Budget Goals

A goal tells a category what it needs, so Zerosum can show what to budget in the month you're viewing. You pick how often the category needs money and how the goal counts it.

Pick a goal

Ask yourself whether you want to put in money, keep money ready to spend, or have a balance saved.

By a date means once, yearly, or every few months, with the amount spread across the months until the due date.

What counts toward each goal

How Refill up to counts

Refill up to doesn't watch the Available amount. Each period it counts what the category started with plus what you budget during the period. Spending doesn't change this period's ask: the next period starts with less, so it asks for more then.

Groceries, refill up to $600 each month:

The goal card shows the same numbers: what the month started with, what you budgeted, and what's still needed.

A Refill up to goal by a date works the same way per period: it counts what carried into the period's first month, and spreads the rest across the months until the due date.

How much a goal asks each month

• Weekly, biweekly and monthly: the period's amount. A weekly goal counts every week in the month, so a month with five Fridays asks five times.

• By a date: what's still missing, spread evenly across the months left, due month included. Budget more one month and later months ask less; budget less and they ask more.

• The first period runs from the month you create the goal to its first due date. After that, each period is the repeat length ending on the due date: every 3 months, due in March, covers January to March.

• After the due date: a one-time Budget another or Refill up to goal stops asking and shows how far short it ended, if it did. Reach a balance keeps asking until it holds its amount.

Goals with a date show a funding plan in the category's side panel, so you can see how this month fits the deadline.

Extra options

• Stop at a balance (Budget another): stop asking once the category holds a set amount, like $100 a month for car repairs until it holds $2,000.

• Monthly funding cap (Refill up to): limit how much one month asks, so refilling after a big expense spreads over several months.

Editing a goal

A goal starts in the month you're viewing when you create it. Changing its amount or due date keeps that start. Switching another kind of goal to a Budget another or Refill up to goal with a date starts it fresh in the month you're viewing, so budgeting from before the switch doesn't count toward it. To move a start, delete the goal and create it again in the month you want.

Where goals show up

• Category row: a short status like Need $50 this month or Funded.

• Goal card in the side panel: overall progress and a Budget button for what the month needs.

• Goal peek: click the goal icon in the row for a quick look.

• Auto-budget: Underbudgeted funds every goal's ask for the month in one step.

Snoozing and planning ahead

Snooze this month on a goal card or goal peek (or Shift + S on selected rows) quiets a goal's ask until next month. Open-ended goals have no ask to snooze.

When you budget months ahead, Settings > Budgeting > Plan future months fresh decides whether a Refill up to goal asks for its full amount in a future month, or only what the money likely to carry over won't cover.

ℹ️ Credit card payments: a card's Payment category takes a fixed monthly payment goal or a pay-off-by-date goal. See how payment goals work.

Common questions

Why does my Refill up to goal say Funded when Available is lower?

The period started with enough, or you budgeted it, so this period's refill is done. What you spent is asked back next period. The side panel shows the real Available amount above the goal.

Why is a goal asking for more than usual this month?

Money was moved out of the category this month, and the goal asks for it back now. The side panel says how much of the ask puts money back.

Why does auto-budget fund a weekly goal's whole month?

The row asks one week at a time; Underbudgeted plans the whole month. To fund the month at once, use Budget $X for the rest of the month on the goal card.