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Small debts

Available onAndroidiOSWeb

The Debts list helps you keep track of what you owe and what's owed to you: money borrowed from a friend, an informal loan from family, or money you lent someone. For bigger loans with regular payments and interest, such as a car loan or mortgage, use a loan account instead.

Free and Pro

On the Free plan you can track 2 debts. Pro raises this to 200.

The Debts list​

Open the side menu and tap Debts (under Budget settings). Your debts are grouped into Pinned debts, I borrowed, I Lent and Closed, each with its total Balance.

At the top you'll find New debt, a bookmark button to add the list to your bookmarks, and a ⋮ menu with Reorder.

Add a debt​

  1. In Debts, tap New debt.
  2. Enter a Name and choose an icon and a colour.
  3. Choose the Debt type: I borrowed from someone, I borrowed from a bank or I Lent.
  4. Choose the Initial balance source:
    • Manual: type the Initial balance. This only records the debt; it doesn't touch your budget.
    • From transaction: pick the Source transaction that the debt came from. For money you borrowed from someone, pick the income transaction where you received it. For money you lent, pick the expense where you gave it.
  5. Set the Starting date and, if there is one, the Due date.
  6. Confirm.

If you choose I borrowed from a bank, the app suggests a loan or credit card account instead, since those handle regular payments and interest. Tap Create account to set one up.

Debt details​

Tap a debt to open Debt details. It shows the Running balance chart, how much is paid off out of the total, the Due date, Notes, reminders, and the Transaction history.

Debt details for money lent to Ava: the running balance chart, paid off of the total, the due date, notes, Add transaction and Adjust balanceDebt details for money lent to Ava: the running balance chart, paid off of the total, the due date, notes, Add transaction and Adjust balance

The buttons at the top let you pin the debt to the top of the list, Add reminder, and open the Debt calculator (the loan calculator, filled in with the debt's balance and due date). The ⋮ menu has Edit, Show balance history, Close and Delete.

Record repayments and changes​

There are two ways to update a debt, and you can mix them on the same debt.

Add a transaction (affects your budget)​

Use this when money really moves in or out of your accounts.

  1. In Debt details, tap Add transaction.
  2. Choose New transaction or Link existing transaction.
  3. For a new transaction, choose the Action:
    • Repay debt: paying back money you borrowed is an expense (choose the account it comes From and a Category). Getting back money you lent is income (choose the account it goes To).
    • Increase debt: borrowing more is income; lending more is an expense.
  4. Enter the amount and Date, and confirm.

Repeat a repayment​

For a repayment you make on a schedule, like $50 to a friend every fortnight, set it up once on the new transaction instead of adding each one:

  1. Tap Repeat and choose how often it happens, for example Fortnightly or Monthly.
  2. For a schedule of a month or longer, turn on On the last day of the month if it falls when the month ends.
  3. Number of payments: leave it on Unlimited, or use − and + to stop after a set number, for example the 10 payments it takes to clear the debt.
  4. Weekend adjustment: keep the date, or move a payment that falls on a weekend to the Monday after or the Friday before.
  5. Confirm.
A debt repayment repeating fortnightly, 10 payments, shifted to the next Monday on weekends.A debt repayment repeating fortnightly, 10 payments, shifted to the next Monday on weekends.

Each payment is recorded on its date and linked to the debt like a single one. With Repeat on, the first payment can also be in the future. These rows work as in Recurring transactions, and each series counts toward your upcoming transactions limit there.

Link existing transaction attaches a transaction you've already recorded: an expense for a debt you owe, or an income for a debt owed to you.

Adjust the balance (doesn't affect your budget)​

Use this for corrections, or for debts you prefer to keep outside your budget.

  1. In Debt details, tap Adjust balance.
  2. Enter the new balance, the date and, optionally, notes.
  3. Confirm.

Each adjustment is listed under Balance adjustment history (turn it on or off with Show balance history in the ⋮ menu).

Which method should I use?​

  • Linked transactions show the debt's effect on your budget. When you borrow, the money arrives as income and your repayments are expenses. When you lend, the money leaves as an expense and repayments come back as income. Best for larger or more important debts where you want to see the money flow.
  • Manual tracking (manual initial balance and Adjust balance) keeps the debt separate from your budget totals. It's simpler and fits small, informal debts.

Close or delete a debt​

When a debt's balance reaches zero, the app tells you you've cleared it. You can also end a debt yourself:

  • Close keeps the debt and its history under Closed and stops tracking it.
  • Delete removes the debt entirely. Transactions linked to it are not affected.
Warning

Both actions can't be undone. A closed debt can't be reopened, so make sure all transactions and adjustments are recorded first.

Your debts also show in Net worth.

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