Manual Transactions

[Ookii]

I love Mint, the only thing I desire is a feature I found incredibly useful in Quicken Online. Basically you can add transactions manually so it immediately updates your balance. Then when the transaction actually posts and is downloaded automatically through Mint doing its thing the manually entered transaction is removed and replaced with the automatically downloaded one.

It's helpful when you buy things on Paypal and they don't post for a couple days, manually enter the transaction so you have your real balance and know when it actually posts Mint will remove the duplicate.

I apologize if there is already a way to do this, I just haven't found anything as of yet.

[carlos.muentes]

Responding so this post can be moved up again :)

This is *exactly* the issue I see with my being able to use Mint. It would seem in my world (coming from Quicken/MS Money) that not being able to enter manual transactions so you know what your *real* current balance is makes a financial software package almost useless. Can someone provide some information here? I'd love to hear from experienced Mint users, since I'm currently considering a move to Mint from the aforementioned world of manual transactions :(

[philly_phenom]

The point of Mint (IMO) is to keep it relatively hands off.

I switched to Mint to get away from having to manually enter transactions. Yes there is occasionally a lag in posting (usually over a weekend), however, since having kids, we've been so busy that receipts often weren't entered into quicken up to two weeks after the transaction.

Mint has done a better job of keeping me up to date than I was able to do manually.

[sgreenwood99]

I must (respectfully) disagree. The lack of manual entry prevents one from knowing a balance in the future. For anyone who pays bills electronically (i.e., in advance), knowing your future balance is vital and can prevent overdrafts.

[devitor1]

Though I try to do everything electronically where possible, I still write one or two manual checks per month. It's just a reality of life that not everything can be ACH'd. I think it would be beneficial if there is some way these transactions can be accounted for, otherwise as others have stated checks can overdraft and that gets to be an expensive habit (been there, done it too many times).

By the same token, I would not want to see Mint's "full-auto" functioning destroyed. I dumped Mvelopes (I got a pro-rated refund fortunately) because it is just too labor intensive to work with -- which is why I don't agree with many Mint users who want to add in envelope budgeting -- the whole point of Mint is to not waste time with that stuff.

Traditional double-entry bookkeeping (which Quicken/MS Money are based on) is time-consuming enough without having to add "envelopes" to the mix -- another layer of unneeded complexity. For those who want to spend time with envelopes, there's www.myspendingplan.com (free) or Mvelopes (spend $180 for two years and knock yourself out). While envelope supporters state that the paradigm keeps you out of debt, I think Mint's method does just as well with 1/100th the work.

The point of Mint is to poll all your accounts, get balances, transactions, and due dates, and build your budget (your envelopes if you will) based on that information.

I would like to see some limited manual entry capability, if for nothing else than cash and checking accounts without destroying what Mint does right.

[cdwillie76]

I agree with the manual transactions. I use MS Money right now and I would be able to dump it completely if I could post manual transactions. This way I have an accurate balance shown. The prime case is making a large credit card payment 3-4 days in advance or paying my auto insurance.

The other feature I would like to see is defining a list of up coming bills (no bill payment) to help define cash flow.

Thanks for the great product!

[tmajoratl]

I have some purchases that are missing from April / May for gasoline. I would like to be able to add them manually since Mint did not download them (Yodlee did download them). Not having these entries makes the trends feature inaccurate and I can't track my spending on gas.

[ray]

I came to mint hoping that in addition to conglomerating my accounts which it does great, i could track the effect of outstanding checks, (an it is just a few), on my balances.
Any way to do that with what's available?

[mintfeedback]

Even if it pretty basic, I would like to add transactions for the limited manual checks that I do write out.

[kcobra98]

Manual Transaction would be the best new feature to Mint!

[pcorad]

I agree too. Mint did not bring in 7 of my wife's NelNet student loans (note: the last 2 months have come through).

So I need the ability to manually enter these. Otherwise my budgets are off by thousands. How usefull is that?

Either fix the bug that doesn't bring the NelNet transactions over, or give me the ability to manually fix.

Really frustrating.

[tristanwl]

I completely agree. If mint would add this functionality I would be able to give up MS Money and actually start using mint.... this is the only reason I currently do nothing on mint but wait for this update.

