Credit cards

The paired payment category

Adding a credit-card account auto-creates a Visa payment (or whatever you name the card) category in a hidden Credit Card Payments group. You can't categorize transactions directly to it — it's derived.

What happens when you spend on the card

1. You enter a $40 grocery charge on the Visa account, categorized to Groceries.
2. Groceries activity decreases by $40 (cash is spent).
3. Visa payment activity increases by $40 (cash is earmarked to pay the bill).

The net effect: your on-budget cash drops by $40 the moment you swipe, just like a debit card transaction. The Visa payment category accumulates the dollars you'll need when the statement arrives.

Paying the card

Make a transfer from checking to Visa. Project Budget creates the paired entries, and the Visa payment category's activity goes negative by the payment amount — cash leaves the category to settle the bill.

Overspending on the card

If you spend $60 on groceries but only $40 was budgeted, Groceries goes red and the deficit reduces next month's Ready to Assign. The Visa payment category still earmarks the full $60 you owe, so the bill is funded regardless.