If money returns to you, log income (or reverse the expense if your app supports that cleanly). Stay consistent.

Should salary be categorized?

Optional. Useful if you have multiple income streams.

Do transfers count as expenses?

No. They move money between your accounts only.

Can Free track income?

Yes on expenie — unlimited income and expense lines during the trial and on Pro.

What about multiple currencies?

expenie v1 is one workspace currency. Convert before you log if needed.

Guides

Income and expense tracker: both sides of the month

July 18, 2026

Spending-only apps hide whether the month worked. Track income and expenses together so net is real — not a pie of outflows alone.

Track both sides free All guides

In short

The short answer

An income and expense tracker records money in and money out in the same books. The month answer is spent, received, and net — not only a category pie. Transfers between your accounts are not income. You can do this without a bank link if you log both paydays and spends.

Why expense-only views mislead

A pie of spend can look “bad” in a high-income month and “fine” in a low one. Net is the honest scoreboard. Editorial budget lists (NerdWallet 2026) still mix full money apps with spend loggers — know which you opened.

What to log on each side

Income: salary, freelance, refunds that enter your world.
Expense: anything leaving your world (including cash).
Transfer: bank → cash, card payment from checking — not income, not spend.
Optional category on income and expense for later filters.

Month close in five minutes

Confirm all paydays are logged.
Catch missing cash and card lines.
Read spent, received, net.
If net is thin, set or tighten one category budget next month.

How expenie shows both sides

expenie home is statement-first: spent, received, net for the month, lines by day. 14-day full Pro trial — full access including AI and recurring; unlimited transactions. No bank sync. Transfers never inflate income.

I'd rather see a quiet net than a loud pie that ignores payday.

FAQ

Is a refund income?: If money returns to you, log income (or reverse the expense if your app supports that cleanly). Stay consistent.
Should salary be categorized?: Optional. Useful if you have multiple income streams.
Do transfers count as expenses?: No. They move money between your accounts only.
Can Free track income?: Yes on expenie — unlimited income and expense lines during the trial and on Pro.
What about multiple currencies?: expenie v1 is one workspace currency. Convert before you log if needed.

Sources

NerdWallet — Best budget apps (2026-06-02)
Finny — free expense trackers 2026 (2026-03-28)

Try expenie

Solo private ledger. Manual entry. Statement-first month. 14-day full Pro trial, then subscribe.

Track both sides free