Can I create, edit, or delete categories in SortMe?
Short answer: no. SortMe uses a fixed set of built-in categories, so you can't create your own categories, and you can't edit or delete the existing ones. This is on purpose, and there are two good reasons for it.
1. It keeps our automatic categorisation accurate
A fixed category set is what lets SortMe categorise your transactions automatically and accurately. We've built and tuned this accuracy over time in partnership with Akahu, our open banking data partner, and we're really happy with where it's at. If every account had its own custom categories, that shared accuracy would break down.
2. For most cases, a tag works better than a custom category
Most of the time when people want a custom category, what they really want is a way to track a specific group of transactions. Tags do this really well. A tag is your own custom label (for example "Side Hustle", "Holiday", or "Tax Deductible") that you can add to any transaction, without changing how it's categorised.
You can read how tags work here: How to Tag, Ignore, and Manage Transactions.
What to do instead
If a transaction is in the wrong category, you can re-categorise it to any of our existing categories. Here's how: Re-Categorising a Transaction.
If you want to track a group of transactions for your own purpose, add a tag instead.
Can I move a category to a different group?
Yes. This is different from creating or deleting a category. While you cannot create, edit, or delete the categories themselves, you can move a category from one of your groups into another (for example, moving Insurance from Lifestyle to Household Essentials). This only changes how your categories are grouped in your Budget, not the categories themselves. For step by step help, see the article Moving Categories Between Groups in SortMe.
That's it! If you think we're missing a category you really need, let us know through the in-app feedback option. We're always refining the list.
I pay for several types of insurance. How do I track them separately?
SortMe has a single Insurance category. If you pay for health, car, house and life cover, you have three options.
Leave it all under Insurance. The simplest choice. Your budget and Spend Overview then show your total insurance spend in one place.
Use a rule per insurer. Create a rule that matches the provider name (for example Southern Cross) and sends it to a related category (Health for health cover, Transport for car cover). This is a workaround inside the fixed category set, not a custom category.
Re-categorise one at a time. For a one-off, open the transaction and change it without creating a rule.
You can also add a tag such as "Insurance, car" to any of these, which is often the tidiest way to see one slice of a category.