Start with the quick guide or search every current CommenCents feature.
Getting startedQuick start: build your first monthly plan
Create your private workspace, enter income, plan categories, and record your first expense.
1. Create your account
Choose Create account on the sign-in page, or continue with Google. CommenCents automatically creates one private personal workspace for you.
2. Set your income
On Overview, find How much am I bringing in? Add each source, enter what one payment is worth, and choose how often it arrives. CommenCents converts recurring pay into a monthly planning amount; one-time income stays in the selected month.
3. Give your money a job
Use the starter categories or choose New category. Enter the amount you plan to use for each category. Ready to assign shows income that has not been planned yet.
4. Record spending
Choose Add transaction, enter the merchant, amount, and category, then save. The category balance and spending totals update immediately.
5. Check your progress
Use the overview, category balances, latest activity, and top categories to see where the month stands. Use the month arrows to open another monthly plan.
Tip: Open Bookkeeper in the app and ask a question in your own words.
BudgetingUnderstand your monthly plan
Learn how income, planned amounts, spending, and remaining balances fit together.
Ready to assign
Ready to assign is expected income minus the total assigned across categories. A zero-based plan aims to give every expected dollar a purpose.
Category balances
Planned is the amount you set aside, Spent is recorded expense activity, and Left is Planned minus Spent. A negative balance means the category is over its plan.
Moving between months
Use the arrows beside the month. When a new month is first opened, CommenCents carries forward the previous income and planned category amounts, but not the previous transactions.
Add and review transactions
Record an expense manually and review recent activity.
Add an expense
Choose Add transaction, enter a merchant or short note, select a category, and enter a positive dollar amount. The current date is used when the transaction is saved.
Review activity
The Latest moves card shows recent transactions. Choose See all to review the current list. Transaction editing and deletion are not available in the current release.
Ask the Bookkeeper
Ask about your plan, search transactions, calculate amounts, or prepare an expense draft.
What to ask
Try: “How is my budget looking?”, “Show my recent grocery transactions,” “What is 425 minus 86.24?”, or “Draft a $24.50 grocery expense at Neighborhood Market.”
Drafts require approval
The Bookkeeper can prepare a transaction draft, but it cannot save the transaction by itself. Review the merchant, category, amount, and date, then choose Add transaction to approve it.
Limits
The Bookkeeper cannot move money, connect bank accounts, file taxes, make investments, or access another person’s workspace. Its responses are educational and are not professional financial, legal, or tax advice.
Accounts, privacy, and personal workspaces
Understand sign-in choices and how CommenCents keeps each personal budget separate.
Sign in
Use email and password or Continue with Google. Never share a password. Each person should use their own account.
Private by default
Every account receives one personal workspace. Database row-level security restricts that workspace and its budget records to the signed-in account.
Shared circles
The data model supports separate shared circles with Owner, Admin, and Member roles, but invitations and community-circle management are not available in the current app experience yet.
Themes and feature availability
Switch between IKON and CommenCents themes and see what is coming later.
Change the theme
Use the theme picker in the top bar. IKON is the default black, ivory, gold, and red theme. CommenCents uses forest, cream, and bright community accents. Your selection is saved on the device.
Not available yet
Bank connections, automatic transaction import, invitation delivery, shared-circle management, and Bookkeeper voice conversations are planned but are not enabled in the current release.
