How the Transactions page totals work
On the Transactions page, Spending is every charge in the range minus your Savings categories, Income is every incoming amount (refunds included), and anything labelled ignore is left out of both.
The Stats panel on the right of the Transactions page (the Stats tab on a phone) adds up the transactions in the date range you picked. FIYR records money out as a positive amount and money in as a negative amount, and the formulas follow from that.
Spending = charges − Savings group charges
- Charges are all positive amounts in the range that are not labelled ignore.
- Savings group charges are charges in a Savings category (Investments, Internal Transfer and any you add there). Money you move to your own savings or investments is not spending.
Income = every incoming amount in the range that is not labelled ignore
- This includes refunds, returns, credits and incoming transfers, not only paychecks.
Cash Flow = Income − Spending Savings rate = Cash Flow ÷ Income
That is the savings rate you see by default. If you changed how your savings rate is measured in Settings > Savings Rate (for example, to count your 401(k)), the savings rate figure can follow that choice instead, so it may differ from this formula.
Spending $677.41 = $1,077.41 of charges − $400.00 in Savings categories. Income $3,282.99 is every incoming amount, refunds included. 2 ignored transactions left out of both.
A worked example
Say your month has $1,000 of purchases, a $500 transfer to your brokerage categorized Investments, a $3,000 paycheck and a $50 refund.
- Charges: $1,000 + $500 = $1,500. Savings group charges: $500. Spending = $1,000.
- Income = $3,000 + $50 = $3,050. The refund is counted as income, not subtracted from spending.
- Cash Flow = $3,050 − $1,000 = $2,050. Savings rate = $2,050 ÷ $3,050 = 67.2%.
Refunds count as income here
A refund arrives as an incoming amount, so on the Transactions page it adds to Income rather than lowering Spending. If you would rather a refund cancel out the purchase, label both the purchase and the refund ignore, and neither is counted.
Transfers and card payments
A credit card payment and the matching credit on the card are normally ignored for you, so they count as neither spending nor income. Transfers to your own savings usually arrive as the Transfer category, which does count as spending until you ignore it or move it to Internal Transfer. Transfers and credit card payments explains how to fix that once with a rule.
Search and filters change the totals too
When a search or filter is active, the panel title changes to Filtered Data and every figure is recalculated for just the matching transactions. That is a quick way to total one merchant: search "Costco" and read Spending.
Other numbers on the page
- The day total on each date row adds that day's charges (positive amounts) except ignored ones. It does not subtract Savings categories.
- Budgets count spending their own way. See What counts toward a budget.
- The Cash Flow page and reports have their own article: Cash Flow.
Common questions
Why is a refund counted as income?
Every incoming amount that is not ignored adds to Income on the Transactions page. Refunds are not netted against spending. Label the purchase and the refund ignore if you want them to cancel out.
Why are my transfers to savings counted as spending?
Your bank usually reports them as the Transfer category, which counts as spending. Move them to Internal Transfer (a Savings category) or label them ignore. A rule can do it automatically.
Does an Investments contribution count as spending?
No. Charges in the Savings group, including Investments and Internal Transfer, are subtracted from Spending and raise your savings rate.
What does the ignore label remove?
The transaction is left out of Spending, Income, the day total, budgets and charts. It stays in the list, faded.
Still stuck?
Email us. A real person who builds FIYR reads every message.