Manage expense categories

This article explains how expense categories work in SharedAnchor and how to add and manage them. Categories are shared account settings, so you and your co-parent see the same list. You can manage categories on web, and the categories you set up are used when you add an expense on web, iOS, and Android.

What categories are used for

A category groups a shared cost by what it was for, such as medical, school, or activities. When you add an expense, you pick the category it belongs to, so every cost lands in a clear group. Your balance and reports use these groups to show a per-category breakdown, so you can see how much has gone to medical versus school versus activities. Because categories are shared account settings, both co-parents work from the same list and the same groupings.

Where to manage categories

Go to Settings and open Categories to manage your list. The page shows a category library split into two groups: Built-in categories that come with SharedAnchor, and Custom categories that you add yourself. A search box at the top lets you filter the list by typing part of a category name.

Add a new category

On the Categories page, choose Add custom category to open the New Category form. Fill in an Icon, a Name (for example, Pet Care), and an optional Description that notes what types of expenses belong there. You can also set the Split, which is how the cost of expenses in this category is shared between you and your co-parent. Choose Save to add the category, or Cancel to close the form without adding it. A category needs a name before you can save it, so the Save action stays unavailable until you type one.

Edit or remove a custom category

For a category you added yourself, the pencil control opens an editor where you can change its icon, name, and description. The trash control removes a custom category you no longer need. Built-in categories that come with SharedAnchor do not have the delete control, so they stay in your library.

Set a split for a category

Each category can use your account-wide default split, or its own exception split that overrides the default. On a category, choose Add exception to set a split just for that category, or Edit exception to change one you already set. The Default Split section near the top of the page sets the split used by every category that does not have its own exception.

Use a category on an expense

When you add an expense, you pick which category it belongs to as one of the expense fields. Checking the category before you submit matters, because the category is what drives the per-category breakdown in your balance and reports. For the full walkthrough of adding an expense, see the Track an expense article.

Troubleshooting and notes

If you cannot find where to manage categories, go to Settings and open Categories. If the Save action on the New Category form is unavailable, make sure you have typed a name for the category. If a category you added is missing, use the search box to filter the list, since a long library can push it out of view. If a built-in category has no delete control, that is expected, because only custom categories you added can be removed.