Categories and tags are two ways to organize your transactions. Categories classify what a transaction is; tags add extra context on top.
Categories
Every transaction requires a category. Categories are used throughout ClearCash’s spending reports to group and compare your expenses.
Category hierarchy
Categories support up to three levels of nesting — a group, a category within that group, and a subcategory within that. You can create your own categories at any level: as a top-level group, under an existing group, or under an existing category.
The built-in default categories (listed below) serve as the starting point. Transactions imported from connected accounts are automatically assigned to one of these based on merchant data from Plaid. You can change the category on any transaction at any time.
Default categories
| Group | Categories |
|---|---|
| Bank Fees | ATM Fees, Foreign Transaction Fees, Insufficient Funds, Interest Charge, Overdraft Fees, Other Bank Fees |
| Entertainment | Casinos & Gambling, Music & Audio, Other Entertainment, Sporting Events, Amusement Parks & Museums, TV & Movies, Video Games |
| Food & Drink | Beer, Wine & Liquor, Coffee, Fast Food, Groceries, Other Food & Drink, Restaurant, Vending Machines |
| General Merchandise | Bookstores & Newsstands, Clothing & Accessories, Convenience Stores, Department Stores, Discount Stores, Electronics, Gifts & Novelties, Office Supplies, Online Marketplaces, Other General Merchandise, Pet Supplies, Sporting Goods, Superstores, Tobacco & Vape |
| General Services | Accounting & Financial Planning, Automotive, Childcare, Consulting & Legal, Education, Insurance, Other General Services, Postage & Shipping, Storage |
| Government & Non-Profit | Donations, Government Departments & Agencies, Other Government & Non-Profit, Tax Payment |
| Home Improvement | Furniture, Hardware, Other Home Improvement, Repair & Maintenance, Security |
| Income | Dividends, Interest Earned, Investment & Retirement Funds, Other Income, Retirement & Pension, Tax Refund, Unemployment, Wages |
| Loan Payments | Car Payment, Credit Card Payment, Mortgage Payment, Other Payment, Personal Loan Payment, Student Loan Payment |
| Medical | Dental Care, Eye Care, Nursing Care, Other Medical, Pharmacies & Supplements, Primary Care, Veterinary Services |
| Personal Care | Gyms & Fitness Centers, Hair & Beauty, Laundry & Dry Cleaning, Other Personal Care |
| Rent & Utilities | Gas & Electricity, Internet & Cable, Other Utilities, Rent, Sewage & Waste Management, Telephone, Water |
| Transfer In | Account Transfer, Cash Advances & Loans, Deposit, Investment & Retirement Funds, Other Transfer In, Savings |
| Transfer Out | Account Transfer, Investment & Retirement Funds, Other Transfer Out, Savings, Withdrawal |
| Transportation | Bikes & Scooters, Gas, Other Transportation, Parking, Public Transit, Taxis & Ride Shares, Tolls |
| Travel | Flights, Lodging, Other Travel, Rental Cars |
Creating a custom category
If none of the defaults fit, you can create your own. Tap Create new category inside the category selector when recording or editing a transaction. Your custom categories are available across all transactions.
Tags
Tags are optional free-form labels you can apply to transactions for flexible grouping that doesn’t fit neatly into categories. A transaction can have multiple tags at once.
Common uses:
- Marking transactions as reimbursable (
reimbursable) - Grouping a trip or event (
italy-2025,wedding) - Flagging items for review (
review,dispute) - Tracking a project or purpose (
home-renovation,side-project)
Creating a tag
Tap Add new tag inside the tag selector when recording or editing a transaction. Tags you create are saved and available for future transactions.
Categories vs. tags
| Category | Tag | |
|---|---|---|
| Required | Yes | No |
| Per transaction | One | Multiple |
| Used in spending reports | Yes | No |
| Free-form | Yes (yours) / Fixed (built-in) | Always |
Use categories to answer “what kind of expense was this?” and tags to answer “what was this specifically for?”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rename or delete a category I created?
Categories you create can be managed from the settings area. Renaming a category updates it everywhere it’s been used. Deleting a category will remove it from any transactions it was assigned to — those transactions will need a new category. Built-in default categories cannot be renamed or deleted.
Can I delete a tag?
Yes. Deleting a tag removes it from all transactions it was applied to. The transactions themselves are not affected.
Do Plaid-imported transactions come with categories?
Some do. Plaid provides merchant category data for many transactions, and ClearCash maps these to a matching category where possible. You can change the category on any transaction at any time.