How do I transfer funds between accounts?

Simple transfers

When you want to move money from one account to another, use a transfer transaction:

Create a transaction in one of your accounts and set its type to "Transfer." Enter the date, payee, note, and amount of money to be transferred.
In the category field, begin typing the name of the account to which the funds should be transferred, then select the account name when it appears in the drop-down list. Alternatively, press the Down Arrow key on your keyboard to show the full category list and choose the account name (accounts are shown at the bottom of the list, after the categories). Click "Save" to record the transaction.
A new transaction will automatically appear in the account to which you are transferring the money, with the same transaction details as the original (except for the amount, which will be opposite to the original). To jump to this transaction, click the arrow next to the account/category field on the transaction you just entered.
The two transactions are automatically linked: changing the details of one will update the other automatically and deleting one can delete the other. There are two exceptions to this rule, however: each side of the transaction can be cleared and reconciled separately, and the amounts can be changed independently when they use different currencies (see below).

Transfer transactions use the "Category" field to indicate the destination account for the transfer. If the category for a particular transaction has an arrow in front of it, it is a transfer. Accounts are not displayed under "Categories" in the "Configuration" section of the sidebar, but they can be used in reports and budgets like other categories.

Split transfers

Split transactions can also be used to transfer funds between accounts. To transfer part of a split transaction to or from a different account, simply enter the account's name in the "Category" field for the appropriate split item. Each account shows the transaction with all split items included, but the split amounts are adjusted so that the transaction is properly balanced on both sides of the transfer.

Transfers with currency conversions

When you transfer money between accounts with different currencies, you may wish to apply a conversion so that the correct amount is recorded in each account. After you finish step 2 in the instructions above, the amount will be shown twice (once for each currency) and the Ex. Rate field will appear so that you can apply a currency conversion.

Adjust the exchange rate and one of the amounts, or specify both of the amounts. The remaining field will adjust itself automatically.

Split transactions can include line items that transfer funds to accounts in other currencies. The Ex. Rate field will appear next to each split item requiring a currency conversion. Use this field to apply the appropriate exchange rate, then proceed to balance the rest of the split transaction as usual.

Investment transfers

When tracking investments, you may want to transfer cash from a banking account to an investment account to purchase shares, or transfer cash out of an investment account after a sale or cash distribution. To record this type of transfer, add a transaction in the investment account, set its type appropriately (Buy, Sell, Dividend, etc.), then set its funding/distribution type to "Transfer." The category field will then be enabled so that you can type in the name of the account from which the cash should be withdrawn or deposited (depending on the transaction type). Once you save the transaction, Banktivity will create a transaction that is linked to the one you just created in the account you specified. Only the transaction status can be changed on the linked transaction.

About transfers in budgets and reports

A transfer is only counted in a budget or report when one of the two accounts involved in the transfer is excluded from the budget or report. If both accounts are included, there is no net movement of money in or out of the scope of the budget or report as a result of the transfer.

To track a transfer in a budget, use the budget assistant to exclude the account from the budget's account list. You will then see the account name listed with the income and expense categories so that you can track transfers to and from that account on the budget.

To track a transfer in a report, exclude the account by double-clicking the report, clicking the "Accounts" tab, choosing the "Limit results to specific accounts" option, and checking off all accounts except the one you want to exclude. Transfers in and out of that account will then be counted in the report. Reports that are based on categories can be configured to include or exclude transfers to or from a specific account using the "Report on categories and accounts except" setting under the "Tags & Categories" tab. For more information about configuring report settings, see Add a Report.