Everything you need to know about filters

You use filters to automatically make changes to transactions at the same time as categorising, such as renaming a merchant, adding labels, marking transfers, and more.

Use this guide for the steps on how to create and use filters with the new transaction search.

Filters are more powerful than category rules, allowing you to set multiple parameters (e.g. merchant description, amount, account, transaction type) in order to categorise transactions.

Let filters do the heavy lifting for you! 💪

Creating a filter

Use the transaction search on the Transactions page to isolate a particular group of transactions. Following this, you'll be able to make a filter to apply certain actions to those transactions (existing and any future imported transactions).

1. Create a new search on the Transactions page to define the transactions you want to apply the filter to
2. Once you have run the search and the transactions that match are displayed on the Transactions page, click CREATE FILTER

3. You will then be able to choose what actions you'd like to be applied by the filter

   
   

   Important: Set your filter up to assign a category, as well as any other edits

   Any filters that are set up to apply edits to a transaction (e.g. mark as transfer, or edit merchant name) should also be set up to apply a category.

   This is because only one category rule or filter can be applied to a transaction, and filters are run first. Therefore, if the filter does not apply a category, the transaction will have any other edits applied but will remain uncategorised.

   
   
4. If you want this filter to be applied to all matching existing transactions (as well as all future imported transactions that match the search criteria), tick the checkbox Apply filter to matching transactions
5. Click SAVE
6. Now, all newly imported transactions matching the criteria will have this filter applied to them, if not matched by a previous filter already.

Editing filters

You can edit your filters, including renaming them, from the Category Rules, Saved Searches & Filters menu.

1. Head to Manage > Category Rules, Saved Searches & Filters
2. Select Filters from the left menu
3. Navigate to the filter you want to change, click the three-dot menu and select Edit or Rename
4. Rename will open a rename window, change the name and click SAVE
5. Edit will open up a transaction search on the Transactions page based on the filter. From here, you can adjust the search criteria if necessary
6. Click SAVE
7. You can then make changes to the actions applied by the filter
8. Click SAVE to save the changes

Finding and editing a filter applied to a specific transaction

If a transaction has had a filter or category rule applied to it, you're able to see which one was applied when viewing that particular transaction on the Transactions page. From here, you can edit so that it is applied correctly.

1. When on the Transactions page, locate and click on the transaction that you want to find the filter for. This will open the edit transaction form
2. Click Filtered in the bottom left of the form
3. The Filter and its rules will then show, click EDIT FILTER
4. This will open up a transaction search on the Transactions page based on the filter. From here, you can adjust the search criteria if necessary
5. Click SAVE
6. You can then make changes to the actions applied by the filter
7. Click SAVE to save the changes

Filter ordering and how filters are applied

How PocketSmith applies your filters to your transactions

When transactions are imported into PocketSmith they are checked against your ordered list of filters for matches. When there is a match, the actions are applied to that transaction, and the transaction is then removed from further filter checks.  Here is a breakdown of the process:

1. All newly imported transactions are gathered
2. The first filter checks this group of transactions for any matches
3. If there is a match with any transactions, those transactions are removed from the group and the filter's actions are applied
4. The next filter then checks against the remaining transactions (none of which will have any matches from previously applied filters)

Ordering your filters to improve how they are applied

It's best to set up your filters so that highly specific filters are given higher priority at the top of your filter list, with more general filters given a lower rank.

This means that the more specific filters will be applied to matching transactions (e.g. merchant includes "Transfer to" +   "equal to 200", to be categorised as "Savings Transfer") before more general ones (e.g. "Transfer to" merchant being assigned to "Transfers").

Changing the order of filters

1. Head to Manage > Category Rules, Saved Searches and Filters
2. Select Filters from the left menu
3. Click-and-drag the handles on the left of a filter to change the order

Steps to delete a filter

If you need to delete a filter, follow the steps below:

1. Head to Manage > Category Rules, Saved Searches and Filters
2. Select Filters from the left menu
3. Find the filter you want to delete, then click the three-dot menu and select Delete
4. A confirmation pop-up will then show, click OK to confirm the deletion