> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.finta.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Envelope budgeting > Assign the money you actually have to categories, so your money has a plan before you spend it. Envelope budgeting is a zero-based method. Instead of planning a monthly amount, you take the cash you have today and assign it to categories until nothing is left to assign. When you spend, it comes out of that category's envelope. > [!NOTE] > > Envelope budgeting uses your account balances and stored transactions, so it needs [storage mode](https://docs.finta.io/getting-started/storage-mode.md). Turn it on in [Settings → Data](https://app.finta.io/settings/data). Without it, you can still assign amounts, but Ready to Assign shows a dash next to your total cash balance. ## Create an envelope plan If this is your first plan, pick **Envelope** when Finta asks how you want to budget as you add your first budget, and you're set. To add an envelope plan alongside an existing one: **1. Open the plan menu** On the **Budgets** page, open the plan menu (the **⋯** button if you only have one plan) and click **New plan**. **2. Name it and choose Envelope** Give the plan a name and pick **Envelope** as the method. **3. Choose accounts** Choose **All accounts**, or **Selected accounts** to include only some. Only the checking and savings accounts you include count toward Ready to Assign. **4. Create the plan** Click **Create plan**. You can make it your default plan with **Make default** in the plan menu's **Plan settings**. ## Start by assigning your savings The first time you open an envelope plan, **Ready to Assign** may look surprisingly large. That's expected. It includes the cash in all of the plan's checking and savings accounts, including money you've already set aside. > [!TIP] > > Before you budget your spending, assign your savings to an expense category you create, like **Emergency fund**. Finta's built-in **Savings** category is a transfer, so it can't have a budget. Ready to Assign then shows only the money that's free to budget. If you'd rather leave a savings account out completely, create the plan with **Selected accounts** and don't include it. ## How Ready to Assign works Ready to Assign starts from the cash in your plan's checking and savings accounts, then adjusts for what's already spoken for. The **How it's worked out** panel on the Budgets page shows each line: * **Minus** what's still available in your envelopes. * **Minus** what you've set aside for your cards. * **Minus** money you've assigned to future months. * **Plus** cash you spent this month outside any budget. That money has already left your balance, so it isn't taken out twice. When income arrives, your balance goes up and so does Ready to Assign. * **Assign money to a category** to fill its envelope for the month. * **Assigning more than you have is allowed.** Ready to Assign goes negative until you lower an assignment. * **Overspending resets next month.** An overspent envelope goes back to zero at the start of the next month, and the shortfall comes out of Ready to Assign. Overspending on a credit card stays owed on the card instead. It lowers Ready to Assign only by what you pay toward it from the plan's cash, which shows when the month rolls. * **Move money** between envelopes in the same plan when plans change. Finta shows a before and after preview first. This changes your budget, not money at your bank. Investment and loan accounts aren't counted, and credit cards get their own payment envelopes (see below). ### Why can't I see Ready to Assign for past months? Ready to Assign is worked out from the cash in your accounts today, so there's no figure for a past month. It's shown for the current month only, and a **Go to** button on a past month takes you back to it. Past months still show what you assigned, spent, and had available. ## Credit card payments Every credit card in an envelope plan gets a payment envelope, so the money for your bill is ready when it's due. * Card spending that your budgets cover moves from the spending category's envelope into the card's payment envelope automatically. * To pay down a balance you already carried, set aside extra money for that card. The **Set aside … more** button tops it up to the full balance. The **Credit card payments** section shows two amounts for each card: * **Assigned** is the money you put toward the card this month. * **Set aside** is what you assigned to the card plus card spending your budgets covered, minus payments. It carries into next month. What you owe on the card isn't subtracted from Ready to Assign. Older card debt only reduces it when you assign money to pay it down, or when you pay the card more than you set aside. ## FAQ > [accordion] Ready to Assign is huge. Is something wrong? > > Probably not. It includes all the cash in your plan's checking and savings accounts. Assign your savings to a category like Emergency fund first, and the number will reflect what's free to budget. > [accordion] Why don't some transactions count? > > Uncategorized transactions don't come out of any envelope. Give them a category, or add a [rule](https://docs.finta.io/your-data/rules.md) to categorize them automatically. > [accordion] Can I switch an existing plan to envelope? > > Yes. On the **Budgets** page, open the plan menu, choose **Plan settings**, change **Method** to **Envelope**, and click **Save changes**. If you only have one plan, the **⋯** menu's **Budget settings** opens the same form. Afterward, months with no assignment show $0 planned, because an envelope plan plans only what you assign. Your amounts are kept, so switching back restores them. Destinations bound to the plan sync $0 planned for those months. You can also ask through [Finta MCP](https://docs.finta.io/mcp/tools.md#budget-tools) or the [API](https://docs.finta.io/api/v2/budgets.md). If you want to try envelope budgeting without changing your current plan, create a new envelope plan instead. > [accordion] Does Ready to Assign update in real time? > > It's as fresh as your last bank sync. An account you haven't connected to Finta isn't counted. For every detail on rollover, goals, and how the numbers are calculated, see the [Budgets reference](https://docs.finta.io/your-data/budgets.md). This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.