Using the Setup Checklist is the best way to get started. Clicking on each item in the checklist will navigate you to the relevant page to complete that step. The checklist will guide you through the full setup process of connecting your accounts, creating categories, and setting up your budget.
You should connect day-to-day transaction accounts, typically checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards. You may also connect other accounts, like brokerage and loan accounts, for net worth tracking on the Dashboard page and to maintain a comprehensive view of your finances on the Accounts page, however these are not used in the budgeting reports and analyses.
On the Accounts page, click the Add Account button (or + icon in the mobile app) and then the Connect Account button in the screen that appears. You will be guided through a secure connection process using Plaid, which allows you to securely link your bank accounts. Our platform is read-only, so there is no risk of money movement or account modification. You may sync up to 20 accounts and add an unlimited number of manual accounts.
We currently only connect institutions that are supported by Plaid. If you are unable to find your bank, you can still use BudgetBadger by adding manual asset or liability accounts on the Accounts page (Add Account > Add Manual Account) and entering manual transactions on the Transactions page (Add button). Balances on manual accounts are only updated when you edit them in the app, since they do not sync from a bank. You can also reach out through our Contact page if you want us to research adding your institution.
After connecting your account, transactions will automatically sync for the last 12 months. The first sync may take a few minutes depending on how much history is available. After the first sync, transactions will sync automatically every 6 hours or so. The system only syncs posted transactions (not pending) and relies on a third-party service (Plaid), so there may be a slight delay seeing new transactions appearing in your account. Reach out to us on our Contact page if you need help.
You can invite up to 3 others to join and share family finances. This feature is available for subscribers on the Settings page, which can be accessed in the Profile menu. Each invited member creates their own login and can connect their own accounts. If a household member leaves, their accounts and transaction data are removed, but the household owner and other members' data is maintained.