Getting Started with Cashflow

Cashflow is a check register and account ledger for your phone. It tracks what you have, what has cleared the bank, and what you expect to have once everything posts. This guide walks you from a fresh install to a working register.

Install

Cashflow is available on the App Store and on Google Play. There are two versions of the app:

• Cashflow — the paid version. No ads, plus extra features.
• Cashflow Free — ad-supported, with the same core register.

Both versions ship on iOS and Android. Pick the one you want and install it the same way you’d install any other app. Cashflow does not link to your bank, so there is no account creation, no sign-in, and no setup wizard. When you open the app for the first time you go straight to the register.

Create your first account

In Cashflow, an “account” is a place your money lives — a checking account, a credit card, a cash envelope, anything you want to track.

1. Open the app and tap the accounts list (the menu icon in the top-left).
2. Tap Add account.
3. Give it a name (for example, “Checking”).
4. Enter the starting balance — usually the balance shown on your most recent statement.
5. Save.

You only need one account to start. You can add more at any time, including credit cards (which behave like accounts that go negative as you spend).

Add a transaction

Open the account and tap the + button to add a new entry. You’ll fill in:

• Date — when the transaction happened (or will happen).
• Payee — who you paid, or who paid you.
• Amount — positive for deposits, negative for spending. Cashflow handles the sign for you based on the type you pick.
• Category — optional, for reports.
• Cleared — leave this off until the transaction shows up on your bank statement.

Save the transaction and it appears in the register, sorted by date.

Reconciling: current, cleared, and ending

This is the part that makes Cashflow different from a notes app. Every account shows three balances:

• Current balance — what you have right now, including everything you’ve entered up to today.
• Cleared balance — only the transactions you’ve marked as cleared. This should match your bank’s posted balance once you’re caught up.
• Ending balance — your current balance plus every future-dated transaction (scheduled bills, upcoming deposits). This is what you’ll have once everything you’ve planned for goes through.

The three balances are visible everywhere you look at an account, because the answer to “do I have enough money?” depends on which one you mean.

To reconcile against a bank statement:

1. Open the account.
2. Compare each line item on the statement to the matching transaction in Cashflow.
3. Tap the cleared indicator on each one as you confirm it.
4. When the cleared balance in Cashflow matches the statement, you’re reconciled.

If something on the statement isn’t in Cashflow, add it. If something in Cashflow isn’t on the statement yet, leave it uncleared — that’s normal for transactions that haven’t posted.

Next steps

Once your first account is reconciled, you might want to:

• Set up scheduled transactions for your recurring bills and paychecks so they show up automatically.
• Configure backups so a lost or replaced phone doesn’t take your data with it.
• Add the rest of your accounts and start using the ending balance to plan ahead.

If you get stuck, the FAQ covers the questions we hear most often. Anything not answered there, contact support and we’ll help.