Categorizing a transaction means assigning it to an envelope, so its amount counts against that envelope’s balance. In Tiller sheets, envelopes are called categories. It takes two taps and saves straight to your spreadsheet.

A transaction needs categorizing when its envelope shows a red Needs Categorization! pill. That covers transactions with a blank category or one marked Uncategorized or Unknown.

A transaction row with the red “Needs Categorization!” pill
A transaction row with the red “Needs Categorization!” pill

Find Transactions That Need Categorizing

There are three ways to find them.

  1. The alert on the Transactions tab. When any transaction needs a category, a banner reads “N transactions need categorization”. Tap it to show only those transactions. A “Showing uncategorized transactions only” bar appears at the top; tap Show All to go back to the full list.
  2. The Uncategorized Transactions card on the Insights tab. It shows how many need categorizing and their total. Tap a transaction in the card to open it, or tap Review now to jump to the filtered list.
  3. Scroll the Transactions list. Look for the red Needs Categorization! pills. Months that contain uncategorized transactions open automatically.
The “N transactions need categorization” alert banner
The “N transactions need categorization” alert banner
The “Showing uncategorized transactions only” bar — tap Show All to return to the full list
The “Showing uncategorized transactions only” bar — tap Show All to return to the full list
The Uncategorized Transactions card on Insights
The Uncategorized Transactions card on Insights

Categorize from the Transactions List

This is the fastest way when you have several to do.

  1. Open the Transactions tab.
  2. Tap the red Needs Categorization! pill on the transaction (shown in the first screenshot at the top of this page). Tap the pill itself, not the rest of the row, which opens the transaction details instead.
  3. The Select Envelope picker opens. If the app recognizes the merchant, it opens on the Suggested tab with a confidence score next to each envelope.
  4. Tap the envelope you want. To look elsewhere, use the tabs on the left or the search box (see Using the Select Envelope Picker).
  5. The picker closes and the pill changes to the envelope name. A message confirms the update, and the envelope’s balance updates straight away.
The Select Envelope picker on the Suggested tab
The Select Envelope picker on the Suggested tab
The row showing its new envelope
The row showing its new envelope

If you are viewing only uncategorized transactions, the row disappears from the list once it has an envelope. When the last one is done, the full list comes back.

Categorize from the Transaction Details

Use this when you want to check the transaction first, or change other fields at the same time.

  1. On the Transactions tab, tap anywhere on the transaction row except the pill. The transaction details open.
  2. Tap the envelope field, which shows Needs Categorization!.
  3. The Select Envelope picker opens, on the Suggested tab when there are matches.
  4. Tap the envelope you want. The field updates.
  5. Tap Save Changes at the bottom. Unlike the list, the details view does not save until you do this.
The Transaction Details view
The Transaction Details view
Tap the Envelope field to pick an envelope. The branch icon next to it splits the transaction
Tap the Envelope field to pick an envelope. The branch icon next to it splits the transaction
The Save Changes button after picking an envelope
The Save Changes button after picking an envelope

You can edit other fields, like the description or notes, before tapping Save Changes. They all save together.

Using the Select Envelope Picker

The picker has a search box at the top, tabs down the left, and the envelopes on the right.

The Select Envelope picker
The Select Envelope picker
Tab What it shows
Suggested Envelopes you used for similar past transactions, each with a confidence score. Only shown for uncategorized transactions that have a match.
Recent Envelopes you picked most recently, then others used in the last 30 days
Frequent Envelopes used most often in the last 30 days, with a count
Expense All expense envelopes, A to Z
Income All income envelopes, A to Z
Transfer All transfer envelopes, A to Z

Confidence Scores on the Suggested Tab

  • Green, 85–100%: the description and amount closely match past transactions.
  • Amber, 60–84%: a good match, but the amount or description differs, or past transactions used different envelopes.
  • Grey, 40–59%: a weak match. Check it before you pick it.

The score is a guide. Pick whichever envelope is right; your choice teaches future suggestions.

An amber confidence score (60–84%) — a good match, but check it before you pick it
An amber confidence score (60–84%) — a good match, but check it before you pick it

Type part of an envelope’s name in the search box. Results come from every tab, including hidden envelopes, which show an eye-slash icon.

Typing “clot” in the search box finds Clothing
Typing “clot” in the search box finds Clothing

Show Hidden

Hidden envelopes are left out of the Expense, Income and Transfer tabs. Tick Show Hidden to include them. You don’t need it when searching.

Closing Without Choosing

Tap the × in the top corner, tap outside the picker, or press Esc on a keyboard. Nothing changes.

The picker remembers the last tab you used, except Suggested, which only opens when there are matches.

Change, Clear or Split a Category

Change it. Tap the envelope name on the transaction, or open the details and tap the envelope field. Pick a new envelope the same way. The Suggested tab doesn’t appear here, because the transaction already has a category.

Clear it. In the picker, tap Needs Categorization! at the top of the list. The transaction goes back to needing a category.

Split it across envelopes. For a purchase that covers more than one envelope, like a supermarket receipt with groceries and household items:

  1. Open the transaction details.
  2. Tap the split icon (a branching arrow).
  3. Give each split line an envelope and an amount. Tap Add another split for more lines.
  4. When the lines add up exactly to the total, tap Save Split. Until then the button shows the amount remaining.

See Split Transaction for the full walkthrough.

Splitting a $98.15 receipt between Groceries and Shopping / Household — Save Split is ready once the lines add up
Splitting a $98.15 receipt between Groceries and Shopping / Household — Save Split is ready once the lines add up

Tips and Common Questions

Question Answer
Why is there no Suggested tab? It only appears for uncategorized transactions from a merchant you’ve categorized before, with a match of 40% or more.
A suggestion is wrong. Pick the right envelope from another tab or by searching. Suggestions improve after a few corrections.
I can’t find an envelope. Type its name in the search box. Search includes hidden envelopes.
I changed the envelope in the details, but it didn’t stick. Tap Save Changes before closing the details.
How do I see only what’s left to do? Tap the “N transactions need categorization” alert on the Transactions tab.
I don’t see these features. Hard refresh the app: Cmd+Shift+R on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+F5 on Windows.