Understanding Budget Rollover
Rollover lets a category's unused budget carry forward instead of resetting to zero every month. This guide covers exactly how it works, when to use it, and how to turn it on.
The Basic Idea
Without rollover, every category resets to its budgeted amount at the start of each month, no matter what happened the month before. With rollover turned on, whatever's left over - or however far over you went - carries into the next month instead.
📝 Example
You budget $400 for groceries in January and spend $350 - $50 left over. That carries into February as $450 available. Say you spend $380 in February - now there's $70 left over ($450 available minus $380 spent), which carries into March as $470 available. This keeps compounding every month rollover stays on - it isn't just last month's leftover, it's the running total of every month's over- or under-spending combined.
Turning It On
To enable rollover on a category:
- Go to Categories
- Edit the category
- Check Enable Rollover
- Save
Rollover is a per-category setting - turn it on for the categories where it makes sense, and leave it off everywhere else.
When Rollover Works Against You
Rollover cuts both ways. If you overspend a category one month, that shortfall carries into the next month too - reducing what's actually available until you catch back up.
⚠️ Example
You budget $200 for dining out in March and spend $260 - $60 over. In April, you only have $140 available ($200 minus that $60 shortfall). Spend $180 in April and you're still $40 short of even that reduced amount, so May starts with just $160 available ($200 minus $40). The shortfall doesn't clear itself after one month - it keeps compounding until you spend enough under budget to work it off.
Good Categories for Rollover
Rollover shines for categories that don't cost the same every month.
- Car maintenance - some months $0, some months $600
- Gifts - quiet most of the year, busy around birthdays and holidays
- Home repairs - unpredictable by nature
- Annual or semi-annual expenses you're saving toward
Categories with fairly consistent monthly spending - groceries, gas, subscriptions - usually don't need it as much, since there's rarely much left over or overspent to carry forward.
Quick Tips
- 🎯 Not all-or-nothing: Mix rollover and non-rollover categories freely
- 📅 Check it monthly: A rollover category building up a big cushion might mean you're over-budgeting it
- ⚠️ Watch for shortfalls: A category that's been over budget for a few months in a row is worth a closer look
Next Steps
- Budget Basics - The full zero-based budgeting picture
- Setting Up Categories - Organize your categories
Still have questions? Contact support