Migration guide
Switch from EveryDollar in about fifteen minutes
You already know the zero-based method, that's the hard part, and it comes with you. This guide moves your transaction history and categories into CalmDollar with the built-in EveryDollar import preset.
Get your data out of EveryDollar
The quickest way is our free EveryDollar CSV Exporter for Chrome. Install it, open your EveryDollar budget, and it downloads your budget and transactions as CSV files, splits and all. A year of history takes a couple of minutes.
Prefer not to install anything? EveryDollar has its own export in the web app, though it has typically been a paid feature and the option has moved around over the years. If you can't find it, their support can send a copy of your data. Either file works in the next step. Ours is free, because getting your own data out shouldn't cost extra.
Tip: export as far back as you'd like history for. A year of transactions makes your first reports immediately useful.
Create your CalmDollar account
Start free, no card needed. You'll start with a sensible category template (housing, food, transportation, personal, savings & goals). Don't spend time perfecting categories yet; anything the import can't match lands as uncategorized, ready to sort afterward.
CSV import is free on every plan, so you can migrate on Free with no trial required. The 14-day Plus trial is there if you want unlimited categories and reports while you settle in.
Import with the EveryDollar preset
Go to Transactions → Import CSV, choose your file, and pick the EveryDollar preset. The preset pre-fills the column mapping so EveryDollar's fields land in the right places:
| EveryDollar column | CalmDollar field |
|---|---|
| Date | Date |
| Merchant / description | Payee |
| Amount | Amount (expenses positive, refunds negative) |
| Budget item / group | Category (mapped in the next step) |
If your export's headers look different from EveryDollar's, use the generic CSV import instead: it lets you map your own date, amount, and payee columns to whatever your file calls them.
Safe to re-run: every imported row is fingerprinted, so importing the same file twice won't create duplicates.
Map your categories
The importer matches your EveryDollar budget items to CalmDollar categories by name, so "Groceries" finds Groceries. Anything it can't match, you can create as a new category right in the import, or leave uncategorized and recategorize from the Transactions page afterward. This is also a nice moment to merge those three near-identical coffee categories you've been meaning to deal with.
Budget your first month
History is in, now do the fun part. Enter this month's income, assign dollars to envelopes until the to-assign meter locks green, and set up your recurring bills so next month is one click. If you had savings "funds" in EveryDollar, recreate them as goals: a target amount, a target month, and CalmDollar will tell you if you're on pace.
What carries over, and what doesn't
Comes with you
- Transaction history (dates, payees, amounts)
- Categories, via name matching or created at import
- Refunds, negative amounts import as refunds
Set up fresh
- Monthly allocations: assign this month's dollars yourself (it takes minutes and it's the point)
- Savings funds, recreate as sinking-fund goals with pace tracking
- Recurring bills: add them once, then it's one click a month
