Quick Start

First steps in ZeniCash

Quick notes — the few initial decisions worth making before you start using ZeniCash seriously.

Quick Start

Before using ZeniCash seriously, there are initial decisions worth making now. Putting them off can lead to data being recorded differently than intended — and converting it later takes work.

  1. Configure the Entity field

    "Entities" are clients, suppliers, partners, the State, or any person / organisation you make payments to or receive from. Before the first transaction, you choose in Settings whether each transaction should be able to (or have to) be associated with an entity. This choice shapes, from the first movement, how the data is organised.

    How to get there

    1. Open the ZeniCash app (it shows the Dashboard).
    2. Tap this icon in the top right corner of the bar. It is the only way to reach the app's tabs: it pulls a curtain down from the top with the shortcuts (Transactions, Accounts, Settings, etc.).
    3. In the curtain, tap Settings .
    4. Inside Settings, find the Formats section.
    5. Tap the Entity Field tile ("Include entity in transactions (client/supplier)") — it opens a selector with the 3 options: Disabled, Optional, Required.
    Path to the "Entity Field" toggle and opening the selector with the 3 options. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)

    The three options

    No entity (in the app: Disabled)

    The "Entity" field disappears completely from the transaction form. Each movement is recorded only with account · category · date · amount (plus the note and project, if used). It's the simplest, fastest mode — three taps and it's logged.

    Advantages

    • Shorter form, much faster entry.
    • Zero confusion: the "coffee" expense doesn't have to be linked to anyone.

    Limitations

    • No invoice number field in the form.
    • No automatic creation of invoices from transactions.
    • The "Documents" view and the entity "Account statement" stay empty — there's nothing to show there.
    • You cannot filter movements by "who you paid" / "who you received from" (only by category).

    When it makes sense: purely personal and household use, where it's enough to know which category you spent in. Suitable when you know up front that you will never issue invoices or track account statements.

    Optional

    The "Entity" field appears in the form but is not required: fill it in when it makes sense (e.g. "Client John" on a payment received), leave it blank when it doesn't matter (e.g. the morning coffee). Recommended for most users.

    Important — what happens when you fill in the entity

    In this mode the entity is used as a tag: it lets you filter and group later in reports, and is recorded on the transaction, but does not trigger anything else. Specifically:

    • No "Invoice No." field appears in the form (that field only exists in Required mode).
    • No automatic invoice is created from the transaction.
    • The movement does not enter the entity's account statement — the statement still shows only invoices and their respective payments.

    In short: the entity is attached to the movement as a "who tag", but the app does not start treating the movement as a debt or receivable for that entity.

    When it makes sense: mixed use — personal + some tracking of who you pay / who you receive from (e.g. partner, building management, landlord), without intending to issue real invoices or keep a formal accounting ledger. It's also the recommended option while you haven't yet decided whether you will use entities seriously — you can keep logging and later switch to Required without losing the data already recorded.

    Required (in the app: Required)

    The "Entity" field appears and is required: no transaction can be saved without an associated entity. Another field appears in the form — "Invoice No." — also required. Recommended for professional / accounting use, freelancers and small businesses: ensures every movement is assigned, with a document number, from the first to the last.

    What the app does automatically on each transaction

    When you save a movement with entity + invoice number, the app automatically creates an "on demand" invoice already paid linked to that movement:

    • If the movement is income → it creates a receivable invoice (already paid).
    • If the movement is expense → it creates a payable invoice (already paid).
    • The invoice inherits category, subcategory and project from the movement, so it appears classified in reports.
    • The invoice appears in the entity's "Documents" view and the movement appears as its payment in the Account statement of that entity.
    • If the movement is later deleted, the auto-created invoice is deleted with it — it doesn't become orphaned.

    You can also create invoices separately (unpaid, with a future due date) and then associate payments — see D3. Invoices.

    When it makes sense: when you issue invoices / receipts to clients, receive invoices from suppliers, or want an "open" balance by entity — how much each client owes, how much you owe each supplier. It's the mode that delivers the accounting ledger closest to what any accountant expects.

    For the full explanation of how to create and manage entities, custom types, bulk import, and how they connect to invoices and the account statement, see D2. Entities and D4. Account statement.

  2. Note Field and Information in transactions

    There are two sets of toggles in Settings worth reviewing at the start — they affect what appears in the form when you add a transaction and on each line of the transaction list. These are all display options and can be switched on or off at any time.

    a) Note Field (in Formats)

    In Settings → Formats, the "Note field (forms)" toggle ("Show note field when adding transactions") controls whether a "Note" field appears in the add-transaction form. Useful for noting a free-form detail that doesn't fit in category or entity (e.g. "invoice xyz", "coffee with client John"). Disabled, the field disappears from the form — suitable for those who prefer to log as fast as possible.

    Where to enable the Note Field and how it looks in the add-transaction form. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)

    b) Information in transactions (list rows)

    Dedicated section in Settings → Information in transactions — "Choose what appears on each transaction in the list." These toggles affect the Transactions screen list and the movement blocks of the Dashboard (the Recent section and the sheet that lists all income / expenses for the month — see B9 and B5). They do not apply to the entity Account statement, the Calendar or the Recurring movements, which have their own views. Four fields are always visible: Account · Date · Category · Professional. For the rest there are individual toggles:

    • Subcategory — shows the subcategory under the category.
    • Entity — shows the entity associated with the movement.
    • Note in list — shows the note (the same one written in the form field).
    • Invoice No. — shows the invoice number (relevant mainly when the Entity field is in Required — see item 1).

