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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.paperlink.online/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Categories let you classify every transaction as a specific type of income or expense, so you can filter your data, spot patterns in the dashboard charts, and understand where your money actually goes. Paperlink comes with a full set of default categories ready to use from day one, and you can customize or extend them at any time.

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How categories are structured

Categories form a three-level tree. The top level is always either Income or Expense — Paperlink keeps these two trees separate. Below the top level, you add your own hierarchy: 
Level 1: Office & Workspace          (Expense)
  Level 2: Office Rent
    Level 3: Monthly Rent Payment
The three-level limit applies to all categories. When you add or edit a category, the Parent Category dropdown only shows items that will not push the nesting past level 3. Each tree also has a locked Uncategorized entry at the top. Transactions without a category assigned fall into Uncategorized automatically. You cannot rename, archive, or delete it.

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Default categories

When you first sign in, Paperlink seeds a complete category tree for both personal and company accounting. You do not need to set anything up — you can start recording transactions right away. Default expense categories include:
  • Housing & Rent (rent, mortgage, utilities)
  • Office & Workspace (furniture, supplies, equipment)
  • Marketing & Advertising (digital ads, print, PR)
  • Professional Services (legal, accounting, consulting)
  • Software & Subscriptions (SaaS tools, licenses)
  • Payroll & Contractors (salaries, freelancer payments)
  • Transportation & Vehicle (fuel, parking, maintenance)
  • Food & Dining
  • Healthcare
  • And more
Default income categories include:
  • Business Revenue (product sales, service income)
  • Investment Income (dividends, interest, capital gains)
  • Rental Income
  • Royalties & Licensing
All default categories are regular categories — you can rename them, move them under a different parent, archive them, or delete them. They are not locked.
Company categories are shared across all team members. Personal categories belong only to you and are not visible to other members. The two trees start with the same defaults but are maintained independently.

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Open category settings

Personal categories:
1

Open accounting settings

Click Settings in the sidebar, then open the Accounting tab.
2

Switch to the Categories tab

Click the Categories tab. The left panel shows the category tree with Income and Expense tabs. The right panel shows the detail form when you select a category.
Company categories:
1

Open team accounting settings

Click Settings, open the Team section, then click the Accounting tab. Select your company from the dropdown at the top.
2

Switch to the Categories tab

Click the Categories tab to see the company’s shared category tree.

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Add a custom category

1

Select the right tab

Click the Income or Expense tab in the category list depending on which type of category you want to create.
2

Click Add Category

Click Add Category at the top of the list.
3

Enter a name

Type a name up to 100 characters in the Category Name field.
4

Set a parent (optional)

Select a Parent Category from the dropdown to nest the new category under an existing one. Leave it empty to add a top-level category.
5

Create

Click Create. The category appears in the tree immediately.

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Rename or reparent a category

Click a category in the tree. The detail panel on the right opens. Update the Category Name or change the Parent Category, then click Save.
You can restructure your entire category tree by reparenting categories — for example, moving “SaaS Tools” under “Software & Subscriptions” instead of keeping it at the top level.

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Add a subcategory to an existing category

Click the category you want to add a subcategory to. In the detail panel, click Add Subcategory (or use Add Category and select the parent from the dropdown). Enter the subcategory name and click Create.

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Archive a category

Archiving hides a category from selection in transaction forms without deleting it. This is useful for seasonal or retired categories that still have historical transactions you want to keep.
  1. Select the category in the tree.
  2. Click Archive in the detail panel.
If the category has subcategories, all of them are archived together. To restore, enable the Show archived filter, select the archived category, and click Restore.

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Delete a category

  1. Select the category in the tree.
  2. Click Delete in the detail panel.
  3. Confirm in the dialog.
Deleting a category with subcategories deletes all of them. The dialog shows the total count before you confirm.
You cannot delete a category that has transactions assigned to it. Reassign those transactions to a different category first, or delete the transactions, before removing the category.

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Use categories in the dashboard

The accounting dashboard includes a category donut chart that breaks down your income or expenses by category for the selected period. You can also filter the transaction list by category to see only transactions in a specific branch of the tree — for example, all “Marketing & Advertising” spending including its subcategories.

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Reset personal accounting

If you want to start fresh, Paperlink provides several bulk reset options under Settings > Accounting > Settings tab:
  • Restore Default Expense Categories — adds back any missing default expense categories without touching your custom ones or existing transactions
  • Restore Default Income Categories — same for income categories
  • Delete All Expense Categories — removes all expense categories and all expense transactions permanently
  • Delete All Income Categories — removes all income categories and all income transactions permanently
  • Reset All Personal Accounting — deletes everything: all transactions, categories, and financial accounts
All delete and reset actions are permanent and cannot be undone. Paperlink shows a confirmation dialog before each action, and the full reset requires you to type DELETE to confirm.

Set Up Financial Accounts

Create the accounts that transactions — and their categories — are recorded against

Record and Track Transactions

Log income, expenses, and transfers and assign them to categories

Your Workspace

See the full list of default categories Paperlink creates on first sign-in

Team Members

Understand roles and who can manage company categories in your team