You buy a jacket for $120, it doesn't fit, and the money comes back a week later. In most expense trackers that leaves you with a choice of two wrong answers. Log the $120 as income and your Shopping category still says you spent $120. Delete the original purchase and you lose the record that it ever happened.
Pocket Clear now has a third option: log the money as a refund, and it goes back into the category it came out of.
How to log a refund
- Tap Money In.
- Turn on Refund. The category list switches to your Money Out categories.
- Pick the category the money originally came out of (Shopping, Groceries, whatever it was), enter the amount and save.
Already logged it as plain Money In? Open the entry and flip the same Refund switch. It works the other way too.
What changes in your numbers
The category's spent figure for the period becomes your spending minus the refund. Spend $100 on groceries, get $30 back, and Groceries shows $70.
- Budgets. The category's budget bar gets the room back. If a refund is bigger than what you spent in that period, the bar shows nothing spent rather than going below zero. Refunds and budgets
- Reports. The refund comes off its category in the Money Out breakdown and isn't listed again under Money In, so the same money is never counted twice. Refunds in Reports
- Your balance. A refund is still money that came in, so your Home balance and your Money In total both count it.
- PDF report (Pro). The new Spending by category table in the PDF export nets refunds back into their category too. About exports
When to use it
- A return to a shop or an online order you sent back.
- A cancelled booking, flight or event that paid you back.
- A credit on a bill, like an electricity or phone bill adjustment.
- A friend paying you back for their share of dinner, if you'd rather your Food & Dining figure show only what you ate.
For money that's genuinely new (salary, a gift, interest), keep using plain Money In. For money moving between your own accounts, use a transfer.
Free, and in Partner Mode too
Refunds are free for everyone. The budget bars themselves are part of Pro. With Partner Mode, your partner's refunds come off their category in the combined view, just like yours.
Questions
How do I record a refund in Pocket Clear?
Tap Money In, turn on Refund, pick the Money Out category the money came out of, enter the amount and save. You can also open an existing Money In entry and turn on Refund.
Does a refund change my budget?
Yes. It comes off that category's spending for the period, so the budget gets the room back. A refund bigger than what you spent shows nothing spent, never a negative amount.
Does a refund still count in my balance?
Yes. A refund is money that came in, so your Home balance and your Money In total include it. Only the category breakdown nets it against spending.
Is it free?
Yes. Refunds are free for everyone. Budget bars are part of Pro.
Numbers That Match What Really Happened
Log a refund in two taps and your categories and budgets stay honest. Free, no ads, no bank linking.