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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 
"Category - Specific Description - Period"

Examples:
- "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - June 2026"
- "Salaries - Treasurer Stipend - June 2026"
- "Bank Charges - Wire Transfer Fee"
- "Meeting Expenses - Room Rental - AGM 2026"
Pattern 2: Simple Category 
"Category: Specific Description"

Examples:
- "Utilities: Electricity Bill"
- "Supplies: Office Stationery"
- "Transportation: Bank Trip Taxi"
Pattern 3: Category Only 
"Category - Description"

Examples:
- "Office Rent"
- "Treasurer Stipend"
- "Audit Fees"
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:
Category PatternWhat to IncludeExample Titles
Operating ExpensesRent, utilities, internet, phone, office supplies”Operating Expenses - Office Rent”, “Operating Expenses - Electricity”
Salaries & CompensationStaff pay, treasurer stipend, accountant fees”Salaries - Treasurer Stipend”, “Salaries - Accountant Monthly”
Bank ChargesAccount fees, transaction costs, wire fees”Bank Charges - Wire Transfer”, “Bank Charges - Account Maintenance”
Meeting ExpensesRoom rental, refreshments, member gatherings”Meeting Expenses - AGM Room Rental”, “Meeting Expenses - Refreshments”
TransportationTravel to bank, member visits, official trips”Transportation - Bank Trip”, “Transportation - Member Visit”
Professional ServicesAuditor fees, legal consultation, training”Professional Services - Annual Audit”, “Professional Services - Legal Advice”
CommunicationSMS notifications, printing, postage”Communication - SMS Service”, “Communication - Printing”
TechnologySoftware subscriptions, computer equipment”Technology - Accounting Software”, “Technology - Laptop”
Maintenance & RepairsOffice repairs, equipment maintenance”Maintenance - Office Repairs”, “Maintenance - Printer Repair”
InsuranceOffice insurance, liability coverage”Insurance - Office Liability”, “Insurance - Equipment”
OtherMiscellaneous expenses”Other - Miscellaneous”, “Other - Unforeseen”

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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: 
Expense Title Guidelines for [Organization Name]

Format: "Category - Description - Period (if recurring)"

Categories to use:
1. Operating Expenses - Rent, utilities, supplies
2. Salaries - All staff compensation
3. Bank Charges - All bank fees
4. Meeting Expenses - Rooms, refreshments
5. Transportation - Travel costs
6. Professional Services - Audits, legal, training
7. Other - Everything else

Examples:
- "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - June 2026"
- "Salaries - Treasurer Stipend - June 2026"
- "Bank Charges - Wire Transfer Fee"

Updated: June 2026
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: 
Expense: Paid office rent

1. Choose category: "Operating Expenses"
2. Add specific details: "Office Rent"
3. Add period: "June 2026"
4. Final title: "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - June 2026"

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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: 
Bank Charges - Account Maintenance
Bank Charges - Wire Transfer Fee
Meeting Expenses - AGM Room
Meeting Expenses - Refreshments
Operating Expenses - Electricity
Operating Expenses - Office Rent
Salaries - Accountant Fee
Salaries - Treasurer Stipend

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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: 
Operating Expenses - Office Rent
Operating Expenses - Electricity
Operating Expenses - Internet
Salaries - Treasurer Stipend
Salaries - Accountant Fee
Bank Charges - Wire Transfer
Bank Charges - Account Maintenance
Meeting Expenses - Room Rental
Meeting Expenses - Refreshments
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: 
[OPE] Office Rent - June 2026
[OPE] Electricity Bill
[SAL] Treasurer Stipend - June
[SAL] Accountant Monthly Fee
[BNK] Wire Transfer Fee
[MTG] AGM Room Rental
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: 
Office Rent - June 2026
Treasurer Stipend - June 2026
Accountant Monthly Fee - June
Bank Wire Transfer Fee
AGM Room Rental
Office Electricity Bill
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:
Transaction TypeWhy It’s Not an ExpenseWhere to Record
Loan DisbursementsLending money, not spending it (member owes it back)Loans module
Dividend PaymentsDistributing profits (member owns it)Dividends module
Member WithdrawalsReturning member’s own savingsSavings withdrawals
Reserve AllocationsInternal accounting move (setting aside funds)Reserves module
Asset PurchasesCapital investment (asset has value)Fixed Assets module
Bank TransfersMoving money between accounts (internal)Manual journal entries
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: 
Old Titles (inconsistent):
- "Rent"
- "Office rent June"
- "June office rental"
- "Stipend"
- "Treasurer pay"

New Titles (consistent):
- "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - June 2026"
- "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - June 2026" (duplicates merged)
- "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - June 2026"
- "Salaries - Treasurer Stipend - June 2026"
- "Salaries - Treasurer Stipend - June 2026" (duplicates merged)

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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