Split a Transaction

How to split a single transaction across multiple categories in Forbidden Finance, and when splitting is the right approach.

Overview

Splitting a transaction lets you divide a single purchase across multiple budget categories. This is useful when one receipt covers items that belong in different categories. For example, a grocery store purchase might include food, household supplies, and a birthday card. Instead of lumping the entire amount into one category, you can split it so each portion counts toward the right budget.

When to Split

Splitting is the right choice when:

A single purchase includes items from different budget categories (groceries and cleaning supplies from the same store)
A bill covers multiple types of expenses (a phone bill that includes a device payment and service charges)
You want precise budget tracking without creating separate transactions

Splitting is not the right choice for transfers between accounts. Use the transfer linking feature for those instead.

How to Split a Transaction

Open the transaction

Find the transaction in your transaction list and tap it to open the detail view.

Tap Split

Tap the Split button. The split editor opens with the full transaction amount shown at the top.

Add your first split

Enter the amount for the first category and select the category from the dropdown. For example, $65.00 to Groceries.

Add more splits

Tap Add Split to create additional lines. Enter the amount and category for each. For example, $22.00 to Household Supplies and $8.00 to Gifts.

Verify the total

The editor shows a running total of your splits and the remaining unallocated amount. All splits must add up exactly to the original transaction amount before you can save.

Save the split

Tap Save. The original transaction now shows as "Split" in your transaction list, and each split amount flows into its respective budget category.

Key Details

Splits must equal the total. The sum of all split amounts must match the original transaction amount exactly. You cannot save until the math checks out.
The original transaction amount does not change. Splitting only determines how the amount is distributed across categories. Your account balance stays the same.
Each split counts in its category budget. If you split $100 into $60 Groceries and $40 Household, your Groceries budget shows $60 in spending and your Household budget shows $40.
A transaction is either categorized or split, not both. When you split a transaction, the single-category assignment is replaced by the split breakdown.
You can add a description to each split to note what that portion was for (e.g., "cleaning supplies" on the Household split).
Editing splits: Open the transaction and tap Edit Split to change amounts, categories, or add/remove lines.
Removing a split: Tap Remove Split to undo the split entirely. The transaction reverts to a single uncategorized transaction that you can assign a category to.

Tips

If one category dominates the transaction (say, $90 of a $100 purchase is groceries), assign the whole thing to Groceries and skip the split. Splitting is most valuable when the amounts are significant enough to affect your budget picture.

Use the remaining amount display to quickly fill in the last split. If you have $100 total and your first two splits are $60 and $25, you know the last split should be $15.

Split amounts must add up exactly to the transaction total. If they do not, the save button remains disabled. Check for rounding differences if you are having trouble.