Scheduled Transactions: A Guide

April 1 2025 12:24am • Est. Read Time: 7 MIN

Plan for future and repeating transactions right in the account register with scheduled transactions. Add or edit scheduled transactions to make upcoming expenses visible, and review these transactions while creating your spending plan. Learn how to hide or delete scheduled transactions.

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In This Article

How to Add a Scheduled Transaction

Repeating Transactions
Explains the options available for repeating transactions

Upcoming Transactions in Your Categories
Explains how to view upcoming Scheduled Transactions in your categories across all platforms

How to Hide Scheduled Transactions

Editing or Deleting Scheduled Transactions
Explains that you can adjust and customize these upcoming transactions and points to specific process steps

How to Add a Scheduled Transaction

When you know a transaction is coming down the road (especially a repeating transaction), add it to your account register now to stay organized. If you're using linked accounts ↗️ via Direct Import or File-Based Importing ↗️, YNAB will automatically match transactions ↗️ when they import.

  •  Web
  •  iOS
  •  Android
  1. From the web app, click on an account in the left sidebar.

  2. Click the Add Transaction button.

  3. Enter the date of the next transaction occurrence. If you want it to repeat, select the frequency of the transaction by using the drop-down menu below the calendar.

  4. Your transaction will now appear in gray at the top of your register. It will not yet affect your budget.

  5. When the date of the next occurrence comes, the transaction will appear in bold in your register, waiting for you to approve it (we want to make sure it actually happened as planned!).

 Cleared or Uncleared?   

When Scheduled Transactions are entered in your account, they will automatically be marked as uncleared. When the transaction clears your bank, be sure to mark it as cleared in YNAB. 

Cash accounts are the exception—Scheduled Transactions entered in cash accounts will automatically be marked as cleared. You can read more about that in our article on handling cash in YNAB ↗️!

  1. From the mobile app, tap the Transaction button (plus sign icon ) at the bottom of the screen. 

  2. Choose the payee, amount, category, account, and date of the next occurrence. If needed, you can create a new payee or category from the transaction entry window as well. 

  3. If you’d like the transaction to repeat, tap Repeat, selecting the frequency of this transaction. 

  4. Your transaction will now appear in gray at the top of your register. It will not yet affect your budget. 

  5. When the date of the next occurrence comes, the transaction will appear in bold in your register, waiting for you to approve it (we want to make sure it actually happened as planned!). 

 Cleared or Uncleared?   

When Scheduled Transactions are entered in your account, they will automatically be marked as uncleared. When the transaction clears your bank, be sure to mark it as such in YNAB. 

Cash accounts are the exception—Scheduled Transactions entered in cash accounts will automatically be marked as cleared. You can read more about that in our article on handling cash in YNAB ↗️!

  1. From the mobile app, tap the Transaction button (plus sign icon ) at the bottom of the screen. 

  2. Choose the payee, amount, category, account, and date of the next occurrence. If needed, you can create a new payee or category from the transaction entry window as well. 

  3. If you’d like the transaction to repeat, tap Never and select the frequency of this transaction from the pop-up window choices. 

  4. Your transaction will now appear in gray at the top of your register. It will not yet affect your budget. 

  5. When the date of the next occurrence comes, the transaction will appear in bold in your register, waiting for you to approve it (we want to make sure it actually happened as planned!). 

 Cleared or Uncleared?   

When Scheduled Transactions are entered in your account, they will automatically be marked as uncleared. When the transaction clears your bank, be sure to mark it as such in YNAB. 

Cash accounts are the exception—Scheduled Transactions entered in cash accounts will automatically be marked as cleared. You can read more about that in our article on handling cash in YNAB ↗️!

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Repeating Transactions

You have a number of options available when scheduling repeating transactions.

  • Daily
    Repeats every day.

  • Weekly
    Repeats each week on the same day. For example, your transaction will repeat every Monday.

  • Every other week
    Repeats every other week on the same day. For example, your transaction will repeat every other Monday.

  • Twice a month
    Repeats twice a month. You choose a day of the month (for example, the 5th). The second transaction of the month will always occur 15 days later, regardless of the month's end (for example, on the 20th). 

  • Every four weeks
    Repeats every four weeks on the same day. For example, your transaction will repeat every four Mondays.

  • Monthly
    Repeats every month. For example, your transaction will repeat every month on the 17th.

  • Every other month
    Repeats every other month. For example, your transaction will repeat every other month on the 17th.

  • Every three months
    Repeats every three months. For example, your transaction will repeat every three months on the 17th. 

  • Every four months
    Repeats every four months. For example, your transaction will repeat every four months on the 17th.

  • Twice a year
    Repeats every sixth months. For example, your transaction will repeat every six months on the 17th.

