Migration guide
Switch from EveryDollar in about fifteen minutes
You already know the zero-based method — that's the hard part, and it comes with you. This guide moves your transaction history and categories into BetterBudget with the built-in EveryDollar import preset.
Export your data from EveryDollar
In EveryDollar's web app, look for the option to download or export your transactions as a CSV file (export options have moved around over the years and can vary by plan — if you can't find it, their support can provide a copy of your data). Save the file somewhere you can find it.
Tip: export as far back as you'd like history for. A year of transactions makes your first reports immediately useful.
Create your BetterBudget account
Sign up free — no card needed. You'll start with a sensible category template (housing, food, transportation, personal, savings & goals). Don't spend time perfecting categories yet; anything the import can't match lands as uncategorized, ready to sort afterward.
Claim the 14-day Plus trial when prompted — CSV import is a Plus feature, and the trial covers your migration with room to spare.
Import with the EveryDollar preset
Go to Transactions → Import CSV, choose your file, and pick the EveryDollar preset. The preset pre-fills the column mapping so EveryDollar's fields land in the right places:
| EveryDollar column | BetterBudget field |
|---|---|
| Date | Date |
| Merchant / description | Payee |
| Amount | Amount (expenses positive, refunds negative) |
| Budget item / group | Category (mapped in the next step) |
If your export's headers look different from EveryDollar's, use the generic CSV import instead — it lets you map your own date, amount, and payee columns to whatever your file calls them.
Safe to re-run: every imported row is fingerprinted, so importing the same file twice won't create duplicates.
Map your categories
The importer matches your EveryDollar budget items to BetterBudget categories by name, case-insensitively — "Groceries" finds Groceries. Anything it can't match imports as uncategorized rather than creating a new category for you — recategorize those transactions from the Transactions page afterward. This is also a nice moment to merge those three near-identical coffee categories you've been meaning to deal with.
Budget your first month
History is in — now do the fun part. Enter this month's income, assign dollars to envelopes until the to-assign meter locks green, and set up your recurring bills so next month is one click. If you had savings "funds" in EveryDollar, recreate them as goals: a target amount, a target month, and BetterBudget will tell you if you're on pace.
What carries over — and what doesn't
Comes with you
- Transaction history (dates, payees, amounts)
- Categories, via name matching or created at import
- Refunds — negative amounts import as refunds
Set up fresh
- Monthly allocations — assign this month's dollars yourself (it takes minutes and it's the point)
- Savings funds — recreate as sinking-fund goals with pace tracking
- Recurring bills — add them once, then it's one click a month