When AI categorization helps
Large statements are tedious to categorize by hand. During import, Rasa AI can suggest a category for each row from the text your bank put in a memo or description column. Suggestions are a starting point, not a final judgment — you stay in control on the review screen.
It is most accurate on clear merchant names you already use elsewhere in the ledger. Brand-new payees and cryptic bank codes need human eyes. Plan a few minutes of review even when the suggestions look mostly right.
How to turn it on
On the account step of the import wizard, switch on Detect category with AI and point it toward the column that describes each transaction (often a memo or description field). Without a useful text column, suggestions will be weak or empty, so map that field carefully.
Continue through the remaining mapping steps as usual. AI categorization does not skip review; it only pre-fills category guesses for rows that look recognizable.
If you do not see the AI option, confirm you are on a plan that includes import and Rasa AI, and that you are still on the account step of the wizard. The toggle is easy to miss when you jump ahead mentally to the review screen.
Review and correct
On the review screen, scan categories the same way you scan amounts and dates. Fix anything that does not match how you budget — for example, a transfer-looking row that was tagged as dining, or income that landed in an expense category.
You can change categories in bulk patterns after import too, but catching issues before commit keeps budgets and reports cleaner from the first moment the rows exist.
Sort or scan by category on the review screen when the UI allows it, and fix systematic mistakes once — for example every “POS” row landing in the wrong parent category. Consistency here makes budgets trustworthy immediately after import.
Tips and what to read next
AI works from your ledger context and the text in the file; it cannot see your bank. Odd merchant strings and foreign-language memos are the usual miss cases — expect to edit those.
For the full wizard path, see What you will be asked at each step. For what Rasa AI can and cannot do outside import, see Meet your finance assistant.
After import, spot-check one budget that should have moved. If progress did not change, categories or accounts on the imported rows may not match that budget’s scope — fix the categories rather than widening the budget blindly.