Your budget
Plan with money you have and see what needs to be covered before your next paycheck.
Ready to Assign and Projected Net
Ready to Assign is the money available to assign now. Assigning money to an expense or savings goal reduces it. Received income categorized as income increases it. An expected paycheck is a plan, not received money.
Projected Net helps you look ahead using expected income and planned expenses. It is an estimate for planning, not a spendable bank balance.
Assigned, spent, and available
Assigned is money you have set aside for an expense. Spent comes from transactions for that category and its spending window. Available is what remains after spending. Refunds categorized to an expense reduce its net spending.
You can assign all or part of a target. Setting a target alone does not fund a category. Assigning money in Alto does not transfer money at your bank.
Each category keeps its own schedule
The pay period is the view you use to plan. It does not reset every category. Bills follow their scheduled occurrences; flexible spending follows its chosen weekly, biweekly, twice-monthly, monthly, or per-paycheck window.
A monthly spending category uses one full-month window across paycheck views. A weekly spending window keeps its full target when its start falls in the selected period. Per-paycheck categories follow the pay-period grid. Moving between views does not create a fresh pot of money.
Prepare for future expenses
You can reserve money for an upcoming expense before its due period. Future Assigned is money already reserved, so it is not also available to assign elsewhere.
Check the date or period on a category before changing its assignment, especially when several occurrences are grouped together.
Review what needs attention
Use search and filters to find categories. Needs Attention brings problems such as overspending or expenses needing funds into view. Review the amount and date before deciding whether to assign more, adjust the plan, or correct a transaction.
Savings goals retain their running balances. Credit-card payment categories carry reserved money forward; other categories should be reviewed in their own windows.