Track expenses without connecting your bank

THE CONCEPT

What does tracking expenses without bank sync mean?

It means your movements are not automatically downloaded from a bank account. You can enter them when they happen or import a file you chose, at a time you choose.

In an app with automatic bank connectivity, you usually authorize the app or an intermediary provider to access an account and retrieve movements periodically. Manual import works differently: you choose the file and do not give Tally bank credentials. That limits continuous access, although it does not remove the other services an account-based app may need.

IN TALLY

How it works

The normal flow starts with manual entry. Import exists to save work when you already have a statement, not to turn Tally into a bank connection.

1. 1

   Log what happens

   Tap + and record an expense or income with its account, category, date, concept, and currency. Manual entry is part of everyday use and does not require Tally PRO.

2. 2

   Import only when useful

   With Tally PRO you can select a CSV, an Excel (.xlsx) file, or a Norma 43 file. You choose the file; Tally does not enter your bank to find it.

3. 3

   Review before saving

   The import prepares proposals and a preview. You can review, correct, and confirm movements before adding them to the selected account.

• How to import a CSV, Excel, or Norma 43 statement into Tally
• Every way to log expenses in Tally

NO BANK DOES NOT MEAN ALL BY HAND

Four ways to log expenses without connecting your bank

Tally not connecting to your bank does not mean typing everything. You choose how each movement gets in and review it before saving.

• See the four ways in detail
• The closest to automatic: Apple Wallet and Google Wallet payments

AI AND AUTOMATION, KEPT APART

Does Tally use AI?

In two of its seven flows, and only when you ask. The two words are worth separating: AI interprets content, automation moves data without interpreting it. In Tally they do not always travel together.

Receipt analysis uses AI: when you tap “Analyze receipt”, the image is sent to a function that queries a model, and back comes a proposed amount, date, and category you can edit. CSV and Excel import uses it too, to normalize concepts and suggest categories; the file is read on the device and only the text rows travel, with IBANs and cards masked.

The Wallet automations use no AI, and this is the part that tends to surprise: they are Tally’s most automated flow and also the only one that makes no network calls at all. The payment arrives as a draft and stays on the device until you approve it.

In a Norma 43 statement, the amount, date, and movement type are read deterministically, without AI. If the AI that cleans up the concept is unavailable, the import carries on with the bank’s exact data.

• Do I have to enter every expense manually? No: receipts, statements, and Wallet propose the movement for you.
• Can Tally scan receipts? Yes, with AI, and only when you tap “Analyze receipt”. One free, unlimited with PRO.
• Can Tally import transactions? Yes, from a CSV, Excel, or Norma 43 file you download yourself. It is a PRO feature.
• Can Tally capture Wallet purchases? Yes, as drafts: with Shortcuts on iOS and notifications on Android. PRO feature.
• Does any of this need bank access? No. None of these flows asks for access to your bank account.
• Can anything be saved without me seeing it? No. Nothing is saved until you approve it.

• How receipt analysis works
• Exactly what happens when you import a statement
• What leaves the device, and when

THE DIFFERENCE

Importing a file is not connecting your bank

Both methods can eventually bring movements into an app, but control and timing of access are different.

WHERE DATA LIVES

What stays on the device

In Tally, functional data — movements, accounts, categories, goals, and recurring items — is stored locally by default. Receipt photos are also stored as private files on the device.

Tally requires an account to use the app. That means identity, session, and certain services can involve servers; local-by-default does not mean account-free or server-free. The cloud is involved only in functions you choose to use, such as sharing an account, optional import enrichment, or analyzing a receipt.

• Sharing an account is optional, and chosen functional content is encrypted on the device before synchronization.
• A receipt image is not uploaded just because you share an account. It is sent only if you explicitly tap Analyze receipt.
• Receipt analysis returns a proposal to review; it does not save a movement automatically.

WHAT YOU GAIN

Benefits of deciding what goes in

• You decide which file to provide and when, instead of maintaining a continuous connection.
• You can start with an account, a currency, and a few movements without configuring a bank aggregator.
• Manual entry makes each movement you choose to record visible and avoids rows appearing without context through an automatic sync.
• Local-by-default behavior fits people who want functional personal-finance data to remain on the device.

ALSO IMPORTANT

Trade-offs to know

• There is no automatic bank synchronization: movements do not appear by themselves.
• Manual entry requires a small amount of participation after you pay or receive money.
• Import depends on having a compatible file and columns that can be interpreted.
• Statement import is PRO. The CSV Tally exports and can re-import from Settings is a separate merge flow and is not statement import.

WHO IT FITS

Who is this useful for?

• The five-step method for tracking your expenses
• How it works when part of the money belongs to two people
• How a trip works, with its own account and currency

WHEN TO CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE

When might a bank-sync app fit better?

If you need hundreds of movements to appear every day without intervention, want automatic rules over bank transactions, or depend on balances updating by themselves, a bank-connected solution may fit your routine better.

The choice is not universal or moral. It is a decision between automatic updates and control over what access you grant and when.

TALLY FREE AND PRO

What you can do with Tally

FAQ

Frequently asked questions