Ready to Assign
Ready to Assign is the heartbeat of Budgero's zero-based budgeting system. It shows exactly how much of your available cash still needs a job.
In this guide
- Understand the loop from inflows to assignments so every unit keeps working.
- Spot the events that increase or decrease Ready to Assign automatically.
- Fix negative balances and missing inflows without breaking your budget history.
Ready to Assign tracks the portion of your budgeted cash that still needs a job. When it reads zero, every unit is pointed at a category. If it is positive you still have decisions to make. If it slips negative, you have assigned more money than you actually have.
The Ready to Assign loop
- Capture money the moment it arrives. Record paychecks, transfers, reimbursements, and cash top-ups in the account where the money actually lives. Budgero updates Ready to Assign instantly based on the inflow amount and account currency.
- Review the sidebar. Ready to Assign lives at the top of the budget sidebar and shows how much of your cash still needs a job before the next inflow.
- Assign funds with intention. Move money out of Ready to Assign into the categories that need it until the balance reaches zero.
- Reconcile regularly. Matching Budgero balances with your bank balances keeps Ready to Assign aligned with the cash that is truly available.
When Ready to Assign reads zero, every unit of currency has a purpose. If it is positive you still have decisions to make. If it is negative, pull money back from lower priority categories until the balance is zero again.
Ways Ready to Assign changes
Inflows
- New income. Paychecks, freelance payments, or reimbursements push their net amount into Ready to Assign.
- Transfers into budget accounts. Moving funds from savings to checking counts as an inflow if the originating account is outside your budget. Internal transfers between budget accounts keep Ready to Assign unchanged.
- YNAB imports. Imported history adjusts Ready to Assign so you begin with the right starting balance.
Outflows
- Assigning money. When you fund a category, Ready to Assign decreases by the same amount.
- Reassigning funds. Moving money between categories does not change Ready to Assign, but pushing money back into Ready to Assign increases it.
- Overspending. Negative category balances reduce Ready to Assign in the following month until they are covered.
Troubleshooting common situations
Ready to Assign is negative
- Scan categories for red overspending badges and move money back until those categories reach zero or green.
- Check for duplicate inflows or refunds that might have been entered twice and delete the duplicate.
- Reconcile each budget account. If balances differ from your bank, adjust the account balance so Ready to Assign reflects your real cash.
Ready to Assign did not increase after a paycheck
- Ensure the transaction type is an inflow categorised to Ready to Assign (leave the category blank).
- Confirm the account is part of the budget—tracking accounts do not affect Ready to Assign.
- If the income arrived in another currency, verify the conversion rate and edit the amount if it changed after entry.
You want to park money for later
- Create a holding category (for example, “Next month buffer”). Assign funds there instead of leaving them unassigned.
- When you are ready to use the money, move it from that holding category to the category that needs it.
- Prefer goals for predictable targets—they remind you when to fund and how much to keep on track.
Next steps
Ready to Assign feels best when goals and categories reflect your priorities. Explore more guides in the Budgero docs hub to keep building momentum.