[Feature] Flags, which can add detail to expenses

[relima]

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Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve?

Enhance your budgeting experience with the Flags feature, which can add detail to expenses, help track reimbursements, and color-code related transactions. Learn how to name, add, change, and remove flags from transactions, and how to search by flag. Note that flags are an optional feature— your budget can be successful with or without them!

Describe your ideal solution to this problem

What Can I Do With Flags?
Looking to add some extra detail to your expenses? Want to really dial in on tracking reimbursements and shared expenses? Try out our Flags feature! Flags can serve multiple functions in your account register and budget as a whole, including:

Adding detail to your expenses, color-coding related transactions. Flags help group expenses that have separate categories, like tax-deductible expenses. You can also [export your flagged transactions] and then share them with anyone who will listen to you.

Helping you follow up on reimbursable expenses (who owes you, or what it's for).

If you're budgeting with a partner, you can flag transactions that you need to discuss together.

Reminders to take action, like remembering to pay a bill that isn't on autopay.

If you're frequently needing to get a total amount that you've spent on something—but the transactions span multiple categories or accounts—using a flag allows you to search for the flag color, and get a selected total with ease.

Adding splashes of color to your accounts and transactions!

Teaching and learning

This is on YNAB4. Really useful feature.

[github-actions]

✨ Thanks for sharing your idea! ✨

This repository uses lodash style issue management for enhancements. That means enhancement issues are automatically closed. This doesn’t mean we don’t accept feature requests, though! We will consider implementing ones that receive many upvotes, and we welcome contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help you make a successful contribution).

The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+

Don’t forget to upvote the top comment with 👍!

[Shazib]

You can sort of emulate this by putting things in the notes column, e.g. #taxdeductible

You can filter by those 'tags' then. Maybe we could support colouring things using tags we well as a sort of quicker way of achieving the other things you want

[joel-jeremy]

I think the idea is the same with the one proposed in this issue: #531

[shawalli]

I think the idea is the same with the one proposed in this issue: #531

I disagree, specifically because of the YNAB callout. I think this request is for colored flags. The idea is to use a simple visual indicator for the purposes of highlighting transactions in a list view for further review of some kind. For instance, I used flags in YNAB for FSA/HSA-eligible expenses. For my system, blue meant I had scanned the document and purple meant I had submitted for reimbursement. I also then used an #hsa tag in the memo field to allow filtering of all of these kinds of transactions.

For reference, here is a screenshot of the empty flag field and flag dropdown in YNAB:

If you've used Gmail, you can see the same idea with the flag/star/important buttons in the inbox view.

[truncsphere]

I would love to see traction on this request. I'm in the process of migrating to Actual Budget and this a necessary component that will make a world of difference.

For me personally, I use flags to highlight which transactions on my credit card have not yet been paid off yet. In addition, I have an off-budget account that I use sometimes to pay a specific CC transaction, for this I use a specific flag color as well.

@joel-jeremy for visibility

[shawalli]

This could be extended even further by allowing a single emoji character of any kind to allow more categorization rather than a small list of pre-selected flags

[relima]

Any news here? This is the only feature I still miss from ynab