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Tag Management

Using Tags to Organize Your Finances

Tags provide a flexible way to organize your financial data beyond traditional categories, allowing you to create custom groupings and track spending across multiple dimensions.

What are Tags?

Tags are flexible labels that you can apply to transactions to organize them in ways that categories alone cannot. Unlike categories (where a transaction can only belong to one category), you can apply multiple tags to a single transaction.

Tags vs. Categories: Understanding the Difference

While categories and tags both help organize your financial data, they serve different purposes:

Categories Tags
One category per transaction Multiple tags per transaction
Hierarchical structure Flat structure
Used for budget tracking Used for flexible grouping
Example: "Groceries" or "Dining Out" Example: "Vacation", "Tax Deductible", "Kids"
Benefits of Using Tags

Tags provide numerous advantages for financial tracking:

  • Cross-category tracking: Track expenses that span multiple categories (e.g., all vacation-related expenses regardless of category)
  • Project-based tracking: Group all expenses related to a specific project or event
  • Person-specific tracking: Tag transactions by family member in shared accounts
  • Tax preparation: Mark tax-deductible expenses across categories
  • Temporary tracking needs: Create ad-hoc groupings without changing your category structure
  • Reimbursable expenses: Track expenses that will be reimbursed by an employer or other party
Accessing Tag Management

You can access the Tag Management feature in two ways:

  1. Navigate to Tools in the main menu dropdown, then select Tag Management
  2. Click on the tag field in any transaction entry form, then select Manage Tags

Creating New Tags

Tags are created when you add them to transactions. There is no separate "Add Tag" button in the Tag Management interface.

Adding Tags to Transactions
  1. When adding or editing a transaction, type the tag in the Tags field
  2. Tags should start with a # symbol (e.g., #Vacation)
  3. Multiple tags can be added by separating them with commas
  4. The system will learn from your tag usage and suggest tags for future transactions
Managing Existing Tags

The Tag Management interface offers several ways to organize your tags:

  • View tags: See all tags currently in use across your transactions
  • View usage count: See how many transactions use each tag
  • View by category: See which tags are used with which categories
  • Delete tags: Remove a tag from all transactions
  • Merge tags: Combine multiple similar tags into one
  • Rename tags: Change a tag name across all transactions
Tag Learning System

Cognito Money includes a tag learning system that:

  • Remembers associations between keywords in transaction descriptions and the tags you apply
  • Suggests relevant tags based on transaction descriptions
  • Improves suggestions over time as you tag more transactions
  • Shows the most common keyword-to-tag associations in the Tag Management interface
Important:

Deleting a tag removes it from all transactions to which it was applied. This action cannot be undone. Consider using the Merge Tags feature instead if you want to consolidate tags.

Adding Tags to New Transactions

When creating a new transaction:

  1. Fill in the standard transaction details (date, amount, etc.)
  2. In the Tags field, type your desired tags
  3. Start each tag with a # symbol (e.g., #Vacation)
  4. Separate multiple tags with commas (e.g., #Vacation, #Family, #Summer2023)
  5. Save the transaction with the selected tags
Adding Tags to Existing Transactions

To tag transactions that already exist:

  1. Find the transaction in your transactions list
  2. Click the (Edit) button
  3. Add or modify tags in the Tags field
  4. Save the transaction
Tag Suggestions

Cognito Money offers tag suggestions based on:

  • Transaction description: Keywords in the description may trigger tag suggestions
  • Transaction category: Certain tags are commonly used with specific categories
  • Past usage: Tags you've used for similar transactions in the past
Tip:

The tag suggestion system becomes more accurate the more you use it. Consistently tagging similar transactions will help Cognito Money learn your tagging preferences.

Searching Transactions by Tag

To view only transactions with specific tags:

  1. Navigate to Tools > Tag Management
  2. Find the tag you want to filter by
  3. Click the View button next to the tag
  4. You'll see a list of all transactions that have that tag
Tag Search Features

The tag search results page includes:

  • Transaction date, description, and amount
  • The category of each transaction
  • All tags applied to each transaction
  • Options to edit transactions directly from the results
Viewing Tags by Category

To see how tags are distributed across categories:

  1. Navigate to Tools > Tag Management
  2. Click the View Tags by Category button
  3. The resulting page shows which tags are used in each category
  4. Tags are displayed in a tag cloud where more frequently used tags appear larger
  5. Click any tag to see transactions with that tag
Search tip:

Use the tag search feature to quickly find all transactions related to a specific project, event, or purpose, regardless of their categories or dates.

