Year-end rollover

How to start a new tax year

Do this procedure in the Records workbook when a tax year ends. It takes approximately five minutes.

Requirements

Records year tabs — You must name each year tab YYYY-Expenses (for example, 2026-Expenses). The app uses these tabs to find category and stream history and to do the Records check. If a tab name does not obey this format, the app ignores it. No error occurs.
_categories and _streams — These tabs in Records supply the dropdown lists. Do not change their names.
Inbox tab — The Inbox tab stays as Expenses inbox. You do not change it at year end.
Dropbox folders — No action is necessary. The app makes year folders automatically from the date on each receipt.

Complete the old year. Confirm all open items in Review. Copy the confirmed rows into Records. Make sure that you include the ID column. The Records check uses this column to match each ledger row to its receipt.
Delete the Inbox rows. Select the row numbers. Right-click and select Delete rows.
WARNING: Do not select the cells and press Delete. Empty rows that remain cause new receipts to go to the wrong position.
Duplicate the year tab in Records.
Rename both tabs immediately. Give the old data its year name: YYYY-Expenses. Give the new tab the new year name: YYYY-Expenses. Delete all data rows from the new tab. Do not keep a "Copy of …" name on a tab that holds data.
WARNING: Use a plain hyphen in the tab name (2027-Expenses, not 2027–Expenses). Phone keyboards and autocorrect can put an en dash. The app accepts all dash types, but always use a plain hyphen.
Verify. Open Review in the app. Run Records check for the new year. Then run it again for the old year. This confirms that all rows are in Records.

Late receipts — If you file a receipt after the rollover, but the receipt date is in the old year, the app puts it in the correct old-year Dropbox folder. No adjustment is necessary.
Receipts with no date — If the app cannot find a date on the receipt, it uses today's date for the folder. In January, this can put the receipt in the wrong year. Set the correct date on the card before you save.
Suggestions — The app learns category history from all year tabs. It learns stream history from a set start year. A new tab gives data to the suggestions as soon as it has rows.
Stored receipts — The JSON and PDF files in Dropbox are the permanent record. They stay in their year folders. This procedure does not change them.