Transactions not syncing for your linked accounts? That’s frustrating! Most new transactions should appear within 1-3 days of making your purchase. But the timing is largely determined by your bank.
If no new transactions appear within a few days of making a purchase, check for issues with your connection.
Here are a few common reasons why that might be happening and how to fix the issue.
Re-link to Fix a Broken Connection
A broken connection is the most common cause of missing transactions. This can happen when bank passwords are changed and your bank needs re-authentication.
An error icon will appear next to the affected Account:
Re-linking the broken connection usually resolves the issue.
- Log in to your Household on the web.
- Click the Add/Edit button on the Accounts tab
- Look for a triangular error icon next to the Account.
- Click the icon and re-enter your bank credentials.
- Open the Goodbudget app on your phone
- Tap the Fix Bank Connection button at the top of the Envelopes or Account tab
- Tap on the Account with the yellow error icon
- Tap Relink Account and re-enter your bank credentials
- Tap Save when you’re done
What to expect
- The error icon may still appear immediately after re-linking. It should disappear by the next day.
- New transactions should begin syncing again after that.
Update Incorrect Bank Settings
Some banks require explicit permission before they share your transaction data with apps.
Check your bank settings to ensure you’ve approved third-party access to your data.
What to do
- Log in to your bank’s website or mobile app.
- Look for a section like “Manage Connected Apps,” “Third-Party Access,” or “Authorized Applications.”
- Make sure Goodbudget or Plaid is approved to access your transaction data.
Once approved, new transactions should start syncing going forward.
But if it’s been a few days and you’re still not seeing new transactions, try re-linking the Account.
You can find steps for re-linking in the section above.
When Re-Linking or Bank Settings Won’t Fix the Issue
Some changes break a bank connection in a way that can’t be fixed by re-linking.
Common example
- Your bank issues a new card number (for example, after fraud activity).
- The old connection no longer matches the bank data, so transactions stop syncing.
In these cases, you’ll need to remove the old connection and create a new one.
How to Create a New Bank Connection
- Go to the Accounts tab and click Add/Edit.
- Click Edit next to the affected Goodbudget Account.
- Select Unlink Account.
- Click Add Bank Connection.
- Follow Plaid’s prompts to enter your bank username and password.
- When prompted, select all bank accounts at the same time.
- Use the Link to Bank Account menu on the Add/Edit screen to select the correct bank account.
- Save your changes.
- Head to the Accounts tab
- Tap Edit in the top-left corner
- Tap on the affected Account
- Tap Unlink Account > Link to Bank Account
- Tap Add New Bank Connection
- Follow Plaid’s prompts to enter your bank username and password
- When prompted, select all bank accounts at the same time
- When you return to Goodbudget, use the Link to Bank Account menu to select the correct bank account
- Save your changes
Goodbudget should resume syncing after the new connection is set up.
*This article was written by humans, restructured for scannability using GenAI, and reviewed by humans.
