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

# Understand spending and reports

> Use categorized Miyo transaction data to understand where money went, compare reporting periods, and recognize when incomplete data affects a report.

Miyo builds spending views from your transaction categories and types. When a chart looks wrong, correct the transactions first; the report will follow the underlying data.

## Use the Spending view

Open **Spending** to review totals, trends, categories, and merchants for the selected period.

* Change the time range to compare recent activity with an earlier period.
* Turn **Include bills** on or off when you want to separate recurring commitments from other spending.
* Select a category or merchant to narrow the transactions behind a total.
* Review **Left for Savings** as income after spending, not as a bank balance.

## Use Reports

If **Reports** is available in your navigation, use it for a broader income-and-expense view. Choose a period and lens, then drill into the transactions behind an unexpected amount.

<Info>
  Reports and some comparison lenses can be released gradually. The transactions and spending filters remain the source for investigating a total when a report is not available.
</Info>

## Fix a total that looks wrong

<Steps>
  <Step title="Match the period">
    Confirm that the report and the bank statement use the same start date, end date, and timezone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review uncategorized activity">
    Open **Transactions** and filter to **Uncategorized** for the same period.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check transaction types">
    A transfer marked as an expense can inflate spending. A refund or income item with the wrong type can distort net totals.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check exclusions">
    A transaction with **Exclude from budgets** can behave differently in planning views than it does in a complete transaction total.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check data freshness">
    Review linked-institution status and the latest imported transaction date.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **Left for Savings** is a planning calculation. It does not mean Miyo moved that amount or that the same amount is available in one financial account.
</Note>