PLEASE!

[theminor]

This is definitely my #1 problem with Mint. I love it otherwise, but I'm forced to continue using Microsoft Money for the sole purpose of entering manual transactions. I've seen a few people argue that manual transactions are not necessary because Mint is designed to be "Hands Off." For the folk that prefer to do things this way, the addition of manual transactions would not prevent their "Hands Off" usage - it would just be an available feature for those who want it.

In my opinion, Mint is MUCH better than Quicken online - I've tried them both. But quicken online is the winner because of the availability of manual transactions. If mint added this simple feature, it would dominate!

I'd love to hear from a reliable source - someone at mint.com - as to WHEN they expect to add this feature? Has anyone heard whether such a feature is in the works, and if so, when can we expect it?!

[kgarner]

Just wanted to add my voice to this request. I am looking into using Mint or Quicken Online to replace Quicken (the desktop version). Right now, the ONLY thing keeping Quicken Online in the picture at all is the manual transactions feature.

Mint is head and shoulders better in every way possible over Quicken Online. The only reason I can't commit to it full time is the lack of an ability to add transactions manually. Please add this feature ASAP.

And for those that complain that Mint is supposed to be hands off, etc. Don't use the manual transactions feature. For you, Mint would be exactly like it is now. It's not like you HAVE to add the transactions, we just want the ability to do it.

[gnayler]

I personally would like to have the ability to keep track of my cash, as well as my accounts whose information cannot be obtained electronically by mint. I would think it would be pretty easy to have a feature that allowed manual input for a cash account as well as manual input for loan accounts and such.

Also mint seems to cater to those with lots of paper investments, how about something for those of us who choose to save their earned income in the form of durable, fungible, portable, historically valued stores of wealth such as gold and silver? I would like for my net worth to include my physical precious metal holdings.

[kottaiajmel]

I have started using Mint today, but to my disappointment, there is no way I can add my cash transactions.

I wanted to have option to add a non-online cash account to track cash transactions.

I see all these posts regarding manual transactions and cash transactions. I hope some one at Mint is taking a look at this...

I am returning to my Quicken desktop meanwhile - with disappointment. I hope they do this.. By the way, Yodlee has this feature, but I don't like their site and their features...

Hope to return to Mint when they get the cash feature..

[plineberry]

I also agree. Maybe if enough of us post it'll happen...

[watluk]

Agreed. To me, this is the one barrier to making Mint my across the board money management tool.

[wx.campbell]

Absolutely... this needs to be done... and there needs to be a way to change the date of when transactions are posted.

Get rid of those two barriers and I can get rid of my Microsoft Money.

[manderson]

Will someone from Mint please comment???:D

I love Mint!:p

[buhayar]

I've been using Mint for a while now, and have thoroughly appreciated the development work on budgets and investments.

My biggest, hugest, number 1 wish for Mint is the inability to add manual transactions. I'm giving up hope that my small credit union will ever join the Mint universe, but I think lots of us would benefit from being able to manually add the few transactions that are not part of the Mint universe.

I'd also love to track cash!

[Soundbot]

I'm posting in support of the ability to manually enter transactions and change dates. Then, so far as I'm concerned, Mint will be absolutely perfect.

I like the automation, but there's nothing wrong with the flexibility that these two additions would allow.

[mburdsall]

This is the most important for me. I would love to track my net worth and until this is provided I cannot account for a number of assets,such as:

1. Homes
2. Cars
3. Foreign assets
4. Stocks not held by a brokerage
5. jewelery
6. etc.

I would be nice to have the option to enter the following information into the manual accounts.

1. Stock symbol (to get current price)
2. Link to Zillow for real estate
3. currency of asset (link to have it update with current conversion rate)
4. number of assets. (therefore stock price, number of shares and currency rate would provide value of asset)

Thanks

[yww0451]

What I really want, as a MS Money user, is to manually import downloaded transactions. I am lazy. I don't like to manually type in transaction everyday. But still, I want to track my financial records in some way. For those accounts that can do automatically update, that is the best. But there are still some accounts that cannot do that, such as my local bank. But most of them do provide transaction download so I can import them into Money/Quicken. W/o that functionality is the biggest problem for me to transfer to Mint completely.

