Income vs. Expense Reports

Published on June 7, 2026

The Income vs. Expense report puts your earnings and spending side by side, month by month. It answers the question: am I spending less than I make?

What you’ll see

The report is split into two sections:

Income (top) — all inflows grouped by category, with monthly columns showing what came in.
Expenses (bottom) — all outflows grouped by category, with monthly columns showing what went out.

At the bottom of each month’s column, you’ll see the net total — income minus expenses. Months where you spent more than you earned are highlighted in red. Months with a surplus are shown in green.

Reading the report

Each row represents a category group. The columns show:

Monthly amounts for each period in your selected date range
A Total column summing the entire period
An Average column showing the monthly mean

Click the arrow next to any category group to expand it and see individual categories within that group.

Filtering

The standard report filters apply:

Date range — choose how many months to display. A full year gives you the clearest picture of cash flow patterns.
Categories — show all, or filter to specific groups you want to compare.
Accounts — narrow to specific accounts if you separate finances (e.g., personal vs. household).

Practical uses

Monthly cash flow check — at a glance, see whether you’re living within your means. If most months are green, you’re building margin. If red months are frequent, something needs to change.
Irregular income planning — freelancers and seasonal workers can use this report to see which months bring in the most and plan spending accordingly.
Savings rate tracking — compare total income to total expenses over a year. The difference is what you saved (or overspent).
Raise impact — after a pay increase, check whether your surplus actually grew or whether expenses quietly expanded to match.
Partner alignment — share this view during budget conversations to see the household cash flow picture together.

Understanding the net totals

The net total at the bottom of each month is the simplest measure of your financial health for that period:

Positive (green) — you spent less than you earned. The difference is available for savings, debt payoff, or next month’s buffer.
Negative (red) — you spent more than you earned. This might be fine for a single month (planned large purchase, irregular income cycle), but a pattern of red months signals a structural mismatch between income and spending.

The Average column in the totals row is particularly useful — it tells you your typical monthly surplus or deficit across the entire selected period.

Tips

This report includes all inflows as “income,” including transfers between accounts if they result in inflow transactions. Make sure your accounts are set up correctly to avoid double-counting.
For the clearest picture, use a date range that covers at least 3 complete months.
Combine insights from this report with the Spending Report to identify which expense categories to target when you need to close a gap.