> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.setaside.money/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Transactions and merchant rules

> Review spending, assign Expenses, and automate repeat assignments.

Transactions connect real activity to your plan. Review the merchant, amount, date, account, and Expense assignment when a purchase arrives.

## Review and assign

Find transactions by account, date, or merchant. Assign a cost to the Expense that should cover it. Add notes or a category when that makes later review easier.

Manual transactions record activity that a bank feed does not deliver. Check for an imported record before adding one.

## Merchant rules

Rules help assign recurring merchant activity consistently. Create a rule deliberately when you want future matching purchases handled the same way. Review broad matches so unrelated purchases do not draw from the wrong Expense.

<Note>Accepting an Expense Suggestion will create an Expense. It will not create a merchant rule or reassign your old transactions.</Note>

## Pending and posted activity

A bank can change an amount or description as a purchase moves from pending to posted. Compare the transaction's current state and your connection's freshness before treating a difference as an extra purchase.

## Refunds and transfers

A refund is different from income, and moving money between bank accounts is different from spending. Review these classifications and Expense assignments to keep your plan understandable.

[Build transaction automations with the API](/api-reference/transactions).


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