[Beason]

My credit union isn't supported, which means that I can't use a lot of the features on Mint, even though I absolutely LOVE the site. The ability to input manual transactions would allow me to bring over the information from my checking and savings accounts and be able to utilize the budget, trends, and "ways to save" portions of the site.

Please please please find a way to implement this feature, and then your site will essentially be perfect! :D

[appleboid]

Why hasn't anyone from Mint responded to this thread?

I agree that being able to enter transactions manually is the biggest missing feature right now. I don't tend to get my cash from ATMs but rather from reimbursements (e.g. a group out at dinner, I pay the bill with a credit card and take the cash) or as gifts from relatives. So there is no automatic transaction that can act as a proxy. I could split the dining transaction but not the gifts.

I just think it would be much easier to use if we could manually enter debits and credits for reimbursements and cash expenses.

[mburdsall]

It would be nice if Mint monitored these forums and provided accurate and timely feedback.

[mstrmic]

I agree that we should be able to manually add transactions.

[MidasMan]

I just started using Mint after using Quicken Online. I'm disappointed that Mint doesn't allow manual transactions such as hand-written checks that are still pending (from my point of view). I'm thinking I might have to keep using my desktop pf software... :( Can anyone from Mint respond????????????

[Mike D]

I agree, manual transactions MUST be added. This is a serious flaw with Mint. I write probably 5 checks a month and need to be able to keep track of these. Mint also needs a spot to add the check numbers. This is a simple idea that anyone using a system to keep track of their accounts would expect.

It would be nice if somebody from Mint would reply to this thread and give us an idea of when we could expect this feature.

[eric_in_slc]

How about this for an idea:

Offer to add extra accounts to the mint system (or other support options) for a reasonable fee (e.g. I'd pay $5 or $10 to have my auto loan added to the credit union account that's already in Mint's system). Then once they do it for someone who wanted it badly enough to pay for it, it will be in the system for everyone to use.

Sure, it's only a drop in the bucket, but it would make a lot of customers very happy, improve the site for everybody, and generate some added revenue for mint development (and others could still use it for free).

[mintyfreshness]

Hi there,

Just adding my voice to the chorus.

First tried mint > 6 mos. ago, logged back in hoping that manual transactions features have been added. Apparently I'm not the only one. :)

I understand the workaround with cash transactions, but say I write a check. I'm not sure when that person is going to get around to cashing the check.

I just don't feel good about my balance, if I can only depend on when the transactions post to my account.

I liked one person's suggestion of keeping a receipt for everything outstanding, and then filing away when it posts into mint. That may work.

Or we may have to use the ATM withdrawal / "cash" trick for all outstanding transactions, until they post.

Here's the "hands-off" way manual transactions could work (as others have suggested) : enter manual transaction, and then mint could auto-reconcile it when it comes through.

I understand how mint is trying to make things easier, "hands-off", but not having a way to manually enter things is a total dealbreaker.

I hope you guys add this because otherwise it's a really cool application.

[th1chsn]

When I think of manual transactions I think of keeping track of accounts that don't have online access. Mint should allow functionality to keep track of those by letting the user enter the most recent balance.

[ScottK24]

Bumping. I'm using Quicken and want to dump it, but Mint won't connect with my credit union. There are probably thousands of members like myself who are stuck in the same rut. Manual transaction and the option to upload statements would rock!.

-Scott

[uberzoop]

Please, Gods and Goddesses of Mint.com. We are begging for some way to enter manual transactions and/or manual accounts.

Thanks!

[mburdsall]

I would like both.

[lulu103]

A manual entry option or an OFX upload would be great for those of us who are still waiting for their banks to be supported by Mint. I have been waiting nearly a year for Mint to support my primary checking account bank, and it doesn't seem likely that it will happen anytime soon. A manual entry option would make life much easier since most of my spending is done through my checking account. I still don't have a way of tracking my spending, only credit card transactions (which i try not to use).

[mintfeedback]

I like the 'manual account' idea where you can make an account that you yourself keep track of, so I could have a 'cash' account that keeps track of cash purchases instead of having to deposit money into my ATM every time.

[redav]

Mint still hasn't fixed its log in problems for my credit union, so no income is included nor any of my standard bills. Right now, Mint is really only useful for tracking my spending on credit cards.

