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Roll unspent budget into this month

Last updated October 13, 2026

On this page

A rollover takes what you didn't spend on a budget last month and adds it to this month's cap. If you budget $400 for groceries and spent $300 last month, this month you have $500 to work with.

How to do it

  1. Start with a monthly budget. If you don't have one yet, see set a monthly budget.
  2. At the start of the month, ask your AI to roll over last month's unspent amount on that budget. See a monthly money review with your AI.
  3. Your AI tells you how much carried over and what your cap is this month.
  4. Any time during the month, ask your AI how you're doing on the budget. The carried amount is part of the cap.
Try asking

Create a $400 monthly Groceries budget for my Household ledger and roll last month's unspent grocery money into this month. Then tell me how much carried over and what my cap is this month.

Try asking

Create a $200 monthly Groceries budget for my Household ledger, roll over last month's unspent amount, and show me how this month's budget stands.

Try asking

Create a $400 monthly Groceries budget for my Household ledger, roll last month's unspent amount into this month, then run the rollover a second time and tell me how much has carried over in total.

What you'll see

After the rollover, your AI reports the amount carried over from last month and this month's cap, which is the budget amount plus the carry.

When you check the budget later in the month, your AI can show three numbers:

  • the base cap, which is the amount you set;
  • the amount carried over;
  • the effective cap, which is the two added together.

Spent, remaining, over budget, the share used and on pace are all measured against the effective cap.

How the carry is worked out

  • Last calendar month only. Pennyweight looks at spending in the budget's category or tag from the 1st to the last day of last month. It doesn't reach further back.
  • Measured against today's amount. Last month's spending is compared with the budget's amount as it stands now. A budget you created this month can still be rolled over. If nothing in its category was spent last month, the full amount carries over.
  • Same ledger as the budget. Every budget belongs to one ledger, and the carry counts spending in that ledger only, the same as the budget's status. To roll over a budget outside your active ledger, name its ledger.
  • Overspending carries nothing. If you spent the full amount or more last month, the carry is $0. An overspent month is not taken off this month's cap.
  • Running it twice doesn't double it. A second rollover in the same month works the carry out again from last month and replaces it. It never stacks.

Good to know

  • It isn't automatic. Nothing rolls over on its own. Ask your AI at the start of each month you want a carry.
  • A carry lasts one month. It applies only to the month you rolled into. When the next month starts, the carry drops to $0 until you ask again. There is no way to remove a carry before then.
  • Keep it in one currency. The cap is in the budget's ledger currency, but the rollover adds up last month's spending without checking currencies or converting them. Keep a rolled-over budget in a ledger whose spending is all in that ledger's currency. See accounts and totals in more than one currency.
  • Savings goals don't use it. A goal's progress doesn't include a carry. For saving toward a target over time, see save toward a goal.
  • A budget alert includes the carry. If your AI set an alert for when the budget reaches a share of its cap, it measures against this month's cap with the carry added. Pennyweight checks alerts when new data reaches it, not in real time. See my alert didn't notify me.
  • To stop or remove a budget, see pause, resume or delete a budget.
  • Set a monthly budgetAsk your AI to cap a category for the month, then check how much you've spent and how much is left. Here is how budgets count your spending.
  • Save toward a goalAsk your AI to set a savings goal with a target amount and date, tag the money you set aside, and check whether you're on track.
  • Pause, resume or delete a budgetAsk your AI to pause a budget for a while, turn it back on, change it, or delete it for good. Here is what each one does to the budget.
  • A monthly money review with your AIOnce a month, ask your AI how last month went: money in and out, your top spending categories, what changed, your subscriptions and your budgets.