We normally match your expenses to your bank transactions automatically. For this to work, automatic matching must be switched on for the bank account,it's on by default, but it's worth a quick check if matches aren't appearing.
✅ Check your automatic matching is on
Go to your bank account settings and open the "Automatic matching" section. You'll find two toggles : "Incoming payments" (for revenues) and "Outgoing payments" (for expenses). Make sure "Outgoing payments" is enabled so we can match your expenses.
Where to find it:
On web & mobile : Settings → Bank settings → select the bank account → Automatic matching.
Even with automatic matching on, we sometimes get it wrong, or a transaction hasn't been picked up yet . In that case, you can link (or re-link) it yourself.
👉 Step 1 - Set the payment status
Open the expense and go to the Payment section. Every user has two options here:
"Paid"
"Unpaid"
You can't manually pick a "Pending" status - it's applied automatically by the app in specific cases (see below). This is identical on mobile and web.
ℹ️ A "Pending" status can appear on its own if a linked bank transaction hasn't fully settled yet. This can happen with any connected bank account, not just Accountable Banking,it's not something you set yourself.
For Accountable Banking users: "Pending" also appears automatically when an expense is paid by direct debit (a SEPA mandate on your Accountable Banking account) and there's no payment evidence yet. You'll see a short explanatory note when this happens. Linking a transaction works exactly the same whatever status is shown.
👉 Step 2 - Link the transaction
The linking control lives in the Payment section and is labelled "How was this expense paid?". The flow differs slightly between mobile and web.
On mobile
Tap "How was this expense paid?". A full-screen "Link payments" sheet opens.
Make sure "Linked accounts" is selected (the other options are "Cash" and "Paid by other account").
Use the search bar and filters (main account, card, positive/negative…) to narrow the list.
Tick the right transaction, then tap "Save".
On web
Click the "How was this expense paid?" field : a searchable list opens right inside the form.
Type to search (nothing shows until you do).
✨ Even faster - accept our suggestion. When we spot a likely match, we show it as a card right in the expense, with the transaction's details. Just tap/click "Link" to confirm, or "Dismiss" to reject it. Accepting a suggestion also marks the expense as Paid. This works the same on mobile and web.
For Accountable Banking users (web): if an expense is still unpaid and in euros, you'll also see an "Add to basket" option. This is different from linking: instead of matching an existing transaction, it lets you actually pay the expense from your Accountable Banking account. Use linking to reconcile a payment that already happened; use "Add to basket" to make the payment.
🔄 Unlink or change an existing link
Each linked transaction appears as a small card with a trash/delete icon - tap or click it to unlink. Same on mobile and web.
To swap one transaction for another:
On mobile: reopen the "How was this expense paid?" sheet - your current transaction is already ticked. Untick it, tick the new one, and tap "Save".
On web: first remove the current transaction with its trash icon, then reopen the field and pick the new one. Selecting a new transaction doesn't automatically remove the old one. You have to delete it yourself.
🔍 I can't find the right transaction
A few common reasons this happens:
The transaction hasn't synced from your bank yet. This can take some time depending on your bank.
The bank account it came from isn't connected to Accountable yet.
You haven't searched : on web you must type to search before results appear; on mobile, use the search bar and filters to widen the list.
💳 Split or partial payments
You can link more than one bank transaction to a single expense (for example, an expense paid in two instalments). On both mobile and web, a progress bar shows how much is still "left to link", when it's "fully linked", and warns you if you've linked too much.
⚠️ Does linking affect my expense's status or my tax filing?
Linking a transaction only updates your expense's paid status. It has no effect on the deductibility of the expense or on your VAT/tax declarations. Those are based on the invoice itself, not on whether it's linked to a transaction.
Still in doubt? No problem, we are available in the chat & email.