I manage my finances in my own excel spreadsheet. One of the things I have done is copy my check ledger, 1040, etc, for one year and paste it into the next & make modifications to estimate the coming year's finances. I have my next year's 1040 already programmed with the new tax brackets; I have a year's worth of estimated paychecks with the current tax withholding formulas that feed into the 1040, all my planned mortgage payments & charitable contributions also feed into the 1040, it also includes property taxes, etc. It also functions as a budget, but it is not ideal for that purpose. The future track allows me to predict months ahead when my checking account will be too low or when it will be too high (so I can move money out into higher-earning vehicles)

Since it is based on real, historical data, it is remarkably accurate, but is also easy enough to alter as time goes by. As the year goes on, the expected values of entries (such as bills) get updated to actual values, and others can be added or deleted on the fly. It is color coded to show what has cleared, what is known but not cleared, and what is estimated.

This tool is very useful for planning big changes far into the future, for example, will I be in a position where I can install solar panels on my home by the end of the year? Also, having all the data tie into tax forms makes planning very easy.

I don't need Mint to do all these things automatically--I already have to manually enter and update the data. I would like to keep the functionality and flexibility while at the same time take advantage of Mint's features.

[tmorro]

Yes, as any Net Worth calculation is worthless without assets. Why don't we have a reply from Mint Moderators to this very basic issue?

[mburdsall]

There was a reply at the end of the year on one of the threads that manual accounts would maybe in a future release. No date was provided on when the release would be.

[th1chsn]

At a minimum a way to specify the type of account and manually adjust the balance would do the trick.

[mintfeedback]

I receive cash in small amounts and I would love to be able to document that as income without having to deposit it at the bank. B/c then I spend the $10 and I can't add where I spent it b/c it's a cash transaction.

Very frustrating, would love to hear a time line on this.

[mburdsall]

Reent posts by Mint employees kind of indicate that they hear that manual transactions and accounts are important and will be added maybe even in the next release. When that release will be is unknown. Can only hope that it is soon.

[ScottK24]

Please Mint add manual. I'm begging you, because I don't think my credit union will ever be added.

[lnevo]

I just started using Mint. It's been great to setup the budgets and monitor my funds as they are entered online. I've been watching my balance, and just recently got bit by some checks I had written. If I had been able to add them manually I would have been able to monitor my balance much more accurately. I definitely think you should be able to add a manual transaction when writing a check or what not and have that apply to your balance until that check clears. I don't care if its through a manual account or what not.

Also I have some of my credit cards and mortgages that I can not synchronize. I have no way of applying a payment to that account when the money goes out of my check. There should be a way of having that be able to apply as a transfer into the correct account. That would be perfect for doing envelope budgeting or tracking a personal loan to a friend or whatever.

Definitely a much needed feature.

[lrkm]

I don't even use that much cash, but there are times when I receive cash other than from the ATM. The Split feature is great for tracking ATM cash. But I'd love to track the 15 or so non-ATM cash transactions I have a month. I don't even want it to synchronize with any account. This would be ridiculously simple to do if I could manually add a transaction. Mint is a great tool/service. Please add manual transactions soon!

[delacombo]

Moderators? :confused:

[rmiller4877]

I am adding my voice to those requesting the ability to add transactions manually in Mint. This should be a part of any comprehensive money management system.

If Quicken can do it, you all at Mint certainly can!:)

[mintfeedback]

I often use manual transaction entry in quicken to get an idea of what my future budget is going to look like a few months in advance. It would be great if mint would support this, then I could dump quicken entirely. As a mac user, I really want to dump quicken since it requires me using parallels to run it (mac quicken sucks).

[Charmane]

Hi Minters,

Mint customers currently can't manually add transactions to their Mint account (uploading information, cash transactions, etc.). We have logged the Product request and hope that our Product team is able to come up with a solution in the future.

[cactuschowdah]

Sorry to keep bringing this up, but is there even a vague estimated ETA on manual transactions? 1 month? 1 quarter? 1 year? Never?

Since we just switched banks to a bank that isn't supported by Mint, this feature is critical for us to keep using this service (which we really want to do!) Thanks

[ScottK24]

Just bumping this.

