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Apply merchant categorization rules to historical transactions (retroactive rules)

Feature Request

Feature request:

Merchant rules currently only apply to future transactions. Once a rule is created, past transactions from that merchant remain uncategorized or incorrectly categorized.

Why this matters:
Accurate historical data is essential for identifying spending trends, reviewing past months, and making reliable budget decisions. Having to manually recategorize every old transaction from a merchant is time-consuming and error-prone.

Proposed improvement:
When creating or editing a merchant rule, add an option such as:

  • “Apply this rule to past transactions”

  • Optionally let the user choose a date range (e.g., “last 3 months,” “all history,” or a custom range)

  • Show a preview of how many transactions would be updated before confirming

This would keep historical data clean and consistent with the rules I set, so trend analysis and reports reflect reality instead of incomplete or outdated categories.

Thank you!

Posted by Gary Good ·
Status: Completed1 comment

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Comments1

  • team@waypointbudget

    Team•

    Oct 13

    Hi @Gary Good,

    Thanks for posting this, it’s now live! When you add or edit a rule, you can apply it to past transactions too:

    1. Go to Settings → Your Data → Categorization Rules, then open your rule (or tap Add Rule).

    2. Tick “Also move N past transactions to [category]”. The number shows how many will change before you save.

    3. Tap View transactions to see each one, and untick any you want to leave as they are.

    4. Save. If anything looks off, tap Undo on the confirmation.

    Instead of a date range, the list lets you choose exactly which ones move, so a one-off like a gift can stay where it is.