Frequently Asked Questions

Envelope budgeting is a method where you divide your income into specific spending categories — called "envelopes." Each envelope gets a set amount of money for the month. When you spend, the money comes out of the appropriate envelope. Once an envelope is empty, you know you've hit your limit for that category. envelUp digitizes this proven system so you can manage it all from your phone or computer.

A zero-dollar budget means you assign every dollar of your income a purpose — whether it's for spending, saving, or paying off debt — so your income minus your total budget equals zero. In envelUp, you set up your envelopes on the Manage Envelopes screen and allocate your entire monthly income across them. This doesn't mean you spend everything — it means every dollar has a plan.

Head to the Manage Envelopes screen and create envelopes for each of your spending categories (e.g., Food, Gas, Utilities, Savings). Set a monthly budget amount for each one. Your total monthly budget should equal your monthly income — that's the zero-dollar budget principle. envelUp will carry these envelopes forward each month automatically.

envelUp offers a free trial so you can explore all the features. After the trial, affordable monthly and annual plans are available. No credit card is required to get started.

Your regular monthly income is represented by your envelope budgets — that's the zero-dollar budget principle. Set your total budgets to equal your income, and every dollar has a purpose. For unexpected or extra income (like a refund, a Venmo payment from a friend, or a side gig), add it as an income transaction to the appropriate envelope.

When you make a purchase, simply add a transaction in envelUp. Select the envelope (category) it belongs to, enter the amount and date, and you're done. Your envelope balance updates in real time so you always know how much you have left to spend.

Yes! envelUp has a native iOS app available on the App Store. You can add transactions, snap photos of receipts, and check your balances on the go. An Android version is planned for the future.

envelUp has a built-in receipt splitter. If you buy groceries and household items in one trip, you can split that single transaction across your Food and Home & Bath envelopes with itemized tracking and automatic tax calculation.

When you receive a refund, add it as an income transaction to the appropriate envelope. The refund will reduce your spending for that category. Regular income (like a Venmo payment from a friend) works the same way — it adds money back to the envelope you assign it to.

Any unspent money in an envelope automatically rolls over to the next month. So if you budgeted $500 for Food but only spent $400, you'll start next month with a $100 rollover balance — giving you $600 available. This is one of the most powerful features of the envelope system.

If you spend more than your budgeted amount, the envelope will show a negative remaining balance. The overspent amount will carry forward as negative rollover into the next month, reducing your available balance. This keeps you accountable and encourages you to adjust your spending.

Absolutely! On the Manage Envelopes screen, you can rename any envelope, adjust its budget, reorder them by dragging, or delete envelopes you no longer need (with the option to move existing transactions to another envelope).

Yes! envelUp supports household sharing. You can invite your partner to join your household, and you'll both see the same envelopes, transactions, and balances. Each person has their own login, so you can track who added which transactions.

envelUp provides a Budget vs. Actual report that shows your spending compared to your budget across any date range. You can see monthly averages, overall differences, and drill down into individual categories. There's also net worth tracking, spending trends, and more.

Reconciliation lets you compare the transactions you've tracked in envelUp against your actual credit card or bank statements. Import your statement (CSV), and envelUp will automatically match transactions. This helps you catch any purchases you forgot to log or spot unauthorized charges.

Yes! envelUp includes a net worth tracker where you can add all your accounts — checking, savings, investments, credit cards, loans — and see your total net worth over time with trend charts for each account.

Yes. envelUp uses industry-standard encryption and secure authentication. Your data is stored securely and is never shared with third parties. We take your financial privacy very seriously.

envelUp supports optional Plaid integration for syncing account balances, but this is entirely optional. The core budgeting experience is fully manual — you add your own transactions — which gives you greater awareness and control of your spending.