    More active toggles = denser rows rich in information; fewer active toggles = cleaner list, easier to scan with the eye. Can be adjusted at any time.

    Enable all the Transaction Info toggles and the effect on the list. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)

    How to get there

    1. On the Dashboard, tap the icon in the top right corner of the bar.
    2. In the curtain that drops from the top, tap Settings .
    3. For the Note Field: Formats section, before the "Entity Field" tile.
    4. For the list toggles: Information in transactions section, just below Formats.

    For the full reference of all Settings sections, see E. Settings.

  3. Categories and subcategories

    The app has Income and Expense categories, split between Personal and Professional. When logging a movement, you choose the category — and the transaction inherits that classification from it.

    "Professional" is the mark for what is work / freelance / business, separated from what is personal. It activates the Dashboard filter (Personal / Professional / Both — see B4) and, on the Premium plan, feeds the package for the accountant.

    Root categories can be edited (name, icon, colour) and deleted, and new ones can be created. No limit, on the free plan or on Premium.

    How to reach the Categories (and subcategories) screen

    1. On the Dashboard, tap the icon in the top right corner of the bar.
    2. In the curtain that drops from the top, tap Categories .
    3. The list appears grouped into 4 quadrants (Personal/Professional × Expense/Income), with a filter at the top to show only Personal, only Professional, or Both.
    4. To see the subcategories of a category, tap the category — it opens its subcategories screen.
    Path to the Categories and subcategories screen. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)

    Another way: create without cancelling the transaction

    If you've already started recording a transaction and realise that the category (or subcategory) doesn't yet exist, there's no need to cancel and go create it — you can create it right there, without losing what you've already entered.

    • Create a new category: at the end of the form's category list, tap the +. It opens the category creation screen with the type (expense/income) and the Personal/Professional mark already pre-filled according to what is selected on the transaction. On saving, the new category appears immediately in the list and is selected.
    • Create a new subcategory: first select the category; then tap again on that already-selected category — it opens a sheet with the Subcategories option, where you can create the new subcategory. When you return, it's available to select.
    Create category and subcategory from within the transaction itself. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)

    Full detail (4 quadrants, edit/merge, global vs. project subcategories, limits per plan) in C3. Categories and subcategories.

  4. Accounts — short, informative name

    When creating an account, you choose a type from a predefined list (Bank, Savings, Investment, Credit, Card, Cash) and a currency. The name of the account is free — it just can't be empty.

    On the free plan you can have up to 3 accounts. On the Premium plan, no limit.

    ⚠️ Once the account has recorded movements, the currency is locked — it cannot be changed afterwards. So it's wise to pick the right currency right when creating the account.

    Set Personal or Professional from the start

    Each account should be classified right away as Personal or Professional at creation time. In the account form there is a "Professional Expense" switch (work folder icon) — it is off by default (Personal account). Turning that switch on marks the account as professional.

    Important: as soon as the account is marked as professional, all transactions recorded in that account default to professional — they inherit the account's mark. You can still manually turn off Professional on an individual transaction, but the starting point is always the account's.

    That's why it's worth setting the account type right at the start: it saves you from toggling the switch on each transaction, and the form's category list already appears filtered to the right set (Personal or Professional).

    How to reach the Accounts screen

    1. On the Dashboard, tap the icon in the top right corner of the bar.
    2. In the curtain that drops from the top, tap Accounts.
    3. To create a new account, tap the + in the bottom right corner of the screen.
    Path to Accounts, creating a new account and enabling the "Professional Expense" switch. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)

  5. Projects — Premium plan exclusive

    Projects is a feature exclusive to the Premium plan. On the free plan the option doesn't even appear in Settings. After subscribing to Premium, it is off by default — enable it in Settings → Projects. Once enabled, a Projects tab appears and professional movements start requiring an associated project.

    Important: the Project field only appears on movements marked as professional. That marker, in the transaction form, is inherited by default from the account chosen — each account has a "Professional expense" toggle; when it is on, any movement on that account comes in with Professional active (and can be turned off manually in the form). On personal movements the Project field does not appear.

    It's useful for freelance, consulting and businesses with multiple clients or work fronts — it separates professional income and expenses by project, instead of having them all mixed in the "Professional" bucket.

    Each project has a name, colour, optional start date and end date, and a status: active, closed or archived.

    How to enable Projects (Premium)

    1. On the Dashboard, tap the icon in the top right corner.
    2. In the curtain, tap Settings.
    3. Inside Settings, go to the Formats section and turn on the switch at Projects.
    4. From then on, in the Dashboard menu, the item previously called Categories is renamed to Categories / Projects. Opening that screen, you'll find two tabs at the top: Categories and Projects. It is on the Projects tab that projects are created and managed.
    Where to enable Projects: Settings → Formats → Projects switch. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)

    Categories and subcategories per project

    Each project can have its own selection of categories and subcategories — two options, which combine:

    • Select from the general ones: on the project screen, in the Project categories (optional) section, you choose which existing categories (and which subcategories within them) are available when that project is selected on a transaction.
    • Create exclusives for the project: you can create new categories and subcategories exclusive to that project. These do not appear in the general list of professional categories — they are only visible when that project is selected.

    When you create a category/subcategory from inside the transaction form (see Another way in point 3) and a project is already selected, the new one automatically becomes exclusive to that project. Without a project selected, it is created as general.

    App message: "When you select this project, only these categories appear. If you pick none, the project uses the generic professional categories."

    Create a project and select or create categories/subcategories. (Single video shared across languages — interface in English.)
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