custom categories.md
Custom Categories
Custom Categories
Kick comes with a standard set of categories designed to cover most business types. When transactions sync, Kick's categorization model automatically assigns a category to ~97% of them out of the box. Custom categories let you extend that standard set for clients with specific reporting needs — industries with specialized expense types, detailed revenue breakdowns, or any case where the standard categories don't map cleanly to how your client thinks about their finances.
Each category in Kick maps automatically to a GL account to keep your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet accurate. See Categories vs General Ledger to learn more.
Accessing categories
Go to Transactions → Categories in the left nav to view all categories across your client's workspace.
Creating a custom category
There are two ways to create a custom category.
From the Transactions tab: Click the Category field on any transaction to open the category dropdown, then click Create new category at the bottom of the list. The new category is created and automatically assigned to that transaction.
From the Categories tab: Go to Transactions → Categories and click the + icon next to any existing category to add a custom subcategory beneath it.
{% hint style="info" %} Kick's AI categorization model does not automatically assign custom categories. Create a rule to ensure custom categories are applied consistently going forward. {% endhint %}
Editing a custom category
Go to Transactions → Categories, find the category, click the options menu (⋯), and select Update.
Deleting a custom category
Go to Transactions → Categories, find the category, click the options menu (⋯), and select Delete.
When a custom subcategory is deleted, all transactions assigned to it revert to the parent category.
{% hint style="warning" %} Any rules that reference a deleted custom category will no longer fire correctly. Review your rules before deleting a category. {% endhint %}
Assigning a custom category to a transaction
Navigate to Transactions, click the Category field, and search for or select your custom category.
Categories can also be assigned in bulk by selecting multiple transactions at once.
To apply a custom category automatically going forward, create a rule.