Manual Accounts

How to create and manage manual accounts in Forbidden Finance, including account types, initial balances, balance updates, and Free tier limits.

Overview

Manual accounts let you track your finances without connecting to a bank. You create an account, set a starting balance, and enter transactions by hand or import them from CSV and JSON files. Every Forbidden Finance user can create manual accounts -- they are available on all tiers, including Free. Manual accounts are especially useful for tracking cash, accounts at banks that do not support connections, or simply maintaining awareness of your spending by entering each transaction yourself.

How to Create a Manual Account

Go to Accounts

Open the Accounts tab from the bottom navigation bar.

Tap Add Account

Tap the + button or Add Account. Select Manual Account (as opposed to connecting a bank).

Choose the account type

Select the type that best describes this account. Your options depend on your tier:

Account Type	Free	Starter	Pro	Premium
Checking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Savings	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Credit Card	--	Yes	Yes	Yes
Loan	--	Yes	Yes	Yes
Money Market	--	Yes	Yes	Yes
Investment	--	--	Yes	Yes

Name the account

Give the account a name you will recognize, like "Chase Checking," "Emergency Fund," or "Cash Wallet."

Set the initial balance

Enter the current balance of the account. For checking and savings, this is typically the amount in the account right now. For credit cards, enter the current balance as a negative number (since you owe it). For loans, enter the remaining principal as a negative number.

Save

Tap Save. Your account appears in the accounts list and is ready for transactions.

Updating the Balance Manually

Your manual account balance is calculated from the initial balance plus all transactions. If the calculated balance drifts from reality (for example, you forgot to enter some transactions), you can set the balance directly.

Open the account

Tap the account in your accounts list.

Tap Update Balance

Find the Update Balance option in the account details.

Enter the current balance

Type the actual current balance. Forbidden Finance records the adjustment and updates the account immediately.

Balance updates are timestamped and recorded in your account history. If you use the account for net worth tracking, the updated balance is reflected in your next net worth calculation.

Free Tier Limits

On the Free tier, you can create up to 10 manual accounts, and only Checking and Savings types are available. This is more than enough for basic spending tracking with separate accounts for different purposes.

If you need more accounts or additional account types (credit cards, loans, investments), upgrading to Starter or above removes the account limit and unlocks all account types available at your tier.

Key Details

Account types are permanent. Once you create an account as a specific type, you cannot change its type. If you need a different type, create a new account and transfer or re-import your transactions.
Manual accounts support all transaction features -- manual entry, CSV and JSON import, splitting, transfers, categories, and tags.
Deleting an account removes it from your accounts list but preserves transaction history. The account and its transactions no longer appear in budgets or reports.
Currency defaults to your primary currency. On Starter and above, you can set a different currency per account for multi-currency tracking.

Tips

Create a "Cash" or "Wallet" account to track cash spending. Every time you make a cash purchase, add a manual transaction to this account. It is a simple way to make sure cash spending shows up in your budget.

If you are on the Free tier and want to try Forbidden Finance before committing, start with two or three manual accounts for your main spending areas. You can always connect your bank later when you upgrade.

Free tier accounts are limited to Checking and Savings types. If you need to track credit cards, loans, or investments, you need Starter tier or above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert a manual account to a bank-synced account?

Not directly. If you later connect your bank and the same account appears, you can keep both and merge the transaction history by linking them as a transfer or you can stop using the manual account. Future transactions sync automatically from the connected account.