Budget

Understanding your available amount and monthly summary

What your available amount really means (a calculated figure, not a bank balance), how to read the "How this number is calculated" breakdown, why it changes, and how to make sense of the Summary's donut chart and yearly table.

What you'll get

Understand where the big number on your Home screen comes from, why it goes up or down, and how to read the monthly and yearly Summary without mistaking real figures for a projection.

Requirements

Income entered in Settings (if it's zero, your budget comes out to zero)
A connection to calculate an up-to-date available amount (offline, you'll see the last saved figures)

At the very top of your Home screen you'll see "Available this week" with a large figure. It's the most important number in Monuvia, so it's worth understanding exactly what it is — and what it isn't.

Keep in mind. Your available amount is NOT your bank balance. Monuvia doesn't connect to any bank or see your account. It's a number the app calculates from what you enter: your income, your bills, and your savings goal.

Monuvia's Home screen with the week's available amount in large type and the spending bar — The Home screen: the week's available amount, the spending bar, and the quick shortcuts.

#How it's calculated

First, Monuvia works out your "free to spend" amount for the period (the month, or the fortnight if you use biweekly mode):

Free to spend = income − bills − savings goal
Week's budget = free to spend × days in that week ÷ days in the period
Available this week = week's budget − what you've already spent this week

Note. Each week's budget is fixed: it divides your free-to-spend amount by days, so a short week (say, the start or the end of the month) gets a proportional share. It no longer rises or falls based on what you spent in earlier weeks.

#The "How this number is calculated" breakdown

Right below the available amount is an expandable section called "How this number is calculated". Open it to see the full calculation, line by line, with your real figures.

On the Home screen, tap "How this number is calculated".
Read from top to bottom: "Income this month", "− Bills", "− Savings goal", and the total "= Free to spend".
Next come "This week (X of Y days)", "− Spent this week", and the total "= Available".
At the bottom you'll see "Left this month (free − everything spent)", which is what you have left for the rest of the period.

#Why the available amount changes

You add an expense (by hand, by photo, or with Apple Pay / Google Pay): the available amount goes down.
You enter or change your income, bills, or savings goal in Settings: your free-to-spend amount changes, and your budget along with it.
A bill turns out different from expected (you mark it as paid for a different amount): everything recalculates.
A new week begins: the available amount refills with that week's budget.
A new month (or fortnight) begins: everything starts over.

Keep in mind. If the available amount shows in red (negative), you've already spent more than the week's budget. Monuvia flags it, but it won't warn you before you go over.

#The Summary: donut chart, month, and year

The Summary screen gives you the big picture for the month and the year. At the top, a row of months lets you move between them; tap the month you want to see.

The Summary screen with the spending-by-category donut chart and the month's summary — The Summary: the category donut chart, the month's summary, and, further down, the yearly table.

"Spending by category" donut chart: it breaks the selected month's spending down across your categories.
"[month] at a glance": income, bills, savings goal, free to spend, spent, and what's left for the month.
"Monthly limits": if you set a limit on a category, you'll see how much you've used against it.
"[year] summary": a table with every month (income, spending, goal, and remaining).

Keep in mind. In the yearly table, months shown in italics with a dot (·) are a projection based on today's settings — not history and not a prediction. Past months and the current one show your actual spending; income, bills, and savings goal always come from your current settings.

Common problems

My available amount is zero or very low

Almost always, it's because you haven't entered any income yet, or because your bills plus your savings goal use up everything that's free to spend. Check "How this number is calculated" and adjust your income, bills, or goal in Settings.

My available amount dropped suddenly and I didn't spend that much

Check whether you added a large expense, whether a photo waiting in the queue uploaded, or whether a bill got marked as paid this month. The "How this number is calculated" breakdown shows you what changed.

The yearly table shows future months with figures

Those are a projection based on your current settings, marked in italics with a dot (·). It's not real money and it's not a prediction; it simply repeats your income, bills, and goal as they stand today.

I see "Offline" and the figures look a bit out of date

Offline, the Home screen shows the last thing saved on your phone. You can keep adding expenses and photos: they upload on their own when you reconnect. Tap "Retry" once your connection is back.

Open the SummaryReviewed September 9, 2026

Keep learning

Data & install

Export a month or a year to PDF and Excel

How to download your account statement (income, bills, and expenses) for a single month or the whole year as a PDF to print, or as Excel with formulas that recalculate when you edit the amounts.