Categorize bank transactions into a rolling 12-month budget with Claude

WorkedEvidence: Described by posterPosted Mar 5, 2026Last checked Nov 2, 2026

Kirill Markin had Claude categorize 43 transactions and update a 12-month budget in about 10 minutes of review.

Source checked Nov 2, 2026
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Here are this month's transactions from my two bank accounts. Categorize each one using my existing budget categories, add them to my tracker and update my 12-month forecast. If you're not sure where a charge belongs, ask me instead of guessing, and flag anything that doesn't match between accounts.

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Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Categorize my bank transactions into my budget and update a rolling 12-month forecast.

Questions to ask me first:
- What categories do you use now?
- Which accounts and months do these transactions cover?
- Where should the results go: a spreadsheet, a table here or another tool?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Transactions exported from my bank (date, description, amount): [CSV OR PASTE]
- My budget categories: [CATEGORIES]
- Starting balances: [BALANCES]
- Planned income and big expenses for the next 12 months: [PLANS]

Rules:
- Assign every transaction to one of my categories; don't create new ones without asking.
- Ask me about any charge you can't place with confidence, one short question at a time.
- Treat transfers between my own accounts as transfers, not spending.
- Check that the ending balances match my bank balances and flag any gap, missing transfer or duplicate.
- Don't ask for account numbers or log-ins.

Checkpoint: After categorizing, show me the questions and any flags before you update the forecast.

If you get stuck: If a description is unclear, show it to me as it appears and ask what it was.

Verify before you finish: Recompute the totals per category and confirm they add up to the bank totals.

Output: A categorized table, a list of flags, and a 12-month forecast by month with the projected balance.

Done when: Every transaction is categorized, the balances match and the forecast is updated.

AI tool

Claude

Outcome

Kirill Markin has kept a rolling 12-month budget for over five years and now hands the data entry to Claude. In one session, Markin dropped 43 transactions from two bank accounts into Claude. It categorized them, added them to a personal database and asked whether a 120 euro charge at a furniture store belonged under "Big purchases" or "Other." After Markin answered "Big purchases," the 12-month forecast updated, and the projected December balance dropped enough to make Markin rethink a planned trip. The agent also checks that balances match across accounts and flags problems like a missing transfer or a duplicate. Markin says the routine now takes about 10 minutes of review instead of an hour of manual entry.

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Source

Posted: Mar 5, 2026 by Kirill Markin
Last checked: Nov 2, 2026
Method:: How we verify

https://kirill-markin.com/articles/ai-expense-tracking-bank-accounts-budget/

Context: Markin connects Claude to a personal database set up for this. Pasting bank data into a chat works for smaller batches, but remove account numbers first.