> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.agatabo.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Expense Categories > Organize spending through consistent naming conventions and title patterns ## 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. ## How Categories Work in Agatabo ### 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 ### 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. ## 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 ## Recommended Category Patterns for Tontines Use these as **title prefixes** or the main part of your expense title: | Category Pattern | What to Include | Example Titles | | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Operating Expenses** | Rent, utilities, internet, phone, office supplies | "Operating Expenses - Office Rent", "Operating Expenses - Electricity" | | **Salaries & Compensation** | Staff pay, treasurer stipend, accountant fees | "Salaries - Treasurer Stipend", "Salaries - Accountant Monthly" | | **Bank Charges** | Account fees, transaction costs, wire fees | "Bank Charges - Wire Transfer", "Bank Charges - Account Maintenance" | | **Meeting Expenses** | Room rental, refreshments, member gatherings | "Meeting Expenses - AGM Room Rental", "Meeting Expenses - Refreshments" | | **Transportation** | Travel to bank, member visits, official trips | "Transportation - Bank Trip", "Transportation - Member Visit" | | **Professional Services** | Auditor fees, legal consultation, training | "Professional Services - Annual Audit", "Professional Services - Legal Advice" | | **Communication** | SMS notifications, printing, postage | "Communication - SMS Service", "Communication - Printing" | | **Technology** | Software subscriptions, computer equipment | "Technology - Accounting Software", "Technology - Laptop" | | **Maintenance & Repairs** | Office repairs, equipment maintenance | "Maintenance - Office Repairs", "Maintenance - Printer Repair" | | **Insurance** | Office insurance, liability coverage | "Insurance - Office Liability", "Insurance - Equipment" | | **Other** | Miscellaneous expenses | "Other - Miscellaneous", "Other - Unforeseen" | ## Creating Your Category System ### 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 ### 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. ### 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" ``` ### 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 ## How to Analyze by Category Since categories are in the title field, you can organize expenses by: ### 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 ``` ### 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 ### 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 ### 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 ## 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 ## Example Category Systems ### 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 *** ### 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 *** ### 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 ## What NOT to Include as Expenses These are **not operating expenses** and should not use expense categories: | Transaction Type | Why It's Not an Expense | Where to Record | | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | | **Loan Disbursements** | Lending money, not spending it (member owes it back) | Loans module | | **Dividend Payments** | Distributing profits (member owns it) | Dividends module | | **Member Withdrawals** | Returning member's own savings | Savings withdrawals | | **Reserve Allocations** | Internal accounting move (setting aside funds) | Reserves module | | **Asset Purchases** | Capital investment (asset has value) | Fixed Assets module | | **Bank Transfers** | Moving 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. ## Migrating Existing Expenses If you have expenses without consistent categories: Get all expenses with titles and amounts Assign category to each expense based on what it is Group expenses by category for batch editing Update titles to follow your new convention 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) ``` ## Common Questions ### "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 ### "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 ### "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 ### "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 ## Related Topics Enter spending with proper titles Understand expense types Review expenses by category See expense breakdowns