Connecting YNAB

A YNAB feed sends the posted transactions from your connected banks into a YNAB plan. There is no field mapping: you match each bank account to a YNAB account once, and every new transaction arrives in YNAB ready for you to categorize and approve.

Connect YNAB#

YNAB connects through OAuth: you sign in to YNAB in a popup and approve access. BankSync never sees your YNAB password.

The connection belongs to the workspace. Editors in this workspace can send transactions to your YNAB plan, and the person who connected YNAB can always disconnect it.

Choose a plan#

In the Destination tab, pick the YNAB plan this feed writes into. It starts on the plan you chose while approving. The plan's currency is shown next to it: BankSync never converts money, so a bank account in a different currency is marked "Not sent" in the next step.

Match your bank accounts#

The Mapping tab lists every bank account in the feed. For each one, choose where its transactions go:

• An existing YNAB account. Use this when the account is already in your plan.
• A new YNAB account. BankSync suggests a name and an account type. Check the type before you create the account: YNAB never lets you change an account's type, and accounts created through the API cannot be deleted from BankSync. Nothing is created until you press Create.
• Don't send. The bank account stays in the feed but nothing goes to YNAB.

The feed is ready once every bank account has a YNAB account or is set to "Don't send".

If a bank account already sends to a YNAB account in another feed, or a YNAB account already receives from a different bank account, the Mapping tab warns you. It never blocks the save.

Choose where to start#

Today is the default and the recommendation. YNAB recommends starting fresh: past transactions land in past months, uncategorized, and categorizing them can pull money out of Ready to Assign.

If you do want some history, open Include past transactions and choose 7, 30 or 90 days. The choice is limited by how much history your bank provides.

For an account BankSync creates, the first sync also adds a Starting Balance transaction so the YNAB balance matches your bank. An existing YNAB account keeps the balance it already has.

What BankSync sends#

• Posted transactions only. Pending transactions are never sent, so nothing changes or disappears after it reaches YNAB.
• Payee and memo. The merchant name (or the bank's description) becomes the payee; the bank's description goes in the memo when it adds something.
• Cleared and unapproved. Categories, flags and splits are left for you to set in YNAB.
• Late transactions. A transaction your bank posts late is still sent, whatever its date.
• Future dates wait. YNAB rejects dates after today in UTC, so those transactions are held and sent on a later sync. They are never dropped.

A transaction you delete in YNAB stays deleted; BankSync does not send it again.

Review in YNAB#

After each sync the feed page shows how many transactions were sent and how many were already in YNAB, with a link to review them in YNAB. Approve and categorize them there as usual.

Duplicates and other imports#

Every transaction carries a stable import ID, so a retried or repeated sync never creates a duplicate in YNAB.

Transfers#

A transfer between two of your banks arrives as two separate transactions, one in each YNAB account. BankSync does not link them as a YNAB transfer.

Rate limits#

YNAB allows each connection a limited number of requests per hour. A normal sync uses only a few. If YNAB's limit is reached, the feed shows "YNAB rate limit — continues on next sync" and the next scheduled sync picks up where it stopped. Nothing is lost or sent twice, and it does not count as a failed sync.

If YNAB needs reconnecting#

If YNAB access stops working (for example, you revoked BankSync in YNAB or your YNAB subscription lapsed), feeds sending to YNAB pause and show why. Reconnect from the Integrations tab. Your account matches and start dates stay as they were, and the feeds resume.

If a YNAB account a feed sends to is closed or deleted, the feed pauses and asks you to choose a new account for that bank account.

Disconnect#

Disconnect YNAB from the Integrations tab. BankSync deletes its YNAB access and the plan and account names it cached for setup, and pauses the feeds that send to YNAB. Transactions already in YNAB are not touched.

You can also revoke BankSync from your YNAB Account Settings at any time. Feeds sending to YNAB then pause until you reconnect.

Privacy#

BankSync stores your YNAB access encrypted and uses it only to list your plans and accounts, create the accounts you ask for, and send your bank transactions. It is deleted when you disconnect, when the workspace is deleted, or when you delete your BankSync account. See the BankSync privacy policy and YNAB's privacy policy.

Related guides#

• Creating your first feed: the complete walkthrough from bank to destination.
• Managing your integrations: rename, reconnect, or disconnect a connection.

We are not affiliated, associated, or in any way officially connected with YNAB or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. The official YNAB website can be found at https://www.ynab.com. The names YNAB and You Need A Budget, as well as related names, tradenames, marks, trademarks, emblems, and images are registered trademarks of YNAB.