending category, **not** Ready to Assign. [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ### What’s the difference between Income: Ready to Assign and Inflow: Ready to Assign? There’s no difference between Income: Ready to Assign and Inflow: Ready to Assign. On iOS and Android, the category shows as Income: Ready to Assign. On Web, you’ll see Inflow: Ready to Assign instead. [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## Help Us Help You! Our Knowledge Base team reviews article feedback responses weekly, and we actively revise these articles to make them as helpful as possible. That's where you come in! Our articles are scored based on the _Yes_ or _No_ ratings received below. We also collect freeform feedback for any _No_ ratings (so our team can focus in on what you were specifically searching for!). **Success**: Found what you were searching for? It would be super helpful if you click _Yes_ below. **Suggestions**: Didn't find what you're searching for and you'd like to share what terms or topics you wanted? Click _No_ below. You'll then be able to submit your feedback about this article. **Please note:** the feedback submissions are anonymous, and we’re not able to respond, so make sure to use the next option if you have a specific scenario or question you would like a response to. **Support**: If you have a question or would like a response to your specific question, [tell the chatbot you need a human or send us an email](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-get-help-SygqcvtC5) to ensure that your message gets to our Support team!