Help
How Forward works, in plain language. The same articles are in the app, under Help.
Getting started
Budgeting
- Assigned and FundedAssigned is your plan for a category, Funded is the cash behind it, and Available is what you can spend.
- Left to assign and Left to fundLeft to assign is income you have not planned yet; Left to fund is cash you have not set aside yet.
- Bills that come less often than monthlyFor a bill due every few months, Forward works out how much to set aside each month and tells you when you are behind.
- Moving money between categoriesMove money shifts your plan, your cash or both from one category to another inside Forward, and you can undo it.
- Closing a monthClosing a past month freezes what it carries into the next one, once its transactions, paychecks and accounts are settled.
Money in and out
- Your incomeThe Income screen lists every paycheck and other regular income Forward expects, so it can plan with money before it lands.
- Income that variesEnter an estimate for income that varies; when the money arrives, Forward counts the real amount instead.
- Your billsThe Bills screen lists rent, utilities and every other bill Forward sets money aside for, with what is due this month.
- Confirming a paycheckWhen a paycheck lands, Forward drafts how to fund your categories from it, and nothing is funded until you confirm.
- Connecting your bankHow a bank connection brings in balances and transactions, and what to do when it asks you to reconnect.
- Approving and categorizing transactionsWhy a transaction waits for your approval, how Forward suggests its category, and what the Notifications tab asks of you.
Your household
- Members, viewers and invitationsInvite someone into your household as a Member or a Viewer, and what each role can do.
- The founding membershipWhat the founding membership adds, what it costs, and how to cancel or get a refund.
- Connecting an AI assistantLet an assistant such as Claude answer questions from your budgets, choose which budgets it sees, and disconnect it any time.