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Reserves

Reserves is the reserve plan for bills that are due less often than monthly. It shows how much to set aside every month so the money is there when the bill arrives. Open it from Reserves in the sidebar.

Which Bills Are Included​

The plan uses your expenses with one of these recurrence types:

  • quarterly
  • semiannual
  • yearly
  • custom, if the interval is more than one month ("Every N months")

Monthly, weekly, daily, and one-time expenses are not part of the plan. Add a missing bill via Add expense or on the Expenses page.

How the Plan Calculates​

The page has a collapsible section How the plan works:

  • Monthly rate: the bill amount divided by the months until it repeats. A yearly bill of 1,200 is always 100 per month, however close the due date is.
  • Target: the bill amount minus the monthly rates still to come before it is due. In the month the bill is due, the target is the full amount. Right after it is paid, the target is 0.
  • Pot: the balance you set, plus all planned transfers to the reserve account since then, minus all infrequent bills due since then. Transfers out of the reserve account are not counted, because they usually move the money for one of these bills.

Amounts are shown in your base currency.

Summary Cards​

  • Set aside monthly: the sum of all monthly rates and the number of bills.
  • Target today: how much should be in the pot for these bills now.
  • In the pot: the current pot balance and the account it is collected on.

Paying Account and Reserve Account​

Two different accounts are involved:

  • Paying account: the account a bill is paid from. It is set on the expense and shown as "paid from ..." in the bill list.
  • Reserve account (pot): the account where you collect the reserves. You choose it once, independent of the paying accounts.

To set it up, click Choose reserve account, pick the account, and enter the Current reserve balance. Enter only the part of the account that is meant for infrequent bills. The balance applies from today. From then on, Cashlytics adds planned transfers into this account and takes out infrequent bills when they are due. If the pot differs from your real balance, click Correct balance and enter the real value.

Status Notes​

Once a reserve account is set, two notes compare it with the plan:

  • Pot versus target: either "On track" (with the surplus, if any) or "... missing once". The shortfall is a one-time difference. The monthly rate does not change; top up whenever it suits you, then correct the balance.
  • Standing order: either "Standing order covers the monthly rate" or "Standing order too low: ... per month missing". It compares the planned monthly transfers to the reserve account with the sum of all monthly rates. Go to transfers opens Transfers.

Bill List​

Under Infrequent bills, bills are sorted by due date. Each row shows amount, recurrence, paying account, next due date, monthly rate, the target today, and a progress bar toward the full amount. Bills with no further payment show "Ended, no further payment".

Click the pencil on a row to edit the bill in the expense form. The plan is recalculated after saving.

Filter by Account​

With more than one account, Filter by paying account limits the list and the two summary cards "Set aside monthly" and "Target today" to bills paid from that account. The pot holds the reserves of all accounts, so it is only compared with the full plan. The status notes are hidden while a filter is active. Choose "All accounts" to see them.

Transfers and Dashboard​

  • Reserve transfers are normal transfers with the reserve account as target. Create a recurring transfer for the monthly total, for example from checking to savings. Changing the transfer later means deleting and recreating it.
  • The Dashboard shows a Reserves card with the monthly amount, the pot status, and the next infrequent bill. Open reserve plan links here. The dashboard's Reserve calculation view uses the same idea of spreading bills over months.
  • Overview lists Reserves for Periodic Expenses with a link to the plan.

Example​

Today is 16 October. You have two bills, both paid from checking:

  • Insurance: 1,200 yearly, due 15 December. Rate 100 per month. Target today: 1,200 minus 2 months x 100 = 1,000.
  • Tax prepayment: 300 quarterly, due 15 November. Rate 100 per month. Target today: 300 minus 1 month x 100 = 200.

Result: you set aside 200 per month and the target today is 1,200. Your reserve account (savings) holds 1,000 and a standing order of 150 per month goes to it. The plan shows "200.00 missing once" and "Standing order too low: 50.00 per month missing". Raise the standing order to 200 on the Transfers page and top up the 200 once.