> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.redbark.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Custom categories

> Define your own category taxonomy and route your bank's categories into it

Your bank reports every transaction against an Open Banking (CDR) category: codes like `FOOD_AND_DRINK` or `INCOME_SALARY`. Custom categories let you define your own taxonomy on top: your own names, organised into groups, with each bank category routed to one of them. Synced transactions then carry your category and its group alongside the raw bank category.

## Your taxonomy

Open **Categories** in the app. On first visit you get a default taxonomy: themed groups (Income, Housing, Food, Transport, Lifestyle, Health, Commitments, Giving & Government, Transfers, Other) with every bank category already routed somewhere sensible. From there it's yours to reshape:

* **Rename** a category by clicking its name.
* **Add** groups and categories, or delete ones you don't use.
* **Move a category** to another group by dragging it onto that group's card.
* **Re-route a bank category** by expanding a category and dragging one of its bank categories onto a different category.

Deleting a category asks where its bank categories should route from then on. Pick another category, or let them pass through as the raw bank category. A group must be emptied before it can be deleted.

<Info>
  A bank subcategory with no routing of its own follows its parent category's routing. Dragging it somewhere else creates an explicit route for just that subcategory.
</Info>

## Where your categories appear

| Surface                                 | Fields                                                          |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Google Sheets](/google-sheets)         | Trailing `Custom Category` and `Custom Category Group` columns  |
| [Webhook](/api-reference/webhooks)      | `custom_category` and `custom_category_group` payload fields    |
| [Notion](/notion)                       | `Custom Category` and `Custom Category Group` properties        |
| [REST API](/api-reference/transactions) | `customCategory` and `customCategoryGroup` on every transaction |

The raw bank category is always kept alongside. Your categories are added, never substituted.

YNAB uses its own [per-sync category mapping](/ynab) into your budget's categories and is not affected by this taxonomy.

## Enabling on a sync

New syncs include custom categories automatically. Syncs created before the feature keep their exact output shape until you opt in: open the sync's **Settings** page and switch on **Include custom categories**. From the next run, the extra columns or fields appear; existing rows are never rewritten.

## Resetting

**Settings → Reset categories** replaces your whole taxonomy (groups, names, and routing) with the default set. This can't be undone, and syncs with custom categories enabled use the default names from their next run.