  • Yearly
    Repeats every year. For example, your transaction will repeat once a year, every January 1st.

  • Every other year
    Repeats every other year. For example, your transaction will repeat once every other year on January 1st.

 Longer and Shorter Months   

When you schedule a transaction for the 31st of the month, it will repeat on the last day of shorter months. This only works if you create the schedule during a month with 31 days.

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Upcoming Transactions in Your Categories

When you’re reviewing your budget, you can review your upcoming Scheduled Transactions—and how much you’ll have left after they happen.

 How to View Upcoming Scheduled Transactions   

  •  Web
  •  iOS
  •  Android
  1. From the web app, click on Budget in the left sidebar (located immediately below the name of your budget).

  2. Select the category.

  3. Review the Inspector (or the right sidebar) under the Available Balance header.

  4. Click on the Upcoming Transaction link.

  5. Click on any upcoming transaction to go directly to the account register where you can edit it, if necessary.

After selecting a category, 1 upcoming transaction is shown on the right side under Available Balance

 Noticing a Yellow Category Alert?   

If the Available amount is insufficient for an upcoming transaction, you'll notice a yellow alert in the category inspector (because yellow means underfunded ↗️). At the beginning of the month, you can use the Underfunded option under Auto-Assign ↗️ to make sure you set aside enough for all your upcoming Scheduled Transactions.

  1. From the mobile app, tap the Budget tab at the bottom of the app, then toggle on Categories at the top.

  2. Tap the category.

  3. Tap the Details button  .

  4. If you have one or more transactions scheduled for the current month, review the Info section. This shows you the amount of the upcoming transaction(s) and the amount that will remain available in your category after they happen.

 Noticing a Yellow Category Alert?   

If you haven't assigned enough for an upcoming transaction, you’ll notice a yellow alert in the budget (because yellow means underfunded ↗️). At the beginning of the month, you can use the Underfunded option under Auto-Assign ↗️ to make sure you set aside enough for all your upcoming Scheduled Transactions.

  1. From the mobile app, tap the Budget tab at the bottom of the app, then toggle on Categories at the top.

  2. Tap the category.

  3. Tap the Details button .

  4. If you have one or more transactions scheduled for the current month, review the Info section. This shows you the amount of the upcoming transaction(s) and the amount that will remain available in your category after they happen.

 Noticing a Yellow Category Alert?   

If you haven't assigned enough for an upcoming transaction, you’ll notice a yellow alert in the budget (because yellow means underfunded ↗️). At the beginning of the month, you can use the Underfunded option under Auto-Assign ↗️ to make sure you set aside enough for all your upcoming Scheduled Transactions.

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How to Hide Scheduled Transactions

  •  Web
  •  iOS
  •  Android

If you have lots of Scheduled Transactions, you may want to hide them sometimes. Here's how to filter them out of your register views.

  1. In the web app, whether you're in the All Accounts tab view or a specific account register, you can click anywhere on the Scheduled Transactions header to hide that section. This filters any upcoming Scheduled Transactions out of the view. 

  2. You'll notice that the line for Scheduled Transactions is still at the top of your register, but the list is collapsed. You can click again to expand or unhide that collapsed list to make the upcoming Scheduled Transactions accessible once again.

If you have lots of Scheduled Transactions, you may want to hide them sometimes. Here's how to filter them out of your register views.

  1. In the iOS mobile app, whether you're in the All Transactions tab view or a specific account register, you can tap anywhere on the Scheduled header to hide that section—this filters any upcoming Scheduled Transactions out of the view.

  2. You'll notice that the line for Scheduled Transactions is still at the top of your register, but the list is collapsed. You can tap again to expand or unhide the list to make the upcoming Scheduled Transactions available once again.

If you have lots of Scheduled Transactions, you may want to hide them sometimes. Here's how to filter them out of your register views.

  1. In the Android mobile app, whether you're in the All Transactions tab view or a specific account register, you can tap anywhere on the Scheduled header to hide that section—this filters any upcoming Scheduled Transactions out of the view.

  2. You'll notice that the line for Scheduled Transactions is still at the top of your register, but the list is collapsed. You can tap again to expand or unhide the list to make the upcoming Scheduled Transactions available once again.

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Editing or Deleting Scheduled Transactions

For specific process steps on adjusting and customizing, check out our article on how to edit and delete Scheduled Transactions ↗️. Things change, and your Scheduled Transactions can, too! Did you end up paying your bill early in a different month? No problem! Need to change an amount, date, or delete an occurrence altogether? You can review, edit, delete, or enter a scheduled transaction into the register now (to handle those early pay scenarios!). You also have the option to change just the current transaction or all future occurrences. 

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