Using Transaction Rules
From the Settings menu, you can see all of your active Transaction Rules— the automation that works quietly in the background to keep your transactions organized as they download.
Set up Rules to organize transactions by applying categories, renaming payees, adding tags, and more as they download— so you don't have to make the same edits repeatedly.
Set your rules once—let Quicken handle the rest.
What Are Transaction Rules?
Transaction Rules are automation tools that tell Quicken how to handle transactions when they download.
Once a rule is set up, Quicken can automatically:
Rename a payee
Update or assign a category
Add tags
Add notes
Exclude transactions from reports or budgets
Mark transactions as reviewed
Instead of manually updating every transaction, you create rules once—and Quicken applies them consistently going forward.
Understanding Your Rules Settings
"If a transaction matches this" column shows the conditions Quicken looks for in the transaction
"Then make these changes" column shows the action Quicken takes
Rules are evaluated in order from top to bottom
Use the three-dot menu to edit, reorder, duplicate, or delete rules
Use the + Rule button to create a new rule
Rules are evaluated as transactions download, so the order and specificity of your rules matter.
How Rules Identify Transactions
Rules can be applied when a transaction matches specific details, such as:
Payee name (or statement name)
Account
Amount
You can use one condition by itself, or combine multiple conditions to make a rule more specific. For example, you might apply a rule only when a certain payee appears in a specific account, or when a transaction matches both a payee name and an amount.
This flexibility lets you fine-tune how Quicken recognizes recurring activity—like utilities, subscriptions, payroll, rent, or business expenses (Quicken Business & Personal) —so the right changes are applied automatically every time.
Transaction Rules Save Time and Improve Accuracy
Using rules helps you:
Save time by eliminating repetitive manual edits
Reduce errors by applying the same logic every time
Keep categories consistent for better reports and budgets
Strengthen your financial management with clean, reliable data
The more consistent your transactions are, the more accurate and useful everything else in Quicken becomes—from budgets to reports to tax summaries.
When to Create New Rules
Consider adding a rule if:
A merchant downloads with messy, inconsistent, or unclear names
You keep assigning the same category over and over
Income or paycheck deposits need consistent categorization
Transactions need the same tags for tracking or tax purposes
Business expenses from personal accounts need to be labeled correctly
Certain transactions should always be excluded from budgets or reports
If you find yourself making the same edit more than once, a rule can probably do it for you.
Click + Rule to create a new rule, or use the three-dot menu on an existing rule to duplicate it as a starting point.
What to Do Next
Review your existing rules to understand what automation is already working for you.
Edit rules that need adjustment
Create new rules for recurring transactions you handle manually
Delete any rules that no longer apply
The order matters—rules are evaluated as transactions download, so arrange them from most specific to most general for best results.
Well-configured rules transform downloaded transactions into reliable financial data without ongoing effort.