Every category on the Budget tab carries two amounts that answer different questions.
- Assigned is your plan: how much you intend this category to get this month.
Assigned: The forecasted plan.
You can fill it in as early as you like, even before the paycheck arrives. - Funded is the reality:
real cash in categories.
It counts money you have actually set aside from paychecks that have landed. - Available is what you can spend right now:
Available: Previously Funded + Funded - Spent.
On screen, "previously funded" is the Prior column, the balance carried in from last month.
Available follows Funded, not Assigned. Changing what you assigned changes your plan, not your cash, so Available stays where it is.
An example
The Rivera household's Groceries in October 2026, after Alex's 10/09 paycheck:
| Prior | Assigned | Funded | Spent | Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $42.18 | $900.00 | $400.00 | $180.42 | $261.76 |
They plan to spend $900.00 on groceries this month, but have only set aside $400.00 of real cash so far. Available is $42.18 + $400.00 − $180.42 = $261.76.
If they change Assigned to $950.00, Left to assign drops by $50.00 and Available stays at $261.76. If they fund another $100.00, Available rises to $361.76.
How a category gets Funded
Assigned never turns into Funded on its own. Assigned money does not "become" Funded automatically — the only bridge between them is the paycheck-arrival proposal, which is always a user-confirmed action
.
- When a paycheck lands, you confirm how it funds your categories; see Confirming a paycheck.
- By hand, open a category and tap Fund, or type a new total in the category's Funded cell on the Budget tab. On a phone, pick Funded from the column switch beside Available first.
Funding records where your money is meant to go inside Forward. Nothing you do in Forward moves money at your bank.
What to do
If a category shows plenty Assigned but little Available:
- Open Notifications and confirm any paycheck that is waiting.
- If none is waiting, open the category on the Budget tab and tap Fund.
See Left to assign and Left to fund for the two totals at the top of the Budget tab.