Feature Request: cashflow forecasting with recurring transactions & budgets

[Pierricktnl]

Describe the feature

A chart and/or a table will allow the user to display the forecast of the cashflow in the future, taking into account the budgets allocated per category (mechanism to be found with the recurring transactions as they will be part of the budget).

Why is this feature important?

Important to have visibility in the future to know what can be afford or not. Most of the softwares include the recurring transactions in the forecast but very few include budget. After paying the bills, you still need to eat :)

Additional context, screenshots, and relevant links

No response

[pacholoamit]

+1

[Grraahaam]

Definitely agree!

I think being able to use Maybe in order to forecast each month/year could be useful, that's something I was expecting when I found and explored the app.

When I'm managing my finances I like to know, based on my recurring bills and revenues (what's predictable with certainty), approximately how much will be left at the end of every month/year. Without having to workaround it and add the transactions manually.

As said in the original post, a new chart/table or dedicated page/section to see the expected monthly/yearly financial outcomes would make me switch from my calc sheet to Maybe.

Anyway, Maybe's future look promising!

[zachgoll]

Definitely a feature of interest for us in the future!

We're taking the approach of—Get actuals to an accurate and stable spot, then move on to forecasting related items.

We still have lots of accuracy / stability improvements to work through with actuals, but once we nail those this could become part of our scope of work.

[leocostaba]

Hi Guys, to contribute to the discussion about cash flow forecasting with recurring transactions and budgets I'll explain how it works here in my country.

Credit Card Installments in Brazil

In Brazil, it's very common for consumers to make purchases using credit card installments. This means that instead of paying the full amount upfront, the total purchase value is divided into a fixed number of monthly payments (installments), usually ranging from 2 to 12 months, depending on the merchant and the total purchase value.

• These installments are charged automatically on the customer's credit card statement every month until the full amount is paid off.

Recurring Expenses

Besides installment payments, Brazilian consumers also have various recurring expenses, such as:

• Subscription services (Netflix, Spotify, internet plans, etc.)
• Utility bills (electricity, water, phone)
• Insurance policies
• Gym memberships

These recurring expenses are not the same as installments because:

• They don’t have a predefined number of payments. Instead, they continue indefinitely until the service is canceled.
• The amount may be fixed or variable (e.g., electricity bills fluctuate monthly).

Suggestions to implementation

1. Installment Management

• Allow users to register transactions made in installments, specifying the total amount, number of installments, and start date.
• The system should automatically distribute these installments across future months, ensuring they appear correctly in cash flow forecasts.

2. Recurring Transactions

• Enable users to register fixed recurring expenses, defining frequency (monthly, weekly, yearly, etc.), start date, and whether they have an end date.
• This ensures predictable expenses are reflected in future financial projections.

I appreciate it, and if needed I'm available to discuss more about the design and acceptance criterias of it.

[Pierricktnl]

Hi Leonardo,

Thanks for your input. An easy way to do use installments would be to keep a classic "Recurring Transaction" input form but add:

• "This is an installment" option (and a category for it).
• If enabled, allow users to input total purchase amount and number of payments.
• Auto-fill the transactions with equal fixed amounts over the chosen period.

I have tried several forecasting software, I'd also be happy to share my take on the topic :)

Regards
Pierrick