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Everyday

Adding an expense: by hand, by photo, and through automatic channels

Three ways to log an expense in Monuvia: typed in by hand from Home, from a photo of a bill, or automatically from your phone. Here's each one and when to use it.

What you'll get

Log any expense in seconds and watch this week's available amount go down, even with no signal.

Requirements
  • Be signed in to Monuvia.
  • For the photo: a camera or an image in your gallery. The first time, a few seconds of connection to download the reader.
  • Adding by hand and by photo work offline; they wait in a queue and are recorded when you reopen the app with a connection.

In Monuvia, an expense is anything that comes out of your pocket day to day: lunch, groceries, gas. Every expense you log lowers this week's available amount. You have three ways to record one, and you can mix them depending on the moment.

Monuvia's Home screen showing this week's available amount and the quick actions
Home: this is where you add expenses by hand or scan a bill.

#1. By hand, from Home

It's the fastest way for cash, Yappy, or any payment you want to enter yourself.

  1. On Home (/app), tap the "Add expense" action ("Cash, Yappy, card… works offline too").
  2. In "Amount," type the figure, for example 12.50.
  3. In "Category," pick one from your list, or leave it as "No category."
  4. In "Merchant or note (optional)," you can write something like "Lunch, cash."
  5. Tap "Save expense." If you're offline, the button will say "Save (uploads later)."
Note. Category suggestion: if you type the merchant and haven't picked a category yet, Monuvia can fill it in on its own based on your earlier expenses at that same merchant. When it does, the label changes to "Category · suggested." You can change it whenever you like.

#2. From a photo of the bill

In the "Scan a bill or receipt" section on Home, you can take a photo or pick an image from your gallery. Monuvia reads the text in the image right on your own phone and tries to find the total so it can record the expense.

  1. In "Scan a bill or receipt," tap "Take photo" to use the camera, or "▢ Upload image" to pick one from your gallery.
  2. Frame the receipt in good light, making sure the total is visible.
  3. Wait for it to finish reading (you'll see "Reading…" and a progress bar).
  4. Check the message: if it found the total, you'll see the expense recorded; if not, it'll ask you to add it by hand.
Keep in mind. The photo never leaves your phone: the reader transcribes the image into text right there, and from that text it pulls out the amount and the merchant using rules. It's not an "AI that understands" the bill; if the total isn't clear in the photo, you'll have to add the expense by hand.
Note. The first time you scan, the app downloads the reader (a few seconds, with a connection). After that it works offline too: the photo is saved on your phone, and it's read and recorded on its own as soon as you reopen the app with internet.

#3. Automatic, from your phone

The most convenient way for cards: every payment logs itself. This isn't Monuvia connecting to your bank; it's your own phone, which forwards the payment text to Monuvia from Apple Pay (iPhone) or from the bank's notification (Android).

It's a separate setup you do once. You'll find it explained step by step in the automatic capture guide.

Note. Automatic payments and scanned bills also show up in "Latest expenses" on Home, alongside the ones you add by hand.

Common problems

I scanned the bill but it says it couldn't find the total.
Retake the photo with more light and the total in frame, or tap "Add expense" and enter it by hand. The reader transcribes what it sees; if the total comes out blurry or cut off, it can't pull it out.
It won't let me save: it says to enter an amount greater than zero.
The "Amount" field needs a figure. Use a period for cents (12.50) and avoid letters or symbols.
I have no signal — can I still log it?
Yes. Adding by hand and by photo work offline: the expense is saved on your phone and uploads on its own when you reopen the app with internet. Editing or changing an expense does require a connection.
The category it suggested isn't the right one.
Open the "Category" menu and pick another, or leave it as "No category." The suggestion is just a shortcut based on your earlier expenses at that merchant.
Go to HomeReviewed September 9, 2026

Keep learning

Automation

Set up automatic capture and revoke a device

Create a token, install the iPhone shortcut or the Android automation so your payments come in on their own, check that they're arriving, and revoke a token whenever you need to.

Everyday

Bills: log the actual payment, history, and undo

Bills are your fixed payments: rent, loan payments, utilities. Here's how to create them, mark them as paid with the actual amount and date, review your history by month, and undo a payment.

Budget

Categories, per-category limits, and merchant rules

Create categories to sort your expenses, set an optional monthly limit that shows up in Summary, and define merchant rules so expenses sort themselves. Everything is calculated inside your own account, with no external AI.