Editing and Managing Expenses

Overview

Learn how to edit, delete, duplicate, and manage your business expenses in Akili Apps. This guide covers all the tools you need to keep your expense records accurate and up-to-date.

What You'll Learn

• How to edit existing expenses
• Deleting expenses safely
• Duplicating expenses quickly
• Viewing expense history
• Undoing changes
• Archiving old expenses

Finding Expenses to Edit

Method 1: From Dashboard

1. Scroll to Recent Activity feed
2. Find the expense you want to edit
3. Click on the expense row
4. Expense details modal opens

Method 2: From Expenses Page

1. Navigate to "Expenses" in sidebar
2. Use search or filters to find expense:
   • Search by merchant name
   • Filter by date range
   • Filter by category
   • Filter by amount range
3. Click on expense row

Method 3: Global Search

1. Press Ctrl/Cmd + K for global search
2. Type merchant name, amount, or description
3. Select expense from results
4. Expense opens for viewing/editing

Editing an Expense

Step-by-Step

1. Open the expense (using one of the methods above)
2. Click "Edit" button (pencil icon)
3. Expense form opens with current values
4. Modify any fields you need to change:
   • Date
   • Merchant
   • Amount
   • Category
   • Description
   • Tags
   • Receipt attachment
5. Click "Save Changes"

Quick Edit Mode

For faster edits from the expense list:

1. Hover over expense in the list
2. Click the pencil icon that appears
3. Inline editing activated - change fields directly in the row
4. Press Enter to save or Esc to cancel

Editable in quick mode:

• Merchant name
• Amount
• Category
• Date

Note: For other fields, use full edit mode.

Editing Multiple Fields

1. Open expense in full edit mode
2. Make all necessary changes
3. Review changes before saving
4. Click "Save Changes"

All modifications are saved together with a single timestamp.

What Can Be Edited

Always Editable

• ✅ Date
• ✅ Merchant name
• ✅ Amount
• ✅ Category
• ✅ Payment method
• ✅ Description/notes
• ✅ Tags
• ✅ Receipt attachments
• ✅ Billable status
• ✅ Tax amount
• ✅ Project/client assignment

Special Cases

Recurring Expenses: When editing a recurring expense, you'll be asked:

• Edit this occurrence only
• Edit this and future occurrences
• Edit all occurrences (past and future)

Expenses Synced from Bank:

• Can edit all fields except amount
• Amount is locked to match bank transaction
• To change amount, disconnect from bank transaction first

Exported Expenses:

• Can still edit after export
• Warning shown: "This expense was included in reports"
• Your choice to proceed or cancel

Deleting Expenses

Delete Single Expense

1. Open the expense
2. Click "Delete" button (trash icon)
3. Confirmation dialog appears:
   • "Are you sure you want to delete this expense?"
   • Show expense details (merchant, amount, date)
4. Options:
   • Delete Permanently - Cannot be undone
   • Archive Instead - Hide from main view but keep in system
5. Confirm deletion

Keyboard shortcut: Select expense and press Delete key

What Happens When You Delete

• ✅ Expense removed from dashboard totals
• ✅ Expense removed from reports (going forward)
• ✅ Receipt image moved to orphaned receipts (can be retrieved)
• ✅ Tags remain in system (for other expenses)
• ❌ Action cannot be undone (unless you chose Archive)

Deleting Recurring Expenses

When deleting a recurring expense:

1. Click "Delete" button
2. Choose deletion scope:
   • This occurrence only - Delete single instance
   • This and future occurrences - Keep past, delete future
   • All occurrences - Delete entire series
3. Confirm your choice

Safety Features

Warning for Recent Exports: If expense was included in a recent export or report:

• Warning message displayed
• Option to continue or cancel
• Helps prevent accidental deletion of reported expenses

Undo Period:

• Deleted expenses can be recovered from trash for 30 days
• Go to Settings > Trash to recover
• After 30 days, permanent deletion occurs

Duplicating Expenses

Perfect for similar expenses or recurring purchases:

How to Duplicate

1. Open the expense you want to duplicate
2. Click "Duplicate" button (copy icon)
3. New expense form opens with:
   • All fields copied except date
   • Date set to today
   • "(Copy)" added to description
4. Modify fields as needed
5. Click "Save Expense"

When to Use Duplicate

• Similar purchases: Same merchant, different date
• Multiple items: Same transaction, different categories (then edit)
• Template expenses: Common expense types
• Quick entry: Faster than starting from scratch

Tip: Duplicate an expense, then use "Save & Add Another" to create multiple similar entries quickly.

