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How to add an expense in Extrack

Record a one-off expense from any of your accounts in under ten seconds.

Last updated: 2026-05-242 min read

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To add an expense in Extrack, open the New transaction modal (the floating + button on the Home, Transactions or People page, or the "New transaction" header button on the Transactions page). Pick the Expense kind, enter an amount, choose the "Paid from" account, optionally add categories, people and a name, then tap Create.

Steps

  1. Open the New transaction modal

    Tap the amber floating + button at the bottom-right of Home, Transactions or People. On the Transactions page, the "New transaction" button in the header also opens the same modal.

  2. Pick the Expense kind

    Three kind buttons sit at the top of the modal: Expense, Income, Transfer. Expense is selected by default.

  3. Enter the amount and pick "Paid from"

    Type the amount in the Amount field. Pick the account that paid in the "Paid from" picker — any non-closed account, cash, bank or credit card.

    Tip — If the account you need is missing, use the small "Create account" link inside the picker — Extrack creates it inline without losing your form.

  4. Optional: name, date, categories, people

    Name (optional), Date (defaults to today), Categories (optional, plural — multi-select), People (optional, comma-separated names). Categories has a quick-pick row of your most-used categories below the input.

  5. Tap Create

    The button at the bottom of the modal reads "Create" on a new transaction and "Save" when editing. The row posts to the ledger, the account balance updates, and a success toast appears.

Frequently asked

Can I add an expense in the past?

Yes. Tap the Date field and pick any prior date. Extrack stores the ledger in chronological order regardless of when the row was created.

Do I have to pick a category?

No. The field is labelled "Categories (optional)". Uncategorised expenses still post; you can edit later to add categories.

Why is there a "Not a need" checkbox?

It marks the expense as a discretionary spend rather than a need — used to refine budget analysis. It is shown only on Expense kind.

Will adding an expense affect my budget?

Yes. Every expense counts toward the monthly overall cap, and toward any per-category cap on a category you tagged. Transfers between your own accounts do not — see "Expense vs Income vs Transfer".

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