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Overview

Expense categories help you organize and analyze spending by grouping similar expenses together. In Agatabo, categories are implemented through consistent naming conventions in the expense title field, not as a separate technical feature.
Important: Agatabo does not have a built-in category dropdown or predefined category list. Instead, you create your own categories by using consistent title patterns and prefixes.

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How Categories Work in Agatabo

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No Predefined Categories

What Agatabo has:
  • Free-form title field for every expense
  • Optional description field for details
What Agatabo does NOT have:
  • ❌ Predefined category dropdown
  • ❌ Category field in the database
  • ❌ Enforced category list
  • ❌ Category selection during expense recording

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Creating Categories Through Titles

You create categories by using consistent title patterns: Pattern 1: Prefix Format
Pattern 2: Simple Category
Pattern 3: Category Only
Key principle: Whatever pattern you choose, use it consistently so expenses group together when sorted or filtered.

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Purpose of Categorization

Why use consistent title patterns:
  • Track how much you spend on each type of cost
  • Compare spending month-to-month or year-to-year
  • Create budgets by expense type
  • Identify areas to reduce costs
  • Generate meaningful expense reports
  • Search and filter expenses by category keywords
  • Analyze spending patterns
Use these as title prefixes or the main part of your expense title:

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Creating Your Category System

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Step 1: Define Your Categories

Choose 5-12 main category patterns that fit your organization: Small Tontine (5-6 categories):
  • Operating Expenses
  • Salaries
  • Bank Charges
  • Meetings
  • Transportation
  • Other
Medium Tontine (8-10 categories):
  • Operating Expenses
  • Salaries & Compensation
  • Bank Charges
  • Meeting Expenses
  • Transportation
  • Professional Services
  • Communication
  • Technology
  • Other
Large Tontine (12-15 categories):
  • All medium categories, plus:
  • Maintenance & Repairs
  • Insurance
  • Marketing & Outreach
  • Training & Development
  • Legal & Compliance

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Step 2: Document Your Conventions

Create a category guide for your organization:
Share this guide with everyone who records expenses.

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Step 3: Use Consistently

Every time you record an expense:
  1. Check your category guide
  2. Choose the appropriate category
  3. Format the title according to your pattern
  4. Include specific details after the category prefix
Example workflow:

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Step 4: Review and Refine

Monthly review:
  • List all expense titles from the month
  • Check for inconsistencies (“Rent” vs “Office Rent” vs “Operating Expenses - Rent”)
  • Edit titles to match conventions
  • Update category guide if needed

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How to Analyze by Category

Since categories are in the title field, you can organize expenses by:

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Sorting Alphabetically

All expenses with same category prefix group together:

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Searching by Keyword

Search expense history for category keywords:
  • Search “Bank Charges” → Shows all bank-related expenses
  • Search “Salaries” → Shows all salary expenses
  • Search “Operating Expenses” → Shows all operational costs

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Filtering by Title Pattern

If the system supports title filtering:
  • Filter titles containing “Operating Expenses”
  • Filter titles containing “Salaries”
  • Filter titles starting with specific prefix

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Manual Categorization in Reports

Export expense list and use spreadsheet to:
  1. Extract category from title (first part before ” - ”)
  2. Create pivot table by category
  3. Sum amounts per category
  4. Generate category breakdown charts

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Best Practices

Category organization tips:Consistency is key:
  • Use exact same category names every time (not “Rent” sometimes, “Office Rent” other times)
  • Follow your documented pattern religiously
  • Train all expense recorders on the conventions
  • Review new expenses weekly to catch inconsistencies early
Keep it simple:
  • 5-12 main categories is optimal (not too many, not too few)
  • Broad categories work better than overly specific ones
  • Use description field for additional details
Use prefixes:
  • Start titles with category name for easy grouping
  • Format: “Category - Details” or “Category: Details”
  • Enables alphabetical sorting by category
Subcategories in description:
  • Main category in title: “Operating Expenses - Utilities”
  • Subcategory in description: “Electricity bill for office - June 2026”
  • Keeps title clean while preserving detail
Regular cleanup:
  • Review expense titles monthly
  • Edit inconsistent titles to match conventions
  • Update category guide when adding new categories
  • Archive or merge underused categories
Document everything:
  • Maintain written category guide
  • Share with all expense recorders
  • Update guide when adding new patterns
  • Include examples of correct formatting

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Example Category Systems

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Pattern 1: Simple Prefixes

Convention: “Category - Description” Examples:
Pros: Clean, easy to read, groups well alphabetically Cons: Longer titles

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Pattern 2: Category Codes

Convention: “[CODE] Description” Category codes:
  • OPE: Operating Expenses
  • SAL: Salaries
  • BNK: Bank Charges
  • MTG: Meetings
  • TRN: Transportation
  • PRO: Professional Services
Examples:
Pros: Short, easy to scan, very organized Cons: Need to learn codes

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Pattern 3: Natural Language

Convention: Descriptive title with category implied Examples:
Pros: Reads naturally, no forced structure Cons: Harder to group, requires manual categorization later

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What NOT to Include as Expenses

These are not operating expenses and should not use expense categories:
Key distinction: An expense is money spent on something that is “consumed” or “used up” - you don’t get it back. Loans, dividends, and savings withdrawals go to members who either owe it back or already own it.

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Migrating Existing Expenses

If you have expenses without consistent categories:
1

Export expense list

Get all expenses with titles and amounts
2

Review and categorize

Assign category to each expense based on what it is
3

Create edit plan

Group expenses by category for batch editing
4

Edit expense titles

Update titles to follow your new convention
5

Verify results

Check that expenses now group properly when sorted
Example migration:

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Common Questions

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”Can I change my category system later?”

Yes, but it requires editing all existing expense titles:
  • Edit each expense to update the title
  • Use reverse-and-repost pattern (maintains audit trail)
  • Consider doing this during accounting period close
  • Better to get it right from the start

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”What if I need a new category?”

Add it anytime:
  1. Decide on the category name and pattern
  2. Update your category guide document
  3. Start using it for new expenses
  4. Optionally reclassify old expenses

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”How many categories should I have?”

5-12 is optimal:
  • Too few (1-3): Not enough detail for analysis
  • Just right (5-12): Meaningful grouping without complexity
  • Too many (15+): Hard to remember, inconsistent usage

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”Can I use subcategories?”

Yes, in the description field:
  • Title: “Operating Expenses - Utilities”
  • Description: “Electricity bill for main office - June 2026”
  • Keeps title clean while preserving detail

Recording Expenses

Enter spending with proper titles

Expenses Overview

Understand expense types

Viewing History

Review expenses by category

Profit & Loss Report

See expense breakdowns