Viewing Expense History

Audit Trail

Every expense tracks changes:

1. Open expense
2. Click "History" tab
3. See chronological list of changes:
   • Original creation
   • All modifications
   • Who made changes (for team accounts)
   • Timestamps

Example History:

Nov 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM - Created by John Doe
Nov 13, 2025 at 3:10 PM - Amount changed from $45.00 to $48.50 by John Doe
Nov 14, 2025 at 9:30 AM - Category changed from "Office" to "Marketing" by John Doe

Filtering by Last Modified

On the Expenses page:

1. Click "Sort by" dropdown
2. Select "Recently Modified"
3. See most recently edited expenses first

Useful for reviewing your latest changes.

Archiving Expenses

Alternative to deletion for old expenses:

Why Archive?

• Keep expenses in system for records
• Remove from main view and reports
• Maintain data for audits
• Can be unarchived anytime

How to Archive

1. Open expense
2. Click "More Actions" (three dots)
3. Select "Archive"
4. Expense removed from main expense list

Viewing Archived Expenses

1. Go to Expenses page
2. Click "Filter" button
3. Toggle "Show Archived"
4. Archived expenses appear with gray background

Unarchiving

1. Find archived expense
2. Open it
3. Click "Unarchive"
4. Expense returns to active list

Bulk Editing

For editing multiple expenses at once:

1. Go to Expenses page
2. Select multiple expenses:
   • Click checkboxes
   • Or use "Select All" (after applying filters)
3. Click "Bulk Actions" button
4. Choose action:
   • Change Category - Apply new category to all
   • Add Tags - Add tags to all selected
   • Change Payment Method - Update payment method
   • Delete Selected - Delete multiple at once
   • Export Selected - Export to CSV
5. Confirm changes

See Bulk Operations guide for detailed instructions.

Tips & Best Practices

• Edit immediately when you notice errors - Don't let mistakes accumulate
• Use descriptions - Add notes explaining changes if significant
• Review before deleting - Double-check you're deleting the right expense
• Archive instead of delete - When unsure, archive instead
• Use duplicate for similar expenses - Saves time on data entry
• Check history before editing - See if someone else on your team already made changes
• Use bulk edit for batch changes - Much faster than one-by-one
• Keep receipts attached - Even when editing amounts

Common Questions

Q: Can I undo an edit? A: There's no undo button, but you can see the history and manually revert changes. Deleted expenses can be recovered from trash for 30 days.

Q: Will editing an expense affect my reports? A: Yes, reports are generated in real-time from current data. Past exported reports (PDFs) are not affected.

Q: Can I edit an expense from last year? A: Yes, there's no time limit on editing expenses. However, if you've already filed taxes, consult your accountant before making changes.

Q: What happens if I delete an expense that's linked to an invoice? A: You'll receive a warning. The invoice won't be affected, but the expense link will be removed.

Q: Can I batch edit expenses from my phone? A: Bulk editing is currently desktop-only. Individual edits work on mobile.

Q: How do I know if an expense has been edited? A: Look for the "edited" indicator (pencil icon) next to the date. Click "History" to see all changes.

Q: Can I recover a permanently deleted expense? A: Only within 30 days from the trash. After that, it's permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

Q: Will editing affect bank-synced transactions? A: Editing won't affect your actual bank records. It only changes your Akili Apps copy.

Related Articles

• Creating Expenses - Add new expenses
• Bulk Operations - Edit multiple expenses
• Categorizing Expenses - Category guide
• Searching Expenses - Find expenses fast

Need More Help?

Contact support at support@akiliapps.com or use the live chat in the bottom right corner of the app.