[teekaye]

Mint customers currently can't manually add transactions to their Mint account... We have logged the Product request and hope that our Product team is able to come up with a solution...

I see Manual Transactions as an absolute must-have in your next feature upgrade.

Quicken Online had this invaluable feature, and I'm now thinking I may have to migrate back to it.

How 'bout suggesting a WORKAROUND for paper checks? The ATM cash suggestion doesn't cut it.

Mint is superb in most ways, but the lack of manual transactions is an absolute DEALBREAKER. Ease-of-use would NOT be compromised by adding manual transactions as an option...

TK

[gmm]

I often schedule payments via my bank's online banking. I often schedule transactions for future payment, sometimes months in advance. Immediately after scheduling a payment online I add it to Quicken so that I know the money is not available to me.

I completely agree, adding manual Transactions to allow me to acknowledge scheduled future transactions is an absolute deal breaker. I need to know that I am not going to overdraw my account!

[Gunnerpunk]

I just wanted to mention that I signed up for Mint, input all my bank accounts, only to find that I could not manually enter transactions, and deleted my account the same day. I'd really love to use mint as I think your site is great, but Quicken allows me to use it as a check register. If I have to use Quicken for that, then I'm not going to bother having another site altogether.

Add the same kind of transaction functionality that quicken has (with the automatic reconciliation of transactions when they appear in the register) and I will be a happy Mint user!

Until then...

[mcarmon]

I was very surprised to find that Mint does not support manual transactions. These are important to me to be able to add as I use a lot of cash and would like to budget that the same way I do debit expenses. While it is not the deal-breaker for me that the lack of mobile applications is, it is definitely an inconvenience and if I find out about an online product that allows this as well as mobile access I will likely switch.

[jd8847]

100% agree with the requests for manual transactions to account for the manual checks or online bill payments that I enter so I can manage to my "real" account balance.

[Dewg]

Agreed - I'm coming from MS Money (which MS has abandoned) and rely on seeing 1 to 2 months into the future. I manually put in paychecks, schedule bills and expenses, etc. for 1 to 2 months out. That way I can see how much I have the end of November, which let's me plan if I need to transfer money from one of my online investment accounts to ensure enough is there for December's mortgage payment.

[Elysian]

Considering I have seen this requested in over a dozen threads and it's a perfect solution to all the people who have problems with their connections, it's amazing they haven't implemented this yet. It's such a simple feature and request and would empower the users to remove unwanted data and add missing transactions.

I definitely wouldn't hold my breath for this feature. People have been requesting it for years now. :(

Hi Minters,

Mint customers currently can't manually add transactions to their Mint account (uploading information, cash transactions, etc.). We have logged the Product request and hope that our Product team is able to come up with a solution in the future.

[Robpol86]

It looks like all these years of requesting will probably be worth it (please!):
The company is also working on a tool that would allow manual entry of transactions, instead of waiting for the bank to record it, upload it to its site and then allow Mint to pull it in. In this sense, Mint also acts as a checkbook register - a move that gets two thumbs-ups from me. I don’t write a lot of checks these days but still have a few bills that have to be paid that way. This would help.

[MonkeyAtomic]

I as well would love the ability to manually enter in transactions. Mainly for the purpose of keeping track of checks that haven’t been cashed yet.

[flibbertigibbet007]

Don't like it. I don't want to see mint turn into quicken... I don't think mint is a finance management tool, rather a finance monitoring tool.
Scheduling items that needs to be paid, is a good idea.
Manually entering transactions, and physical cash transactions, bad idea. Mint isn't supposed to be something you interact with to manage your transactions, but to monitor and use the data to your advantage.
Bad idea.

Edit:
Let me quantify this, don't get me wrong, I understand people's needs as to add transactions. But I don't see it being a helpful thing for the greater scheme of mint. If you've made a transaction, modify your budget, especially if it's a recurring transaction.
I see mint as an assistance with budgeting, not managing your transactions. You can identify your transactions in mint to assist mint in your budgeting. And thats what mint is for.
Does this mean Mint can't change to work how the users want. No, it can change. But I like to see mint the way it looks like it was designed.
Granted I'm still new to mint, and in the near future I may want the manual transactions. But I don't see a need as of this time.