Recommended Tag Systems

Here are some effective tagging strategies to consider:

1. Project-Based Tags

Track expenses related to specific projects or events:

  • #HomeRenovation: Tag all expenses related to home improvement
  • #Wedding: Track all wedding-related expenses across categories
  • #Vacation2023: Group all expenses for a specific trip
  • #NewBaby: Track all expenses related to a new child
2. Person-Based Tags

Track expenses by family member or account user:

  • #John, #Mary: Tag transactions by the person who made the purchase
  • #Kids: Tag all child-related expenses
  • #Shared: Tag expenses that benefit the entire household
3. Financial Purpose Tags

Track transactions by their financial purpose:

  • #TaxDeductible: Expenses you can deduct on your taxes
  • #Investment: Purchases that appreciate or generate income
  • #Reimbursable: Expenses you expect to be paid back for
  • #DebtPayoff: Payments toward reducing debt
4. Quality of Life Tags

Track spending based on necessity or purpose:

  • #Need: Essential expenses
  • #Want: Discretionary spending
  • #Splurge: Luxury or impulse purchases
  • #SelfCare: Expenses related to health and wellbeing
5. Temporal Tags

Track spending by time periods or special occasions:

  • #Holiday: Seasonal or holiday-related expenses
  • #Birthday: Gift and celebration expenses
  • #Summer2023: Seasonal tracking
  • #OneTime: Non-recurring expenses
Creating Your Tag Strategy

For an effective tagging system:

  1. Start simple - Begin with just a few important tags
  2. Be consistent - Use the same tags consistently for similar expenses
  3. Review periodically - Add new tags as needed and consolidate similar ones
  4. Use # prefixes - Always start tags with # for proper system recognition
  5. Be specific - Use clear, descriptive tag names for easier searching
Strategy tip:

Don't create tags that duplicate your categories. For example, if you already have a "Groceries" category, you don't need a "#Groceries" tag. Instead, use tags to add dimensions that categories don't capture, like "#Organic" or "#BulkPurchase".

Popular Tag Applications

Here are practical ways many users implement tagging:

Tax Preparation

Make tax time easier by tagging throughout the year:

  • Tag all potentially deductible expenses with #TaxDeductible
  • Create specific tags for different deduction types like #MedicalExpense or #CharitableDonation
  • At tax time, search for these tags to find all relevant transactions
  • Access all tax-related expenses in one place regardless of category
Vacation and Trip Tracking

Monitor all expenses for specific trips:

  • Create a unique tag for each trip (e.g., "#Italy2023")
  • Tag all expenses related to the trip, regardless of category
  • Include pre-trip purchases like luggage or travel guides
  • After the trip, search by the tag to see total cost breakdown
Business Expense Reimbursement

Track expenses that your employer will reimburse:

  • Tag work expenses with #Reimbursable
  • Add additional tags for specific projects or clients
  • When submitting expense reports, search by these tags
  • Add #Reimbursed once paid back
Shared Household Finances

Track who paid for what in shared living situations:

  • Create tags for each household member
  • Tag shared expenses appropriately
  • Search by person tags to review individual spending
  • Use for roommate expense splitting
Home Improvement Project Tracking

Monitor costs for home renovation or improvement:

  • Create tags for each project or room (e.g., #KitchenReno, #Bathroom)
  • Tag all related expenses across categories (materials, labor, permits)
  • Search for the project tag to see total costs
  • Maintain records for home value assessment or tax purposes

Common Issues and Solutions
Problem: Tags not showing up in transactions
Solutions:
  1. Ensure tags start with a # symbol
  2. Check that tags are separated by commas
  3. Verify that you saved the transaction after adding tags
  4. Try refreshing the page if tags don't appear immediately
Problem: Too many similar tags making the system unwieldy
Solutions:
  1. Use the Merge Tags feature to combine similar tags
  2. Establish a consistent naming convention for new tags
  3. Review your tag list periodically to identify duplicates
  4. Delete unused or redundant tags to keep the system clean
Problem: Tag suggestions not appearing or not relevant
Solutions:
  1. Add more transaction descriptions with clear, specific text
  2. Use tags consistently on similar transactions to help the system learn
  3. Ensure transaction categories are correctly assigned
  4. Be patient - the suggestion system improves with more data over time
Problem: Merged or renamed tags not updating everywhere
Solutions:
  1. Refresh the page after merging or renaming tags
  2. Check that the merge or rename operation completed successfully
  3. Verify that the tag format is correct (includes # prefix)
  4. If problems persist, try logging out and back in to refresh your session