Overview
Assigning money is the core action in Kualia. When you receive income, it goes into your Ready to Assign balance. From there, you distribute it across your budget categories.
How It Works
Ready to Assign
Your Ready to Assign (RTA) balance is calculated as:
Ready to Assign = Total Income - Total Assigned Across All Categories
When this number is positive, you have money waiting to be assigned. When it’s zero, every dollar has a job. If it’s negative, you’ve over-assigned - you’ve promised more money to categories than you actually have.
Assigning to a Category
To assign money to a category:
- Navigate to the Budget view
- Select the month you want to budget for
- Click on a category’s Assigned column
- Enter the amount you want to assign
- The category’s Available balance updates immediately
Moving Money Between Categories
If you overspend in one category, you can move money from another:
- Reduce the assigned amount in the source category
- Increase the assigned amount in the destination category
Your total budget stays balanced - you’re just reshuffling your envelopes.
Monthly Assignments
Each category tracks its assigned amount per month. This means:
- January’s assignments are separate from February’s
- You can plan ahead by assigning money to future months
- Available balances roll over from month to month
Tips
Use targets to automate your assignment goals. Kualia will tell you how much each category needs
based on your target settings. Assign your most essential categories first (rent, utilities, groceries) before funding discretionary spending.
