Reconciliation: Now Available on iOS

You’ve been asking for reconciliation on mobile and now it’s here on iOS. Make your budget match your bank account on the go!

You’re on the go. You’re a mobile-first user. If it doesn’t fit in your pocket, it’s not worth your time. You just wanted to reconcile from the comforts of your nearby phone between Netflix episodes but alas, you couldn’t.

Every time you wanted to make sure your budget matched your bank account, it would be a slog to extract yourself from the nethers of the couch, pull out the dusty laptop, remember your password, and reconcile from the wide open spaces of your budget on the web.

If only, if only—you could reconcile on mobile. You could just pull out your phone anytime, anywhere—and know for certain that your accounts and budget were doing a synchronized flash mob dance together.

It was frustrating. Maybe you were angry. Every time a new feature would come out, “Cool, that’s great. But when can I reconcile on mobile?”

Well, roll out the red carpet—reconciliation is now here on iOS!

iOS users can finally do the reconciliation dance from the efficient confines of their budget on mobile.  

If you’re scratching your head going, wait, what is reconciliation?—Let’s take a quick but essential detour.  

What is Reconciliation?

Reconciliation is used to make your bank account and budget match. If you’ve ever balanced a checkbook, it’s a similar process of making sure your records match the bank.

Because you use your budget to make spending decisions, your YNAB budget needs to be in complete agreement with your bank’s records—this process is called reconciliation.

When you reconcile an account, your budget will spit out a number that should be the same number that’s in your bank account. If those numbers match, a budgeting angel earns her wings and you will feel a bloom of budgeting pride. If they don’t, you can either comb through the transactions for any discrepancies or you can simply create an adjustment transaction in your budget when prompted to make them match.

How Often Should I Reconcile?

YNABers come in three flavors: those who reconcile often (daily or weekly), those who reconcile infrequently (once a month, once a quarter), and those who have never reconciled ever (and a collective gasp goes up from every member of our support team.)

If you’re a new budgeter, it’s recommended to reconcile daily as you’re building up a budding trust with your budget. Knowing your budget matches your bank account helps you spend with confidence knowing your budget matches reality.

Once you get into the swing of your budget and you have a thriving and trusting relationship—you might find your reconciliation cadence is more infrequent—perhaps you reconcile every time you get paid.

If you’ve never reconciled, maybe it’s time to dip your toes into the waters. Read the doc here for a step-by-step guide.

How Do I Reconcile on iOS?

If you’ve reconciled on the web app, you’ll find the process is very similar on iOS.

Before you reconcile, make sure you check that the Uncleared transactions in your account register are correct. If you don’t, you may reconcile to an inaccurate balance.

Then, it’s time to reconcile:

1. Log into your bank and check your current balance. (Note: some financial institutions include pending transactions, others do not. Learn more how your bank works here)
2. In your budget on iOS, tap the three dots in the upper right corner (that’s the More menu).
3. Tap reconcile.
4. A window will pop up—does your bank balance match the cleared balance in YNAB? If yes, click yes and you’re reconciled!

5. If not, you can enter your current balance or find the cause of the discrepancy to make it match.

6. Once they match, do the reconciliation dance!

When is This Coming for Android?

We’ve been on the hunt for an Android developer to join the team that works on budget interactions, and we’re working on prioritizing the work for Android accordingly. While we don’t have a release date for reconciliation on Android, it is high on that priority list as one of our most-requested features!

Cheers to a more accurate, more efficient, and more delightful budgeting experience!

Read more about how to reconcile on iOS in our help doc.